ACCOMMODATION
Organising lodgings on a long-distance walk requires a willingness to search diligently and juggle options to create a workable schedule. Accommodation around Northumberland is unevenly spread, so while some places may have plenty of options, others have very little. Start by checking the most ‘awkward’ locations first, such as the remote farmhouse bed and breakfast at Uswayford (end of Day 6/start of Day 7), and work outwards from those places once you have secured a bed. Sheer pressure of walkers can affect all available lodgings near popular Hadrian’s Wall. The coastal resort of Seahouses offers abundant accommodation, but it can be very busy in the summer.
In case of difficulty obtaining accommodation, a simple bus journey off-route may bring plenty more options within reach. If detours off-route are going to be made, then be sure to obtain the relevant bus timetables in advance, and build the necessary time into your schedule to leave and re-join the route. In some cases, nearby accommodation providers may be prepared to do pick-ups and drop-offs, but arrange this well in advance if required. If something prevents you from reaching accommodation that has been booked, call the proprietor at the earliest opportunity and explain. This might enable them to take another booking and avoid losing money, and if they know you are safe, they won’t be worrying about you and possibly calling out the rescue services.
Places with lodgings are mentioned throughout this book, and a basic accommodation list is given in Appendix 2, but bear in mind that these things tend to change quite frequently. For up-to-date details of accommodation, check the Northumberland Holiday and Short Breaks Guide, which can be obtained free by calling 01670 794520 or visiting www.visitnorthumberland.com. The guide is available from tourist information centres, and in most cases such places will be able to advise and assist with booking accommodation, possibly saving many fruitless phone calls.
FOOD AND DRINK
While there are several shops, pubs, restaurants and cafés around the Reivers Way, they are very unevenly distributed. On some parts of the route there may be no refreshments available throughout the day, and if staying overnight at Uswayford (end of Day 6 and start of Day 7), evening meals should be ordered well in advance.
Never set out on any part of the Reivers Way without first noting the availability of food and drink for at least a couple of days in advance. Be sure to carry sufficient provisions to allow for lengthy gaps between shops, taking special note of the paucity of services in the broad and bleak Cheviot Hills.
Things change – Harold Wade noted services that were gone by the time James Roberts walked the route, and I in turn have noticed services that have disappeared, as well as completely new ones. In one instance I saw a pub in a village which, on my return a few months later, was closed. Be prepared for changes.
MONEY
While an increasing number of accommodation providers, shops, pubs and restaurants will take credit cards in payment, many don’t, and walkers will need a certain amount of cash to cover goods and services while on the move, especially on the more remote parts of this trail. If unsure about carrying large amounts of cash, at least try and budget ahead, then be aware of any places along the way that have banks and ATMs. Many are mentioned in the route description, and some supermarkets offer a ‘cashback’ service.
TOURIST INFORMATION
Corbridge, tel 01434 632815
Hexham, tel 01434 652220
Otterburn, tel 01830 520225
Rothbury, tel 01669 620887
Wooler, tel 01668 282123
Seahouses, tel 01665 720884
Craster, tel 01665 576007
Alnwick, tel 01665 511333
PLANNING YOUR WALK
When to Walk
Spring can be a splendid time to walk the Reivers Way, when the countryside is bursting with new life. Lambs are suckling in the lower pastures, flowers rise from fields and roadside verges, and migrating birds arrive and sort out their nesting sites.
Walking in the winter months means limited daylight, but good progress is possible when wet ground freezes
The peak summer period offers the longest daylight hours and possibly the best weather. Lowland hayfields are mown to stubble, while heather moorlands turn purple and the bracken lies deep on the hillsides. Some heather moorland might be used for grouse shooting. Accommodation in popular places might be fully booked, but apart from that all services should be in full swing and ferries will be running to the Farne Islands.
Autumn is a time for harvesting crops, and the daylight hours begin to shorten, with the possibility of cooler and wetter weather.
The winter months occasionally feature sharp frosts, so that boggy parts freeze over, but prolonged wet weather, or rare falls of deep snow, can make this a difficult time to walk. Some of the businesses along the way, especially accommodation providers, close for the winter.
What the Walking’s Like
Walking the Reivers Way is fairly straightforward, but bear in mind that the route is not specifically waymarked, although there are the usual public footpath and bridleway signposts and markers. Keep an eye on the route description and follow your progress on the map. Compared to many parts of the country, Northumberland’s footpaths are lightly trodden, and there are often great distances between settlements and their facilities. Walkers will be encountered in popular places, such as Allen Banks, Hadrian’s Wall, the Simonside Hills, the Cheviot Hills and much of the Northumberland coast. At other times, you may walk all day without meeting any other walkers, even in the summer. The abiding memory is of a succession of scenic highlights separated by wide open, sparsely populated countryside.
Terrain
The Reivers Way includes gentle walks through river valleys and low-lying fields, but this can quickly give way to bleak and barren moorland or extensive forests. When walking far from habitation it is essential to take care over route-finding, as any unintended detours off-route will take time and energy to recover. When mist covers featureless moorlands, or when several junctions of forest tracks are encountered, it is worth taking time to pinpoint your position on a map, and then ensure that you head in the correct direction.
When there is a choice of routes available, study both options carefully, weighing their advantages and disadvantages and take the weather into account. There are two options between Elsdon and Rothbury (Day 5), and both of them include the Simonside Hills. Between Uswayford and Wooler (Day 7), the high-level route over the Cheviot is often easier to follow than the low-level alternative outflanking it. Once the Cheviot Hills are left behind, the route wanders through fields and low hills, with variant routes reaching the Northumberland coast (Day 8). The coast (Day 9) features easy, low-level walking, despite the rugged little cliffs that are often in view. In a nutshell, the terrain along the Reivers Way is remarkably varied from day to day.
Daily Schedule
The Reivers Way can be walked in as little as a week by experienced long-distance walkers, but nine days is more practical, with two weeks offering a fairly leisurely approach. Bear in mind that there where alternative routes are available, distances and the nature of the terrain differ. Walkers shouldn’t feel obliged to follow the nine-day schedule in this book too rigidly, but should adapt and amend it to suit their individual requirements. Trying to arrange a schedule to omit the solitary farmhouse bed and breakfast at Uswayford (end of Day 6 and start of Day 7), can be difficult, and this is the sort of place where a carefully planned schedule can unravel if all the