Poems in the Air

Explore Northumberland National Park through the poetry of Simon Armitage.

Poems in the Air is part of Northumberland National Park’s Sill Arts Programme. Acclaimed poet Simon Armitage was commissioned to write six new poems inspired by hidden gems in England’s most tranquil national park. In doing this Simon spent time with national park rangers at their favourite places. Using the Poems in the Air app you can now follow in Simon’s footsteps.

The Poems in the Air app contains all of the information, maps and directions you will need to find each of the six sites and listen to Simon reading his poems in the exact places that inspired him.

Simon was excited by the concept of poems that are not written down, but exist within the landscape. Poems that could be heard in the place rather than poems that conjure up an imagined place. The unique landscape of Northumberland National Park, where hidden stories and secret places are abundant, is an ideal location for this innovative collaboration.

Simon Armitage was born in 1963 and lives in West Yorkshire. He has received numerous awards for his poetry and in 2015 was appointed Oxford Professor of Poetry.