Northern lights

A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME event will take place next Saturday when the 84-mile long Hadrian’s Wall Path National Trail will be illuminated.

There will be about 500 individual points of light, placed at 250 metre intervals. The first one will be illuminated at Wallsend, with the line of light then making its way along the wall to Bowness-on-Solway, in Cumbria, over the following hour.

Illuminating Hadrian’s Wall is an ambitious project led by Hadrian’s Wall Heritage Ltd, which forms part of the world-class programme of festivals and events developed by culture10 in the North-East of England and the Lakes Alive programme in Cumbria, presented by Kendal Arts International and Manchester International Arts.

Illuminating Hadrian’s Wall is also a flagship event of British Tourism Week 2010.

Linda Tuttiett, chief executive of Hadrian’s Wall Heritage Ltd, says: “In partnership with local people, we wanted to do something really quite extraordinary to bring to life Britain’s longest and greatest piece of heritage and celebrate the landscape of Hadrian’s Wall Country.

What could be more spectacular than a line of light that will stretch from coast to coast illuminating this stunning World Heritage Site?”

The Romans built milecastles along the wall at intervals of one Roman mile. Between each milecastle, and spaced one third of a Roman mile apart, were a series of turrets.

The plan is to create a point of light where all the milecastles and turrets were located, with an additional point of light between each of them.

The event is being produced by John Farquhar-Smith who was the technical director for the eightminute handover ceremony for London 2012 at the closing of the Beijing 2008 Olympics. His experience also includes organising a football match in winter 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle and the Royal Gala Opening of St Pancras International by the Queen.

He says: “I’m delighted to be directing this extraordinary event. It really is a once in a lifetime opportunity to create a line of light stretching from one side of England to the other.

“Our aim is to capture the public’s imagination with an event that will show the immense scale and beauty of Hadrian’s Wall and the countryside that it runs through. It will be a celebration of a truly iconic piece of world heritage.”

There will be major events at Segedunum, in the North-East, and in Carlisle to celebrate the event. There will also be a number of stewarded points along the wall where people will be able to view the line of light.

Stella Hall, creative director of culture10 said: “We are delighted to celebrate the lighting of the iconic Hadrian’s Wall, and hope that audiences will join us on the evening of March 13 at the events in Carlisle and Wallsend, where we can share in this experience.

“This festival of landscape and light is undoubtedly a highlight in our Landscape and Heritage programme and is the culmination of months of hard work by all our partners, participants and the talented artists who have contributed to the shaping of the events.”

Hadrian’s Wall formed the Roman frontier across the North of England for nearly 300 years. It was built in AD122 by the Roman army on the orders of the Emperor Hadrian. In 1987 it was added to the list of Unesco World Heritage Sites, and in 2005 became part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site.

The Hadrian’s Wall National Path closely follows the original line of Hadrian’s Wall. It includes a variety of landscapes such as the cities of Newcastle and Carlisle, and runs through some of the most beautiful parts of the country, from rolling fields to rugged moorland. Some of the highlights are a riverside route in Tyneside, beautiful countryside in Northumberland National Park, the richer pastures of Cumbria and finally the open salt marsh of the Solway Estuary.

■ For further information about Illuminating Hadrian’s Wall, visit illuminatinghadrianswall.com

■ For more information about Hadrian’s Wall Country, visit hadrians-wall.org