Triumphant trio of Northumberland attractions in BBC Countryfile awards

Three Northumberland attractions have triumphed in a prestigious national poll celebrating the best of the UK's countryside.
College Valley in the Northumberland National Park. Picture by Jane ColtmanCollege Valley in the Northumberland National Park. Picture by Jane Coltman
College Valley in the Northumberland National Park. Picture by Jane Coltman

A week before the polls closed, we reported that Bamburgh Castle was winning the charge for Landmark of the Year, Northumberland National Park had edged ahead in a neck-and-neck race for the National Park of the Year gong and Hadrian’s Wall was in the number one spot for Heritage Site of the Year in the BBC Countryfile Magazine Awards 2015/16.

The winners were announced today and it was revealed that all three have taken the top prize.

Bamburgh Castle. Picture by Jane ColtmanBamburgh Castle. Picture by Jane Coltman
Bamburgh Castle. Picture by Jane Coltman
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Countryfile experts, including John Craven, Ellie Harrison, Chris Packham and Simon Barnes, nominated candidates in 11 categories and the magazine asked readers to choose their favourites.

The magnificent coastal fortress at Bamburgh was among five candidates chosen by landscape photographer Guy Edwardes for the Landmark award. The other contenders were: Durdle Door, Dorset; The Old Man of Storr, Isle of Skye; Glastonbury Tor, Somerset; and Seven Sisters cliffs in Sussex.

Northumberland National Park was up against the Cairngorms, Pembrokeshire Coast, Norfolk Broads and the New Forest in a shortlist drawn up by BBC Countryfile presenter Ellie Harrison.

And presenter John Craven elected Hadrian’s Wall alongside Dunluce Castle, Country Antrim; Whitby, North Yorkshire; Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, Wrexham; and Stokesay Castle, Shropshire, in the line-up for the Heritage Site prize.

Hadrian's WallHadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall
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Northumberland also had a say in a fourth category – Wildlife Success Story of the Year – which was won by the hen harrier. Among the other candidates were the North Sea cod and the basking shark, both of which also have ties to the county.

The other candidates in this category were the barnacle goose and the holly blue butterfly.