It is easy to fall into the trap of seeing Northumberland as a place only with a past, a place only of history and heritage, of ancient peoples and religion filled with castles and walls. This would be a mistake. True, the past helps define the present and helps us understand the people and the place. We are home to thriving communities with a strong sense of pride, of history and of identity.

The history of Northumberland is no simple tale, a frontier for millennia - and very much a place worth fighting for!

Northumberland has forever been a spiritual place and for a long time a centre for early Christianity in Britain. The ancient Kingdom of Northumbria was at one time the greatest in Britain, a place of history makers and power – as ever a place unto itself.

The richness of the history sings in the voices of the people and the accent of the North, an old Northumberland dialect which is still prevalent in areas such as Alwinton and the upper Coquet Valley, in which can still be heard the rich vowels and consonants of the Vikings who settled in the North, beyond the Danelaw

Northumberland is now officially the most tranquil region of England, although its history is filled with violent conflict and battle, evidenced by a landscape littered with defensive structures - Hadrian's Wall, the many great castles including Alnwick and Bamburgh, the huge Tudor fortress that is Berwick-upon-Tweed and the Peel Towers that dot the landscape as a timeless reminder of the lawlessness of the Border Reivers. Remember, much of Northumberland is north of Hadrian's Wall, clear evidence that the people of Northumberland have always been trouble! Less well defined in the open landscapes are the hidden hill-forts, strongholds and settlements of the ancient peoples of Northumberland, with areas such as Breamish Valley in Northumberland National Park and Millfield in North Northumberland home to much evidence of this unknown time.

Northumberland is also place of battles and bloodshed - the theatre for centuries of conflict between England and Scotland. This county is home to the poignant and lonely battlefield sites of Flodden Field, Otterburn & Humbleton Hill tell the tale of human loss in pursuit of power and wealth for a small elite.

Some may say an even more significant battle took place in the 7th Century AD at a place called Heavenfield close to the line of Hadrian's Wall, its location marked by a wooden cross on the B6318. It was here that the Christian army of King Oswald defeated the pagan armies of King Cadwallon, re-establishing Celtic Christianity in the UK.

Industry and rich natural resources helped Northumberland build some of the great estates of the North - Cragside, Wallington & Belsay, now owned by the National Trust. These estates show the huge wealth created by an industrial revolution fuelled by the great coalfields of south east Northumberland. While the great houses tell the tale of the rich few, the Colliery Museum in Woodhorn near Ashington tells the harsh tale of the many who hewed the coal to feed the great Victorian industrial machine.

Northumberland is much more than its history. It is a product of its past but very much of the here and now. Northumberland is loved by its people, loved for its sense of belonging, its sense of community, loved for its history and beauty. By all means indulge in the heritage and the past - but seek out the real Northumberland and love it, like we do, for the Northumberland of today.