Four Northumberland openings have been listed among the best things to do in the UK in 2023.
Popular travel and culture magazine Time Out unveiled its list this week which includes Northumberland's first whisky distillery, the world's largest play structure, the world's longest managed walking route, and a new hotel inspired by Alice in Wonderland. Northumberland was named one of the world's best destinations to visit in 2022 by the New York Times and this new list for 2023 will have tourism businesses in the county hoping for another busy year - especially as the cost of living crisis continues.
First on the list is Ad Gefrin, Northumberland's first whisky distillery. Initially listed as one of 2022's most exciting openings in the entire world by the Smithsonian Magazine for 2022, the £10.4 million combined distillery and museum on the Anglo-Saxon Golden Age's opening was pushed back until next spring.
Read more: Northumberland museum to bring home rare Anglo-Saxon objects ahead of 2023 opening
However, it looks as if that opening is right on schedule and speaking to ChronicleLive at the site in Wooler, co-founder Eileen Ferguson said: "I'm quite emotional about it because I think this represents a great amount of hope. This is going to be a tourist destination on its own but the hope is that other tourist destinations in Northumberland will benefit too."
One of those could be Lilidorei at the Alnwick Garden, which has big plans of its own to bring 280,000 tourists to Northumberland outside of the busy summer season. Both Ad Gefrin and Lilidorei have spoken of extending that season, in the hope it will have a knock-on effect for tourism and hospitality businesses in the county.
Ian McAllister, strategic Head of Marketing & Communications for The Alnwick Garden and Lilidorei, said: "We are absolutely blown away with the feature in Time Out – it makes everything we’ve been planning, working on and dreaming about a reality at last! Last week we took 25 children from a local primary school on the play structure and one said: "this is the best day of my life", it’s days like that that make it all worthwhile!
"Spring can’t come soon enough for us as we’re all desperate to show everyone what we have been building! It’s hard to explain The World’s Largest Play Structure, so as soon as the gates are open and people can see it for themselves, we’ll be happy!"
Also listed was the England Coastal Path, set to be the longest managed walking route in the world once it is completed at roughly 2,700 miles. The latest stretch between Bamburgh and Amble opened in October, taking walkers past some of the most evocative scenery on the Northumberland Coast including castles at Bamburgh, Dunstanburgh and Warkworth.
The fourth and final recommendation on Time Out's list was The Tempus hotel - the sister hotel of Charlton Hall. The hotel, which is due to open in spring 2023 has an 'Alice in Wonderland' theme across its 15 bedrooms.
Speaking to the Chronicle in October, Richard Shell, owner and director at the Doxford Group which will manage the Tempus, said: "We have seen a significant rise in demand for overnight stays in the area with Northumberland becoming a popular hotspot for holidaymakers and tourists all year round. The addition of The Tempus will increase the number of guests we can sleep on site to 86 and the new bar and restaurant will provide an exciting new culinary address for the area and all of Northumberland."
To read the full list of the 23 best new things to do in the UK in 2023 on Time Out, click here.
Where are you excited about visiting in 2023? Let us know!
Read next
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