Hethpool Linn & Yeavering Bell Walk

Yeavering Bell - the Hill of the Goats

Route: Local Services: and Grade: Strenuous Terrain: Roads, tracks and footpaths, stiles and footbridges. Steep descent Distance: 6 miles / 10 km down from Yeavering Bell Time: 4 hours Yeavering Bell Description: A lovely walk to Hethpool Map: OS OL16 Explorer 1:25000 Linn waterfall, on the College Burn, then The a climb up Yeavering Bell (Hill of the A Start from outside the Village Hall, E Cross the footbridge, and turn left. Start OS Grid Ref: NT 914 303 Goats) with a chance to spot some wild turn left along the main road. Cross over Go over the stile and turn right uphill. Cheviot goats the road bridge, and take the footpath Nearest Sat Nav Postcode: NE71 6XF on the left, (signed ‘Hethpool’) crossing F At the junction turn left, (you are now Please keep dogs under control - Parking & Toilets: Kirknewton Village over the stile. Follow the path up the on St Cuthbert’s Way) follow the path livestock grazing and wild goats Hall - please park considerately field to the ladder stile on the left. down through the gorse, over the burn, up the other side and over the stile. Look B Cross the stile and turn right. Follow out for the wild Cheviot goats here, they START the track down to the haughland (flat Kirknewton To Milfield & Wooler offer no threat to walkers if left alone. To Kirk Yetholm Village Hall grassland beside a river). Turn right along Continue uphill along the grassy path to the haughland, after approx 200m the the square stone stell (a roofless stone path bears right away from the river. Go shelter for sheep). Join the farm track B A K through a gateway and follow the track and follow it uphill to the wooded area. uphill, then through a gate at the top of Carry on along this track through the the bank, and over to a ladder stile in trees and past Torleehouse. the wall ahead. G Continue along the track, just before C Go over the stile and follow the path the dry stone wall and cattle grid turn J as it contours around the hill just above right up to the field gate. Once through L C the trees on your left. Cross the stile into the gate follow the track to the ladder I Yeavering Bell the woodland, and walk down the well stile. Cross the stile and turn right and G worn path. At the bottom of the hill turn continue up the well worn path. right and carry on, keeping the fence on H the left, to reach a stile. At the junction turn left along the H D footpath signed ‘Yeavering Bell.’ Follow D Cross the stile, turn right and carry the path down through the heather. E Look up to Easter Tor on up a gentle slope and over another Cross the burn and keep to the obvious Look up to Hethpool Linn F Wester Tor stile. Continue on for a short distance, path as it winds its way to the summit of Waterfall at the junction turn left taking the path Yeavering Bell. down to the footbridge. Hethpool Linn CONTINUED OVER waterfall is well worth taking a look at.

Please use an OS map on this walk © Crown Copyright and database rights (2017) Ordnance Survey Licence Number 100022521 Reconstruction of Yeavering Bell hillfort NATIONAL PARK in about 200BC. THE SILL: National Landscape Discovery Centre Kirknewton

Kirknewton

HADRIAN’S WALL

THE SILL © Eric Dale Yeavering Bell from the site of Gefrin WALK ROUTE CONTINUED I Explore within the tumbled ramparts of K Cross the ladder stile, and turn Directions - To the walk start point Wooler , 8 miles east of Kirknewton, is Yeavering Bell hillfort. Here are the remains of left up the road and away from Old From Wooler: Follow the A697 north a small town and the gateway to the the largest Iron Age hillfort in Northumberland. Yeavering. out of Wooler for approximately Cheviot Hills, making it an ideal base At the bottom of the hillfort the Anglo-Saxon for walking and cycling. L After the second cattle grid leave the 2.5 miles. At Akeld turn left onto the kings of Northumbria maintained a grand B6351. Kirknewton is 3 miles down Wooler Tourist Information Centre is in palace (Gefrin). Much earlier, Neolithic road and turn right over the ladder stile. Continue up the field to the gateway in this road. Please park considerately the Cheviot Centre , has free WiFi and is people had a temple here. Yeavering Bell at or near to the Village Hall, and packed with information on what to do, hillfort today consists of a tumbled stone the wall. Go through the gate and turn do not block gates or the road. where to go and places to stay. NE71 6BL rampart, originally up to 2.5 metres high, right onto the grassy track. Keep to this track and follow it downhill to the stile www.wooler.org.uk which encloses an area of 5.6 hectares, Public Transport Information within which are the still visible outlines by the road. Cross the stile and turn left T: 0871 2002233 www.traveline.org.uk Wildlife to look out for of about 125 timber-built roundhouses. along the road back to Kirknewton. See if you can spot the wild Cheviot goats J Walk to the opposite side of the hillfort Hethpool Linn Local facilities: roaming the surrounding hills; they can and go through the large gap in the stone Milfield , 8 miles north of Kirknewton is a usually be seen near to Yeavering Bell. ramparts. Bear left to zig zag down the hill small village on the edge of the Cheviot Please keep dogs on a lead when in the following the well worn path ( take care it is Hills. A National Park Information Point vicinity of the goats and other livestock. quite steep here ). Cross the stile and follow can be found at Cafe Maelmin in the These goats live a totally wild existence, the path alongside the wall down to the next village. It is open all day serving coffee they are shaggy coated and long horned stile. Once over this stile continue on through and cakes, meals and snacks, beers and are hardier than modern breeds! the field turning left to join the farm track and wines. NE71 6JD You may also see hares lying low in the which leads towards the hamlet of Old long grass as you walk up the hillside. Yeavering. Café Maelmin, Milfield Kestrel are often hovering overhead, Wild Cheviot Goats whilst buzzard circle high in the sky. Skylark, curlew and lapwing can all be www.cafemaelmin.co.uk heard and can be seen flying over the hills. Gorse covers the sunny slopes of Gorse many hills in this area for most of the year. Its bright yellow flowers smell of coconut! Photos ©: David Taylor, Will Nicholls, NNPA.