28/09/2026
Three years ago today, the landscape of Northumberland changed forever.
Looking back at these photos, one with the last light of dusk spilling over the ridge, the other beneath a freezing sky full of stars (it was very cold) it’s still difficult to comprehend that this silhouette is gone.
Sycamore Gap was never just a tree standing in a dip along Hadrian’s Wall. For so many people, it held memories, stories, moments of solitude and a feeling of home. It became part of the landscape in a way few places ever do.
I remember in the second image, it was a cold, snowy, frosty night. Very dark and clear skies, a couple of my friends and I decided to venture out into the Northumberland countryside as one of our first proper adventures which got me into loving Northumberland so much and left wanting to explore more. On this night in January 2023, we went out to see this location which none of us has been to, only to find out it would quickly become one of my favourite places to go, I couldn’t believe how quiet and peaceful it was. Since then, I only got to go once more (the first image) where the sunset was incredible.
That’s what makes looking at the empty gap feel so strange now. The tree may no longer be standing there, but the memories attached to it haven’t disappeared with it.
Three years on, it’s still deeply missed.
northumberlandnationalpark
