OUR HISTORY
From Industrial Heritage
to Woodland Regeneration
Whittle Woodland Retreat occupies land with a proud industrial history closely connected to the former Whittle Colliery. Mining and railway activity helped shape the site and the surrounding Northumberland community for generations.
Following the closure of the mining operations, parts of the former industrial landscape became underused, with nature gradually reclaiming areas of the site through grassland, woodland and natural regeneration.
Today, the vision is not to erase that history, but to make it part of the future — regenerating approximately 120 acres while preserving and celebrating the site's heritage.
OUR VISION
A sustainable destination with heritage at its heart
The vision for Whittle Woodland Retreat is to create a nationally significant woodland leisure resort that celebrates the industrial heritage of Northumberland while delivering a modern, sustainable tourism destination capable of attracting visitors throughout the year.
The proposal seeks to regenerate land previously influenced by mining activity and lower-grade agricultural use into an environmentally led development that will provide long-term economic, social and ecological benefits.
Rather than creating a conventional holiday park, the aspiration is to establish a destination resort where accommodation, leisure, wellness, landscape restoration and heritage combine to create a distinctive visitor experience unique to Northumberland.
