Visiting Northumberlandia: A Guide to the Lady of the North

Northumberlandia, known locally as the Lady of the North, is a reclining female figure shaped from earth on the western edge of Cramlington. She is about 34 metres high and 400 metres long, and Visit Northumberland describes her as the world's largest human landform. You can walk around her and climb onto the figure itself, all the way up to her head.

This guide covers what you need for a visit: parking, opening hours, the paths, the cafe, accessibility and dogs, with a short history at the end. Details come from Northumberland Wildlife Trust, which looks after the site, and were checked in November 2026. Things change, so check the Trust's Northumberlandia pages before you go, especially in winter.

Opening hours and entry

Northumberland Wildlife Trust says the site is open from dawn until dusk every day. The visitor centre, cafe and toilets are open daily from 10am to 4pm, with hot food served until 3.15pm.

There is no charge to go in. The Trust asks visitors who drive to make a donation for parking, with £2 suggested, and that money goes towards looking after the site. One of the Trust's pages says the £2 is per person and the other simply says "suggested £2", so take a few coins or check the signs in the car park.

Getting there and parking

Northumberlandia is on Blagdon Lane, Cramlington, NE23 8AU, between the A1 and the town, and its car park is described by the Trust as ample. If you are bringing a coach or minibus group, contact the Trust ahead of your visit on 01670 738 701. There is also an electric vehicle charge point.

Without a car, the Trust says the X21 and X22 buses run every 10 to 15 minutes to the Beacon Hill Fisher Lane roundabout, and from there it is about a ten-minute walk to the site through a gate. Our guide to getting around Cramlington without a car covers buses and trains in more detail.

The paths, up to her head

The Trust lists 6.4km of paths in total, which it also gives as around four miles. They fall into two kinds:

• The accessible loop. A fully accessible 1.6km path runs from the car park around the figure, so you can see her at ground level without any climbing.
• The paths onto the figure. A further 4.8km of paths with varied gradients wind up and over the landform. These are the ones to take if you want to stand on her head and look out over Cramlington and the surrounding countryside.

The Trust warns that paths can be muddy or icy depending on the weather, so wear proper footwear between autumn and spring. Please stay on the paths: in 2023 The Guardian reported on wear to the figure caused by visitors leaving the marked routes.

Best for:

At the time of writing, Northumberland Wildlife Trust says the woodland trail is closed because of a fallen tree. The main paths around and over the figure are not affected, but check the Trust's website for the latest before you go.

The cafe and visitor centre

The Northumberlandia Cafe is in the visitor centre beside the car park. The Trust says it has a terrace overlooking the bird-feeding stations, and the centre also has a small shop, a picnic area and wifi. It opens at the same times as the visitor centre, 10am to 4pm daily, with hot food until 3.15pm.

Accessibility

The 1.6km loop from the car park is fully accessible, and there is ramp access to the visitor centre and cafe. The Trust says the kissing gate near the car park takes a standard wheelchair. Larger mobility vehicles need a RADAR key to get through, as does anyone arriving when the site is unstaffed.

There are two accessible toilets, but they are only open when the cafe is open, so plan around the 10am to 4pm hours.

Dogs

Dogs are welcome on leads, and the Trust says they are welcome inside the visitor centre and cafe too. Keep them on the lead across the whole site, including on the figure. For more places to walk a dog, see our guide to dog-friendly Cramlington.

Wildlife to look out for

Northumberlandia is a nature reserve as well as a sculpture. The Trust says 16 red-listed bird species have been recorded here, and tree sparrows, kestrels and buzzards are among the birds to look out for. Its ponds hold little grebes and both great crested and smooth newts, and there are butterflies in summer and fungi in autumn.

The story of the Lady of the North

Northumberlandia was designed by the landscape artist Charles Jencks and built by the Banks Group and the Blagdon Estate, which owns the land, as part of the restoration of the neighbouring Shotton surface mine. The Trust says about 1.5 million tonnes of rock, clay and soil from the mine went into the figure.

According to Newcastle University's Co-Curate project and Wikipedia, she cost about £2.5 million to build. She was officially opened by the Princess Royal in 2012 and is now managed by Northumberland Wildlife Trust. For more local history, see our interesting facts about Cramlington.

Making a day of it

Northumberlandia sits well alongside other days out. Plessey Woods Country Park is a short way north, and our best days out from Cramlington guide has ideas further afield, from the coast to Seaton Delaval Hall. With children, our family activities in Cramlington guide lists the town's playgrounds, pools and clubs, and our best walks in Cramlington guide has more routes nearby.

If you are visiting someone at the town's emergency care hospital and need some fresh air, our practical guide to Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital covers getting there, parking and visiting.

Spotted something that has changed at Northumberlandia? Get in touch and we'll update the guide.