WALKING IN About the Author Vivienne is an award-winning freelance writer and photographer specialis- ing in travel and the outdoors. A journalist since 1990, she abandoned the WALKING IN constraints of a desk job on regional newspapers in 2001 to go travelling. On her return to the UK, she decided to focus on the activities she loves the NORTHUMBERLAND most – hill walking, writing, travelling and photography. Needless to say, she’s never looked back! Vivienne Crow Based in north Cumbria, she has put her intimate knowledge of north- ern to good use over the years, writing more than a dozen popu- lar walking guidebooks. She also contributes to a number of regional and national magazines, including several regular walking columns, and does copywriting for conservation and tourism bodies. Vivienne is a member of the Outdoor Writers and Photographers Guild.

Other Cicerone guides by the author Walking in Cumbria’s Eden Valley Lake District: High Level and Walks Lake District: Low Level and Lake Walks

JUNIPER HOUSE, MURLEY MOSS, OXENHOLME ROAD, KENDAL, CUMBRIA LA9 7RL www.cicerone.co.uk © Vivienne Crow 2018 First edition 2018 CONTENTS ISBN: 978 1 85284 900 9

Replaces the previous Cicerone guide to Northumberland by Alan Hall Map key...... 7 ISBN: 978 1 85284 428 8 Overview map...... 9 Second edition 2004 First edition 1998 INTRODUCTION ...... 11 Weather...... 12 Printed in China on behalf of Latitude Press Geology...... 13 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Wildlife and habitats ...... 14 All photographs are by the author unless otherwise stated. History...... 17 Where to stay...... 21 Public transport ...... 22 Maps ...... 23 © Crown copyright 2018 OS PU100012932 Waymarking and access...... 23 Dogs...... 24 Clothing, equipment and safety ...... 25 Using this guide...... 26

NORTHEAST NORTHUMBERLAND, INCLUDING THE COAST...... 27 Updates to this Guide Walk 1 Craster and Howick Hall...... 28 Walk 2 and Low Newton...... 32 While every effort is made by our authors to ensure the accuracy of guide- Walk 3 Seahouses to Belford...... 36 books as they go to print, changes can occur during the lifetime of an edi- Walk 4 ...... 42 tion. Any updates that we know of for this guide will be on the Cicerone Walk 5 Berwick-upon-Tweed to Eyemouth...... 47 website (www.cicerone.co.uk/900/updates), so please check before plan- Walk 6 Castle and River Tweed...... 54 ning your trip. We also advise that you check information about such Walk 7 St Cuthbert’s Cave and the Kyloe Hills...... 59 things as transport, accommodation and shops locally. Even rights of way Walk 8 Doddington Moor...... 64 can be altered over time. Walk 9 Bewick Moor ...... 68 We are always grateful for information about any discrepancies between a guidebook and the facts on the ground, sent by email to updates@cicerone. NATIONAL PARK (NORTH) INCLUDING HILLS...... 75 co.uk or by post to Cicerone, Juniper House, Murley Moss, Oxenholme Walk 10 from ...... 76 Road, Kendal LA9 7RL, . Walk 11 Great Hetha, the border and Ring Chesters...... 82 Register your book: to sign up to receive free updates, special offers Walk 12 The Cheviot...... 87 and GPX files where available, register your book at www.cicerone.co.uk. Walk 13 Ancient Ingram...... 92 Walk 14 Breamish Valley and Salter’s Road...... 96 Walk 15 ...... 101 Walk 16 Wether Cairn...... 104 Front cover: Dunstanburgh Castle (Walk 2) Walk 17 Clennell Street and ...... 109 Map key

Walk 18 Border Ridge including ...... 114 Walk 19 Thrunton Wood...... 119 Route symbols on OS map extracts Walk 20 Rothbury Terraces...... 123 (for OS legend see printed OS maps) Walk 21 The Simonside Hills ...... 128 start point finish point start/finish point

KIELDER...... 133 route route direction Walk 22 Tarsetdale Bastles ...... 134 Walk 23 Bull Crag Peninsula...... 139 Features on the overview map Walk 24 Cat Cairn, Lewis Burn and Lakeside Way (south)...... 142 Walk 25 and Lakeside Way (north)...... 147 County/Unitary boundary Area of Outstanding Natural Walk 26 Deadwater Fell and ...... 152 National boundary Beauty/National Scenic Area eg Urban area TYNE VALLEY AND NATIONAL PARK (SOUTH) 800m National Park 600m INCLUDING HADRIAN’S WALL...... 157 eg NORTHUMBERLAND 400m Walk 27 Heavenfield and Wall...... 158 200m Forest Park/National Forest Walk 28 Hadrian's Wall and Greenlee Lough...... 162 75m eg National Forest Walk 29 Vindolanda and Crag Lough...... 167 0m Walk 30 Best of Hadrian’s Wall...... 171 Walk 31 Haltwhistle and the South Tyne...... 176 Walk 32 Hadrian's Wall Path and ...... 182

NORTH ...... 187 Acknowledgements Walk 33 Allenmill Flues ...... 188 The author wishes to thank the following for their help with this guide- Walk 34 Above Allenheads...... 194 book: Andy Chymera, Senior Public Transport Project Officer at Walk 35 Blanchland Moor ...... 199 Northumberland County Council; Alex Bell, Definitive Map Officer at Walk 36 Birkside Fell and Beldon Burn...... 204 Northumberland County Council; Northumberland walking guide and co-owner of Footsteps, Patrick Norris; Alex MacLennan and Richard Appendix A Route summary table...... 209 Gilchrist, of the Forestry Commission; history enthusiast and keen walker Appendix B Useful contacts...... 213 Raymond Greenhow; Martin O’Loughlin, of Natural England; and the Northumberland Estates. A particularly big thank you to Heleyne and Jess for accompanying me on most of these walks, and for being patient models whenever the camera appeared.

7 Walking in Northumberland A1 Overview map

Duns 5 Berwick-upon-Tweed A697 Greenlaw R Tweed 6 Holy Island A1 4 Lindisfarne Coldstream 7 Northumberland MelroseMelrose Kelso Coast 8 3 A6091 Belford 11 10 Seahouses A68 Wooler 2 A697 9 1 Jedburgh 12 RR TeviotTeviot 13 14 18 17 16 19 A1 15 20 Amble A68 NORTHUMBERLAND Rothbury 21

A1068 26 25 24 Otterburn Newbiggin-by-the-Sea R N 22 23 orth Morpeth Ty Kielder ne A696 Water Bellingham

A68 A189 Blyth A1 Cramlington Newcastle 28 A19Tynemouth 27 upon Tyne 30 29 32 Haltwhistle Corbridge Brampton A69 Gateshead R 31 A69 R Tyne South

S Hexham Shields

o o

u Allendale Town A1 t Sunderland h 33 Washington T 35 y Consett n e 36 Chester- BlanchlandA68 A le-Street A690 Alston A Seaham R Eden 34 692 691 CUMBRIA Wearhead Tow Law Durham Peterlee 0 R Wear 20 A167 N km Crook Looking across to from Lindisfarne (Walk 4) Langwathby 0 10 miles A19 S E N I N N E P E H T Bishop Auckland A68 A689 8 9 Walking in Northumberland

INTRODUCTION

Northumberland – a land of open spaces and big skies

There’s something very special about and the upland birds that are some- walking in Northumberland. It’s got times the walkers’ sole companions to a lot to do with all the history in the the ancient woods and vast expanses landscape – from cliff-top castles and of heather moorland that burst into world-class Roman remains to long- vibrant purple bloom every summer. abandoned prehistoric settlements hid- Stretching from Berwick-upon- den in the hills. It’s also got something Tweed in the northeast to Haltwhistle to do with those big northern skies, in the southwest – two places that, largely free of pollution, unfettered by even as the crow flies, are about man-made constructions and open- 95km apart – Northumberland cov- ing up views that stretch on for miles ers more than 5000km2. It’s not quite and miles and miles… It’s undoubt- the biggest county in England, but as edly got a lot to do with the landscape you wander its hills and valleys and itself: remote hills, seemingly endless beaches it feels like it. There are wide, beaches, wild moors, dramatic geo- open spaces here like no others found logical features and valleys that are south of the border. Unsurprisingly, so mesmerizingly beautiful they defy this is England’s most sparsely popu- Much of the walk above Allenheads follows shooters’ tracks (Walk 34) description. It’s surely related to the lated county – with just 62 people wildlife, too – from the feral goats per km2. To put that into perspective,

10 11 Walking in Northumberland Geology it compares with 73 in neighbour- WEATHER Now for the statistics. July and GEOLOGY ing Cumbria with its vast areas of Like the rest of the UK, August are the warmest months, with Northumberland’s size gives rise to uninhabited fell and moorland, or, Northumberland experiences plenty a mean daily maximum temperature a varied and complex underlying at the other extreme, 3142 in the of meteorological variety but, being of about 18°C. The coldest months geology. In its most simplistic form, West Midlands and 5521 in Greater on the east side of an island domi- are January and February with a mean it could be summed up as a mixture . Want to escape from it all? nated by moisture-laden southwest- daily minimum of 1.5°C. According of largely Carboniferous sedimen- This is the place to come! erlies, it tends to be drier and gener- to rainfall totals for Boulmer on the tary rocks and volcanic rocks, both Roughly 25 per cent of the ally more benign than the western coast, the wettest period is from intrusive and extrusive, all topped by county, including Hadrian’s Wall and side. Having said that, the Pennines October to December, while April to Quaternary deposits, including those the , is protected within and the Cheviot Hills get more than July are the driest months. Obviously of the last glacial period. the boundaries of the Northumberland their fair share of strong winds, heavy these figures will differ according The rolling hills of the Cheviot National Park. The county also has rain and snow. And, in winter, the to altitude, as well as latitude and range are generally associated with a two designated Areas of Outstanding easterly winds that periodically come longitude; and don’t forget, they’re period of mountain building known as Natural Beauty – the Northumberland in off the North Sea are enough to averages. the Caledonian Orogeny, about 490 Coast and the North Pennines. bring tears to your eyes. During sum- Snow is even more widely var- to 390 million years ago. The collision This book covers the whole county. mer, the coast is prone to sea fog, ied from one part of the county to of several mini-continents, includ- The routes range from easy ambles on or haar, an annoyance that will nor- another – with the white stuff rarely ing , with Laurentia and the the coast and gentle woodland trails to mally burn off quickly, but can linger lying for long on the coast while, in subduction of the Iapetus Ocean, long days out on the lonely hills: hope- all day if there’s a steady wind com- the North Pennines, it’d be an unu- resulted in volcanic activity. This cre- fully, something for all types of walker ing off the North Sea to keep replen- sual winter if there weren’t occasional ated a mass of surrounded by – and all types of weather. ishing the banks of moisture. road closures. Generally speaking, extrusive volcanic rocks, most notably January and February see the most, . The collision of the plates although snow can fall any time from also resulted in faulting, evident in late October to late April in the North places such as the Harthope and Pennines and, to a lesser extent, in the Breamish valleys. Cheviot Hills. Although there are older rocks The weather becomes an impor- dating as far back as the , tant consideration when heading on about 450 million years ago, the rocks to the high ground, particularly in of the North Pennines are largely winter. Check forecasts before set- Carboniferous limestone, sandstones ting out, and prepare accordingly. and shales laid down about 360–300 The Mountain Weather Information million years ago, when this area was Service (www.mwis.org.uk) covers the covered by a tropical sea. higher Cheviot Hills in its Southern There are certain surface features Uplands forecast for , while that will stand out as walkers explore the Meteorological Office (www. the county – the andesite outcrops metoffice.gov.uk) provides detailed that form small crags on the otherwise predictions for locations throughout smooth slopes of the Cheviot Hills; It’s shorts weather above Rothbury! the county. the fell sandstones, most prominent on the Simonside Hills; and, probably

12 13 Walking in Northumberland Wildlife and habitats

They’re also home to common lizards species, including red grouse, some and an assortment of moths and but- of England’s last remaining popula- terflies, including the dark green fritil- tions of elusive black grouse, and the lary and grayling. heavily persecuted and extremely rare Moving inland, the uplands hen harrier, as well as merlin, kestrel, contain some very important ecosys- short-eared owl, peregrine falcon, tems. Almost 30 per cent of England’s ring ouzel, skylark, lapwing, golden blanket bog is found in the North plover, whinchat and wheatear. Pennines, home to peat-building As far as mammals go, the most sphagnum moss as well as heather, common species you’re likely to see bog asphodel, bilberry, crowberry on the uplands is sheep, but there is and cotton grass. Rare Arctic/alpine wildlife too – foxes, brown hares, plants, such as cloudberry, still thrive weasels and stoats can be seen, par- on the highest moors. The nutrient- ticularly around dusk and dawn. poor, acidic soils also support native Small bands of feral goats also roam Hadrian’s Wall was built on the Great Whin Sill grasses such as purple moor grass, parts of the Cheviot Hills. mat-grass and wavy-hair grass, which The valleys and low-lying woods give the Cheviot Hills, beyond the are home to badgers, roe deer, most famously, the dolerite of the Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve heavily managed grouse moors, their voles, shrews, minks and otters. Great Whin Sill, on which Hadrian’s (see Walk 4), while dolphins have fre- distinctive look. Northumberland is also one of Wall and several castles were built. quently been spotted playing in the The North Pennines and Cheviot England’s last bastions of native red The latter was formed towards the waters around Berwick. Seabirds such Hills are important for a variety of bird squirrels, driven to extinction in other end of the Carboniferous period, as puffins, guillemots, Arctic terns and when movement of tectonic plates shags nest on the rocky Farne Islands, forced magma to be squeezed side- while winter visitors to the coast ways between beds of existing rock. include barnacle geese, brent geese, The magma, as it then slowly cooled, pink-footed geese, wigeon, grey plov- crystallised and shrank, forming hex- ers and bar-tailed godwits. The wad- agonal columns. ers, in particular, enjoy feeding on the sand and mudflats, where they are joined by their British cousins, who WILDLIFE AND HABITATS abandon the hills for a winter holiday With habitats covering anything from at the seaside. coastal dunes to 600m-plus hills, At first sight, the delicate and it’s not surprising that the wildlife of ever-shifting dunes seem to be home Northumberland is extremely diverse. to nothing more than marram grass; While walking the coast, keep your closer inspection reveals an array of eyes peeled for seals and even the wildflowers such as lady’s bedstraw, occasional dolphin out at sea. Seals bloody cranesbill, houndstongue, Curlew in flight often haul out on the sands of the bird’s foot trefoil and restharrow.

14 15 Walking in Northumberland Walk 1 – Craster and Howick Hall

Still following signs for Howick Hall, bear half-right, aim- WALK 1 ing for a farm gate at the base of the low crags of Hips Craster and Howick Hall Heugh. Once through the gate, skirt the base of the rocks for another 100m or so and then swing right across damp ground to go through a kissing-gate next to a ladder stile. Start/finish Craster Quarry car park, Craster (NU 256 197) A fingerpost shows the way through the crops ahead Distance 9.2km (5¾ miles) (south-southwest). Total ascent 137m (450ft) In the field corner, a pair of gates with a bridge Grade 1 between them provides access to the next field. Keep Walking time 2½hr close to the trees on the right until you encounter a clear Terrain Field paths, road, track, low cliffs track rising through the woods. Follow this up to a broad, Maps OS Explorer 332; OS Landranger 81 stony track near the walls of Howick Hall. This Transport Buses 418 and X18 leads to a road, along which you turn Facilities Craster Seafood Restaurant, Jolly Fisherman and left. Shoreline Café, all in Craster; public toilets and seasonal catering van in car park Howick Hall has been owned by the Grey family since 1319, Starting from the attractive fishing village of Craster, this relaxing amble heads although the house south to Howick Hall before taking to roads and rough tracks to reach the was rebuilt in 1928 coast path and a gentle stroll back to the village. Even across the farmland at after a massive fire. the start of the walk, the paths are generally easy to follow. Unwind and enjoy Among the many a few undemanding hours on this gorgeous section of the coast! Greys who have lived there, the most distinguished is prob- From the car park, take the footpath heading southwest ably Charles, the towards Craster South Farm – along the edge of the second Earl Grey, Northumberland Wildlife Trust’s Arnold Memorial Nature after whom the ber- Reserve. Having ignored one path to the right, you’ll gamot-flavoured tea quickly reach a kissing-gate providing access to more is named. As leader open ground. Follow the faint trail away from the woods of the Whigs, he was (southwest). After a slight rise, stay parallel with a fence Prime Minister from over to the left. 1830 to 1834, during Reaching a road, cross diagonally right to head up a the time of the Great lane – signposted Howick Hall Gates. The lane ends in Reform Act 1932. The a turning circle at Craster South Farm. Just before this, grounds – but not the bear left around the side of a farm gate. The muddy path house – are open to the soon joins a more solid track from the left. Continue with public. They are particularly the field boundary on your left for almost 500m. Having famed for their dense banks of crossed another rough track, go through a kissing-gate. snowdrops in late winter and

28 29 Walking in Northumberland Walk 1 – Craster and Howick Hall

enjoy a paddle in the chilly North Sea, or to search for fossils. Turn sharp left immediately after the gate – almost back on yourself – along the coast path as it hugs the top of low cliffs.

The lump of metal on the rocks below in a short while is part of the boiler of the French steam trawler Tadorne, which ran aground here in 1913. Five of the crew were killed in the accident, but another 25 were rescued by the Boulmer lifeboat.

The path goes through a couple of gates, passes to the seaward side of Sea Houses Farm and reaches a junc- tion with a more solid path. Turn right along this. Views of Dunstanburgh Castle, further up the coast, come and go until you round Cullernose Point; now, the ruins take on a more surreal appearance, looming mirage-like above Craster. The coast south their unusual range of trees, gathered from some of Passing through a kissing-gate, keep to the seaward of Craster the farthest-flung corners of the world. Visitwww. side of the first buildings on the southern edge of the vil- howickhallgardens.org for more information. lage. The path passes to the right of a play area. After a set of steps, the coast path enters the beer garden behind For the first time on After 850m the road bends sharp left. Take the track the Jolly Fisherman pub. After a gate on the other side, this walk you’re able on the right here – signposted via coast path. turn left along a track between the buildings. Go left at to look south along At the entrance to Sea Houses Farm, keep straight on – the road and then take the lane rising on the right – Whin the coast, towards along what is now a public byway.3 Hill. Swing right at the top and then follow the narrower a series of small, path to the left. This leads back to the car park. golden beaches A small, fenced enclosure to the left of the track cradled by long was the site of an archaeological dig from 2000 to fingers of rock. 2002, when a rare example of a Mesolithic hut was unearthed. Radiocarbon dating from hearths inside the home show it was built in about 7800bc, mak- ing it Northumberland’s oldest occupied site and among the oldest in the UK. Five Bronze Age burial cists were also found.

Just before the track drops to Howick Burn, a small gate on the right allows a 250m detour to the earthwork remains of an Iron Age settlement. After a metal gate, the The fishing village mouth of Howick Burn is reached – a chance, finally, to of Craster

30 31