Greenlee Lough Walk Lough Greenlee

100022521. Number Licence Survey Ordnance

walking through the ‘reed beds’. ‘reed the through walking Reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of HMSO HMSO of behalf on Survey Ordnance of permission by Reproduced

National Park Centre 1/2 mile 1/2 Centre Park National

Please use an Ordnance Survey Map on this walk this on Map Survey Ordnance an use Please continue on you will notice that you are you that notice will you on continue

that heads around the Lough. As you As Lough. the around heads that

Winshield Crags and the North Pennines. North the and Crags Winshield

At the junction keep to the boardwalk the to keep junction the At D

Park. From here there are good views of views good are there here From Park.

the boardwalk is wet, or in times of flood. flood. of times in or wet, is boardwalk the Follow the track back to the Permissive Car Permissive the to back track the Follow

boardwalk at all times, and take care when care take and times, all at boardwalk the farm and turn left onto the farm track. farm the onto left turn and farm the

Stewardship Scheme. Please keep to the to keep Please Scheme. Stewardship Farm House. Follow the footpath around footpath the Follow House. Farm

Natural England through a Higher Level Higher a through England Natural grass track and walk uphill towards Greenlee towards uphill walk and track grass

on the edge of the Lough. It was funded by funded was It Lough. the of edge the on At the finger post turn left following the following left turn post finger the At G

Authority to protect the fragile wetland habitat wetland fragile the protect to Authority

through the meadow. the through

installed by Northumberland National Park National Northumberland by installed

back to the stile and turn right continuing right turn and stile the to back

C Walk along the boardwalk. This was This boardwalk. the along Walk

wildlife of the Lough. Retrace your steps your Retrace Lough. the of wildlife

of the boardwalk. boardwalk. the of This is an ideal place to stop and look at the at look and stop to place ideal an is This

on along the side of the wood to the start start the to wood the of side the along on go through the woodland to the Bird Hide. Hide. Bird the to woodland the through go

poles. Go through three wicket gates, carry gates, wicket three through Go poles. Climb over the stile on your right and and right your on stile the over Climb F

‘fell ground’ following the line of the electricity the of line the following ground’ ‘fell

is at its best in late June-early July. June-early late in best its at is

through the wicket gate and walk over the over walk and gate wicket the through

bridge and through the hay meadow which which meadow hay the through and bridge

left, signed ‘Greenlee Nature Reserve’, go Reserve’, Nature ‘Greenlee signed left,

Car Park) Car

on your right passing over a small sleeper small a over passing right your on

B When you get to the finger post on the on post finger the to get you When

(Permissive (Permissive

along the edge of woodland, with the fence the with woodland, of edge the along

and head uphill. head and gate at the corner of the wood. Continue wood. the of corner the at gate

Caw Burn over the hump back bridge bridge back hump the over Burn Caw over rough ground. Go through the wicket the through Go ground. rough over

turn right along the minor road. Cross the the Cross road. minor the along right turn waymarked path with the fence on your left your on fence the with path waymarked

Leave the Permissive Car Park and and Park Car Permissive the Leave A E At the end of the boardwalk follow the follow boardwalk the of end the At

ground may be boggy in places in boggy be may ground

Footpaths, agricultural land, rough fell, boardwalk and minor roads; roads; minor and boardwalk fell, rough land, agricultural Footpaths, : n i a r r Te Refreshments available Refreshments

oilets t e l i To

| Haltwhistle and Haydon Bridge Haydon and Haltwhistle Services: Local Brewed Once : s t e l i To

ourist Information o i t a m r o f n I t s i r u To

Car Park Car | Once Brewed Brewed Once Centre: Park National Nearest

National Park Centre, Once Brewed Once Centre, Park National

if this is full please park at Steel Rigg Car Park Park Car Rigg Steel at park please full is this if

Path National Trail National Path

Limited parking at the Permissive Car Park north of Steel Rigg, Rigg, Steel of north Park Car Permissive the at parking Limited Parking: Pennine Way and Hadrian’s Wall Hadrian’s and Way Pennine

Right of Way of Right

| NY 747 690 690 747 NY Ref: Grid OS Start Wall Hadrian’s 1:25000 OL43 OS Map:

Farm Walk Farm

ike Ritchie MR2 2011 N

| | 2 hours 2 Time: km) (6 miles 3.8 Distance: Moderate Grade: Greenlee Lough Walk Lough Greenlee

0 0 0.6 mile 0.6

Northumberland National Park Authority purchased Greenlee Lough and the important Greenlee Lough, a hidden gem wetland habitats around it in 1991 in order to manage and promote this jewel as a nature reserve. The Park Authority also owns and manages land to the north and west of the Lough. How to reach Greenlee Lough: From the West: Follow the B6318 (Military Road) from Greenhead to the cross-roads with the National Park Centre at Once Brewed. Turn left signposted ‘Steel Rigg’. Greenlee Lough From the East: Follow the B6318 (Military Road) west to the cross-roads with the National Park Centre at Once Brewed. Turn right signposted ‘Steel Rigg’. Hadrian’s Wall The Hadrian’s Wall bus AD122 stops at the National Park Centre at Once Brewed on the B6318 (Military Road). Walk up the narrow road signed ‘Steel Rigg’ to start the walk. in Northumberland National Park www.traveline.info

Please Note: • The walk to Greenlee Lough, beginning and returning at the permissive car park and using permissive routes and footpaths is 3.8 miles.

Common Toad Wigeon Osprey To explore further, please use Ordnance Survey map OL43 Hadrian’s Wall. • Good footwear is recommended. • The site is exposed, so prepare for the weather - this may mean waterproofs or sun-cream depending on the forecast and the time of year. • Respect livestock by keeping dogs on a lead and taking extra care not to approach lambs or calves.

Please follow the Countryside Code: A hidden gem in • Be safe - plan ahead and follow signs Hadrian’s Wall Country, • Leave gates and property as you find them Greenlee Lough is a place • Protect plants and animals, and take your litter home of interest and adventure • Keep dogs under close control for all. From families • Consider other people wanting to explore further, to geologists, Supported by bird-watchers and

Nearest National Park Centre: March 2011 botanists. Step on to the National Park Centre, Once Brewed, NE47 7AN boardwalk and discover T:+44 (0)1434 344396 something special. The Bird Hide

All photographs ©: Laurie Campbell, Peter Eeles, Simon Fraser, Shaun Hackett, North East Wildlife, Allan Potts, Mandy Roberts, Peter Skelton, Northumberland National Park Authority, Eastburn, South Park, Hexham, Northumberland NE46 1BS Joan Thirlaway, NNPA. Map illustration © Mike Ritchie Front cover photographs ©: Greenlee Lough, Cotton Grass, Whooper Swan, The Boardwalk ww w.northumberlandnationalpark.org.uk The walk to Greenlee Lough takes you through a Goldeneye Te a l Heron Bottle Sedge Horsetail The boardwalk Yellow Flag Iris mosaic of habitats, which can look very different depending on the time of year. The birdlife and insects these habitats support also change with the season, so regular visits are recommended! Check our Greylag Goose Stonewort website for the wildlife calendar. Try visiting at dawn or dusk, a good time to see shy deer or foxes returning from a night’s hunting.

Shelduck Mallard Great Crested Grebe

Geology and the Great Whin Sill The landscape here is dominated by the impressive ridge of crags and columns that form the Great Whin Sill - the natural rampart that the Romans exploited when building Hadrian’s Wall. This geological feature was Common Valerian

formed 295 million years ago when, at Marsh CinquefoilCommon Darter Dragonfly Marsh Marigold Devils-bit Scabious 10,000˚c, molten rock pushed between layers of sandstone and limestone, gradually cooling over the next 50 years.

View of the Great Whin Sill from Greenlee Lough Coot White Clawed Crayfish A variety of Sphagnum moss Loughs and mires Common Blue Damselfly A lough (pronounced loff) is Greenlee Lough the local word for a lake. In Northumberland loughs were Greenlee Lough is one of the most important The site is important for wildfowl (geese, swans formed by the slow, gradual flow wetland sites in Britain and Europe. It contains and ducks) particularly in the winter when of ice, beginning about 2 million unusual aquatic plantlife including several types of whooper swan, greylag geese, wigeon, teal, Reed Mace years ago. Loughs were left when these massive amounts of moving ice were able to carve pondweed and stonewort (types of algae thriving in goldeneye, tufted duck and mallard can be seen. out deep hollows in soft rock such as mudstones and shale. In shallower hollows, peat bogs very clean water). This has led to its designation as In spring and summer you can look for mute have formed made up of plants such as sphagnum mosses that thrive in these permanently a Special Area of Conservation, a Site of Special swan, mallard, coot, shelduck and great crested Forget-me-not wet, acidic conditions. Scientific Interest and a National Nature Reserve. grebe. The bird hide is open all year round and It is the largest natural freshwater lake in has information to help you identify plants, birds Northumberland, but is only 1.8 metres at its and animals of interest. You can also record what you have spotted. Many visitors have Bog Asphodel Large Heath Butterfly Deep peat and the boardwalk deepest point. recorded osprey visiting the lough recently so Creatures in the lough include pike, perch, roach, The 500 metre boardwalk funded by Natural we are hopeful these magnificent birds may Grasshopper Warbler Angelica Branched Bur-reed England through a Higher Level Stewardship eels and native white clawed crayfish. These choose to breed here. provide food for otters that make their homes in Scheme and put in by Northumberland Fen National Park Voluntary Rangers and Trainees the surrounding vegetation and woodlands. in 2009, takes you over very fragile deep peat The band of vegetation fringing the lough is made up of bottle sedge (dark green), water that would otherwise be too wet and horsetail (lighter green) and smaller amounts of reed mace and branched bur-reed. damaging to walk over. This blends into a species-rich fen. How many of the different plants pictured here can you spot? Sponge-like sphagnum mosses are the dominant The abundance of plant species here supports many insects and birds. In spring and summer you plants here, but look carefully for bog asphodel, Bird can see common blue, large red and azure damselflies and the common darter dragonfly. Listen for Emperor Moth caterpillar Hide cranberry, cotton grass and round-leaved sundew. the distinctive, reeling bird-call of the grasshopper warbler. Some insects can only survive on these plant species. Adult large heath butterfly feed on bog GREENLEE Cotton Grass Skullcap asphodel nectar and their caterpillars feed on LOUGH Emperor Moth the two types of cotton grass that grow here. Other insects include the small heath and pearl bordered butterflies and Emperor moth.

The boardwalk sometimes allows for good Common Frog sightings of frogs, toads and common lizards. Common Lizard Meadowsweet Even if you don’t spot a live specimen look Sneezewort carefully for wildlife clues such as fox droppings and owl pellets. The bridge taking you over the small burn is a good place to look for the footprints in the mud of birds or even otters. Reed Canary Grass

Newly planted woodland Reedbed Hay meadows Otter Round-leaved Sundew Cranberry Trees that thrive in wet conditions such as This is an uncommon habitat in Northumberland, At the end of the boardwalk you will walk through fields which are alder and several types of willow fringe the particularly at this altitude, 230m above sea level. managed as hay meadows. This means using manure to feed the land, Jacob Sheep Fell ground lough and are scattered around the site. To Walking along the boardwalk is like being in a rather than nitrogen-rich fertiliser, and cutting for hay late in the season. add to this, new native woodland has been secret world. The reedbed is dominated by In June and July this traditional way of managing farm land leads to a This is the rough pasture that you walk over planted. These include rowan, oak and common reed which can grow to 4 metres high - rich variety of flowering plants such as yellow rattle, pignut, red clover before reaching the boardwalk. hawthorn as well as more alder and willow. try spotting birds on the lough whilst you are and vetches, these in turn encourages more diverse insect life. Local farmers favour traditional sheep and hidden from view. cattle, such as horned, rough coated Highland Buttercup & Red Clover Willow In the winter listen to the rustle of dead reed stems, cattle and spotty, horned Jacob sheep. These which will be replaced in the spring and summer breeds are hardy in what can be a harsh by the calls of reed bunting and sedge warbler. climate, and thrive on the rushes and tough Meadow Pipit Skylark grasses which make up this grazing land. Other livestock seen in the area are Scottish Black- faced and Cheviot sheep and Beef Shorthorn, Belted Galloway and Blue Grey cattle. Birdlife here include meadow pipit and skylark which are easy to hear and possible to spot hovering in the air. Alder Common Reed Sedge Warbler Reed Bunting Tufted Vetch Yellow Rattle