The Sill: National Landscape Discovery Centre

What an amazing and lovely place to discover on the Wall.



We only stayed for 2 hours, but in that time we had the most tasty bacon sandwiches - and really enjoyed the exhibits downstairs. ❤️

Went to the informal Valentine’s day dinner and stargazing, food was great, service excellent, staff friendly throughout, we saw stars and had them well explained by knowledgable astronomers, it was all very worthwhile and the 40-minute drive from Newcastle was fully justified. Great building, nice to see modern and excellent facilities in Northumberland Park, look forward to seeing how it justifies its grand national title, but there is nothing wrong with ambition. The Sill is conveniently close to fabulous Vindolanda: always visit them together.

Well worth a visit. Car parking very reasonable. Free entry, a great cafe and interesting exhibition. Youth hostel accommodation. A must for hadrians wall fans.

Visited here today with our two children aged 10yrs and 5yrs. We all loved the interactive exhibit and the staff were really helpful and friendly. We will definitely visit again and are already planning our next visit.

This is an absolute tribute to Northumberland, the building, the activities, the team and the amenities are first rate. Thank you, I'll be back often.

Nice centre got a wee bit confused with the car 🚗 park you just need to pay on the way out... not at the start.... we had a great day walking along Hadrian’s wall with the dog and kids

I was based at The Sill for a week as part of HQ for the Montane Spine Race. The facilities were excellent, the staff were all very polite and friendly, beautiful gift shop and the cafe was amazing and very reasonable. Would thoroughly recommend �

Fascinating, bright, spacious, fully-accessible centre with with awe-inspiring exhibitions and relics, and amazing views from the cafe: feels like we're on top of the world! Good food, proper gluten-free options (not like most, which is usually just gluten-free junk food, IMHO). Altogether a great place to visit, so will definitely be coming again very soon. 10/10

Fascinating building: great views and shop, restaurant, etc., and perfectly placed for Hadrian’s Wall to one side; Vindolanda to the other . . . and the excellent Twice Brewed pub next door �

Attended the Dark Sky Disco with my two young kids and had a ball! Great craft activities, excellent playlist, lovely staff and welcoming atmosphere. We have visited before and will be back again. Thank you!

A great place to visit for all ages. The exhibition areas are very informative. Good layout easy to walk around. Cafe is well worth visit.

Wonderful place to visit. Food in cafe was very tasty but menu was very limited and wasn’t changeable for elderly relatives who only wanted a plain bacon sandwich. Play area for children was really good. Shop a little pricy. Won’t stop us visiting again

Nice building ,lovely setting ,good food and friendly helpful staff

Great location and lots of interesting things to see. Good place to learn about the area and to start a walk to sample Hadrian’s Wall. Parking and food a little expensive but not outrageous hence the four stars.

We visited The Sill on Saturday 14th April. Initially we loved the centre. My 9 year old son was having a great time and we planned to come back after we went for a walk. However upon visiting the astronomy section, the “gentleman” working there was quite rude to my son, embarrassing & upsetting him in front of other visitors, when he was merely looking at one of the telescopes which had no signage stating he wasn’t allowed to touch it. We still don’t quite know why he shouted at him, as he was just being curious as kids are! Needless to say we walked out and didn’t go back after our walk. He wasn’t particularly child friendly and he didn’t encourage my child to take an interest in the exhibit. A shame really!!

Visited with my young grandson who enjoyed the exhibitions, especially the night sky section. However, must drop a couple of stars due to the cafe which expensive for what was mostly a plate of salad leaves and a very thin sliver of ham in my sandwich. Sadly won't be visiting again.

Overall :Underwhelmed. Improvement on what was there before. Clever parking system with plate recognition charged at very fair prices. Not dog friendly apart from bowls of water left outside. Unless you have an assistance dog there is no access to the building & no shelter outside where you could wait with a dog on a bad weather day. Shop sells the usual stuff + drinks & ice creams. Roof garden is a good idea but will be seen at its best only at certain times of the year. Other exhibits ok. Would not make a specific visit again but might use as a short stop while enjoying the wider area.

Lovely building, great views etc. But VERY rude cafe staff. We were a group of 3 families and the woman behind the counter was rude separately to all of us. Not a cheap eating experience but you don’t mind paying if the staff are polite and friendly.

We won’t be back.

Who on earth decided to build a place which you couldn't access with a dog? In the middle of fabulous walks where so many people bring their dogs on holiday? Not possible to get any food and sit outside with your dog. Try the super friendly pub next door.

What an amazing and lovely place to discover on the Wall.



We only stayed for 2 hours, but in that time we had the most tasty bacon sandwiches - and really enjoyed the exhibits downstairs. ❤️

Went to the informal Valentine’s day dinner and stargazing, food was great, service excellent, staff friendly throughout, we saw stars and had them well explained by knowledgable astronomers, it was all very worthwhile and the 40-minute drive from Newcastle was fully justified. Great building, nice to see modern and excellent facilities in Northumberland Park, look forward to seeing how it justifies its grand national title, but there is nothing wrong with ambition. The Sill is conveniently close to fabulous Vindolanda: always visit them together.

Well worth a visit. Car parking very reasonable. Free entry, a great cafe and interesting exhibition. Youth hostel accommodation. A must for hadrians wall fans.

Visited here today with our two children aged 10yrs and 5yrs. We all loved the interactive exhibit and the staff were really helpful and friendly. We will definitely visit again and are already planning our next visit.

This is an absolute tribute to Northumberland, the building, the activities, the team and the amenities are first rate. Thank you, I'll be back often.

Nice centre got a wee bit confused with the car 🚗 park you just need to pay on the way out... not at the start.... we had a great day walking along Hadrian’s wall with the dog and kids

I was based at The Sill for a week as part of HQ for the Montane Spine Race. The facilities were excellent, the staff were all very polite and friendly, beautiful gift shop and the cafe was amazing and very reasonable. Would thoroughly recommend �

Fascinating, bright, spacious, fully-accessible centre with with awe-inspiring exhibitions and relics, and amazing views from the cafe: feels like we're on top of the world! Good food, proper gluten-free options (not like most, which is usually just gluten-free junk food, IMHO). Altogether a great place to visit, so will definitely be coming again very soon. 10/10

Fascinating building: great views and shop, restaurant, etc., and perfectly placed for Hadrian’s Wall to one side; Vindolanda to the other . . . and the excellent Twice Brewed pub next door �

Attended the Dark Sky Disco with my two young kids and had a ball! Great craft activities, excellent playlist, lovely staff and welcoming atmosphere. We have visited before and will be back again. Thank you!

A great place to visit for all ages. The exhibition areas are very informative. Good layout easy to walk around. Cafe is well worth visit.

Wonderful place to visit. Food in cafe was very tasty but menu was very limited and wasn’t changeable for elderly relatives who only wanted a plain bacon sandwich. Play area for children was really good. Shop a little pricy. Won’t stop us visiting again

Nice building ,lovely setting ,good food and friendly helpful staff

Great location and lots of interesting things to see. Good place to learn about the area and to start a walk to sample Hadrian’s Wall. Parking and food a little expensive but not outrageous hence the four stars.

We visited The Sill on Saturday 14th April. Initially we loved the centre. My 9 year old son was having a great time and we planned to come back after we went for a walk. However upon visiting the astronomy section, the “gentleman” working there was quite rude to my son, embarrassing & upsetting him in front of other visitors, when he was merely looking at one of the telescopes which had no signage stating he wasn’t allowed to touch it. We still don’t quite know why he shouted at him, as he was just being curious as kids are! Needless to say we walked out and didn’t go back after our walk. He wasn’t particularly child friendly and he didn’t encourage my child to take an interest in the exhibit. A shame really!!

Visited with my young grandson who enjoyed the exhibitions, especially the night sky section. However, must drop a couple of stars due to the cafe which expensive for what was mostly a plate of salad leaves and a very thin sliver of ham in my sandwich. Sadly won't be visiting again.

Overall :Underwhelmed. Improvement on what was there before. Clever parking system with plate recognition charged at very fair prices. Not dog friendly apart from bowls of water left outside. Unless you have an assistance dog there is no access to the building & no shelter outside where you could wait with a dog on a bad weather day. Shop sells the usual stuff + drinks & ice creams. Roof garden is a good idea but will be seen at its best only at certain times of the year. Other exhibits ok. Would not make a specific visit again but might use as a short stop while enjoying the wider area.

Lovely building, great views etc. But VERY rude cafe staff. We were a group of 3 families and the woman behind the counter was rude separately to all of us. Not a cheap eating experience but you don’t mind paying if the staff are polite and friendly.

We won’t be back.

Who on earth decided to build a place which you couldn't access with a dog? In the middle of fabulous walks where so many people bring their dogs on holiday? Not possible to get any food and sit outside with your dog. Try the super friendly pub next door.

What an amazing and lovely place to discover on the Wall.



We only stayed for 2 hours, but in that time we had the most tasty bacon sandwiches - and really enjoyed the exhibits downstairs. ❤️

Went to the informal Valentine’s day dinner and stargazing, food was great, service excellent, staff friendly throughout, we saw stars and had them well explained by knowledgable astronomers, it was all very worthwhile and the 40-minute drive from Newcastle was fully justified. Great building, nice to see modern and excellent facilities in Northumberland Park, look forward to seeing how it justifies its grand national title, but there is nothing wrong with ambition. The Sill is conveniently close to fabulous Vindolanda: always visit them together.

Well worth a visit. Car parking very reasonable. Free entry, a great cafe and interesting exhibition. Youth hostel accommodation. A must for hadrians wall fans.

Visited here today with our two children aged 10yrs and 5yrs. We all loved the interactive exhibit and the staff were really helpful and friendly. We will definitely visit again and are already planning our next visit.

This is an absolute tribute to Northumberland, the building, the activities, the team and the amenities are first rate. Thank you, I'll be back often.

Nice centre got a wee bit confused with the car 🚗 park you just need to pay on the way out... not at the start.... we had a great day walking along Hadrian’s wall with the dog and kids

I was based at The Sill for a week as part of HQ for the Montane Spine Race. The facilities were excellent, the staff were all very polite and friendly, beautiful gift shop and the cafe was amazing and very reasonable. Would thoroughly recommend �

Fascinating, bright, spacious, fully-accessible centre with with awe-inspiring exhibitions and relics, and amazing views from the cafe: feels like we're on top of the world! Good food, proper gluten-free options (not like most, which is usually just gluten-free junk food, IMHO). Altogether a great place to visit, so will definitely be coming again very soon. 10/10

Fascinating building: great views and shop, restaurant, etc., and perfectly placed for Hadrian’s Wall to one side; Vindolanda to the other . . . and the excellent Twice Brewed pub next door �

Attended the Dark Sky Disco with my two young kids and had a ball! Great craft activities, excellent playlist, lovely staff and welcoming atmosphere. We have visited before and will be back again. Thank you!

A great place to visit for all ages. The exhibition areas are very informative. Good layout easy to walk around. Cafe is well worth visit.

Wonderful place to visit. Food in cafe was very tasty but menu was very limited and wasn’t changeable for elderly relatives who only wanted a plain bacon sandwich. Play area for children was really good. Shop a little pricy. Won’t stop us visiting again

Nice building ,lovely setting ,good food and friendly helpful staff

Great location and lots of interesting things to see. Good place to learn about the area and to start a walk to sample Hadrian’s Wall. Parking and food a little expensive but not outrageous hence the four stars.

We visited The Sill on Saturday 14th April. Initially we loved the centre. My 9 year old son was having a great time and we planned to come back after we went for a walk. However upon visiting the astronomy section, the “gentleman” working there was quite rude to my son, embarrassing & upsetting him in front of other visitors, when he was merely looking at one of the telescopes which had no signage stating he wasn’t allowed to touch it. We still don’t quite know why he shouted at him, as he was just being curious as kids are! Needless to say we walked out and didn’t go back after our walk. He wasn’t particularly child friendly and he didn’t encourage my child to take an interest in the exhibit. A shame really!!

Visited with my young grandson who enjoyed the exhibitions, especially the night sky section. However, must drop a couple of stars due to the cafe which expensive for what was mostly a plate of salad leaves and a very thin sliver of ham in my sandwich. Sadly won't be visiting again.

Overall :Underwhelmed. Improvement on what was there before. Clever parking system with plate recognition charged at very fair prices. Not dog friendly apart from bowls of water left outside. Unless you have an assistance dog there is no access to the building & no shelter outside where you could wait with a dog on a bad weather day. Shop sells the usual stuff + drinks & ice creams. Roof garden is a good idea but will be seen at its best only at certain times of the year. Other exhibits ok. Would not make a specific visit again but might use as a short stop while enjoying the wider area.

Lovely building, great views etc. But VERY rude cafe staff. We were a group of 3 families and the woman behind the counter was rude separately to all of us. Not a cheap eating experience but you don’t mind paying if the staff are polite and friendly.

We won’t be back.

Who on earth decided to build a place which you couldn't access with a dog? In the middle of fabulous walks where so many people bring their dogs on holiday? Not possible to get any food and sit outside with your dog. Try the super friendly pub next door.