Following William the Conqueror’s brutal Harrying of the North, when tens of thousands of people were killed, the Normans rebuilt several Anglian monasteries, including Lindisfarne; they established a number of new abbeys, including at Alnwick and Blanchland, and built castles at Newcastle, Warkworth, Alnwick, Bamburgh, Norham and Dunstanburgh, to name but a few.
Dunstanburgh Castle (Walk 2)
But, of course, Northumberland remained a frontier region – peace was a rare thing. Castles and territory passed from English rule to Scottish rule and back again. In 1314 Scots, led by Robert the Bruce, ransacked the north of England – towns were burned, churches destroyed and villagers slaughtered. And then there were the infamous Border Reivers, the lawless clans that went about looting and pillaging throughout the border regions. These ruthless families, owing allegiance to neither crown, brought new, bleak words such as ‘bereaved’ and ‘blackmail’ to the English language and created the need for bastles (see Walk 22), pele towers and other defensive structures. Life really only began to settle down in 1603, when James VI of Scotland became the first ruler of both England and Scotland.
Scottish forces captured Norham Catle four times (Walk 6)
Northumberland’s mineral wealth and the presence of a large port at Newcastle led to significant developments in trade and industry. Lead was mined for centuries at Allendale and Blanchland (see walks 33–36), the most prosperous period being the 18th and 19th centuries, but it was coal that really fuelled the area’s economic development. The Romans were known to use this carbon-based mineral, but it was only in the 12th and 13th centuries that the industry took off – with significant amounts of coal being exported to London via Newcastle. Come the Industrial Revolution and things really began to hot up: there were about 10,000 colliers in northeast England by 1810. With coal came the railways – some of the great pioneers of rail and steam, including George Stephenson, originated from Northumberland.
Where to stay
Tourism is an important part of Northumberland’s economy and, as such, the county is well served by accommodation providers and dining facilities. Budget travellers may want to consider youth hostels, camping or other self-catering options, although many of these close for at least part of the winter.
The best bases for walks in this book are Wooler, Rothbury, Alwinton, Seahouses, Craster, Belford, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Haltwhistle, Kielder, Blanchland and Allendale Town.
Rothbury makes a good base for several of the walks in this book
Public transport
Rural dwellers will probably regard Northumberland as being reasonably well served by public transport; but, if you live in a large city, you’re in for a shock. Most of the start points for walks in this book are served by public transport – even Alwinton and Harbottle high up in Coquetdale have regular buses. But regular doesn’t always mean frequent: if you miss your bus, don’t expect another one to come along in half an hour. In fact, if you miss the Coquetdale Circular, you might have to wait several days for the next one. Having said that, the few linear walks in the book are served by regular and reasonably frequent buses.
Two railways in the national network pass through Northumberland: the East Coast Main Line and the Tyne Valley Line. As well as serving Newcastle, some trains on the former stop at Morpeth, Alnwick and Morpeth. Tyne Valley trains between Carlisle and Newcastle stop at Haltwhistle, Hexham, Prudhoe and several other smaller towns and villages.
If you’re planning to use public transport, the best resource is Traveline – 0871 200 2233 or www.traveline.info.
Maps
The map extracts in this book are from the Ordnance Survey’s 1:50,000 Landranger series. They are meant as a guide only, and walkers are advised to purchase the relevant map(s) – and know how to navigate using them. To complete all the walks, you’ll need Landranger sheets 74, 75, 80, 81, 86 and 87. The OS 1:25,000 Explorer series provides greater detail, showing field boundaries as well as access land. Sheets OL16, OL31, OL42, OL43, 332, 340, 339 and 346 cover all the routes in this book.
Waymarking and access
Fingerposts exist even high in the Cheviot Hills
Many of the routes in this book are well signposted – even on the highest of the Cheviot Hills, you’ll come across occasional fingerposts. Some follow sections of long-distance paths, most of which have additional waymarking. The Pennine Way and Hadrian’s Wall Path, for example, are marked by the white acorn symbols of the National Trails, while paths such as St Cuthbert’s Way and St Oswald’s Way have their own signage.
As well as thousands of kilometres of bridleways and footpaths, there are huge tracts of access land where people have the right to roam without having to stick rigidly to rights of way. These are, however, subject to restrictions, including short-term closures to the general public and complete dog bans (see below).
There are tens of thousands of hectares of Forestry Commission land throughout Northumberland, as well as privately owned commercial forests, so it’s almost inevitable that, at some point, you’ll come across forestry operations involving heavy machinery. Often, walkers are simply advised to exercise caution; occasionally, paths will be diverted or whole sections of access land will be temporarily closed. In these cases, watch carefully for signs telling you what to do.
Dogs
Most of the walks in this book follow public rights of way from start to finish and, as such, there are no restrictions on dog access. However, where a route crosses access land but is not on a right of way, walkers need to check access rights. The landowner has a right to ban dogs, usually for reasons relating to grouse moorland management. Restrictions are subject to change and can be found on Natural England’s CRoW and coastal access maps at www.openaccess.naturalengland.org.uk.
People are discouraged from walking on Hadrian’s Wall, but terrier Jess thinks she’s seen a sheep
Dog owners should always be sensitive to the needs of livestock and wildlife. The law states that dogs have to be controlled so that they do not scare or disturb livestock or wildlife, including ground-nesting birds. On access land, they have to be kept on leads of no more than 2m long from 1 March to 31 July – and all year round near sheep. A dog chasing lambing sheep can cause them to abort. Remember that, as a last resort, farmers can shoot dogs to protect their livestock.
Cattle, particularly cows with calves, may very occasionally pose a risk to walkers with dogs. If you ever feel threatened by cattle, let go of your dog’s lead and let it run free.
Clothing, equipment and safety
The amount of gear you take on a walk and the clothes you wear will differ according to the length of the route, the time of year and the terrain you’re likely to encounter. Preparing for the Border Ridge and The Cheviot in the height of winter, for example, requires more thought than when setting out on a walk from Craster. As such, this section is aimed primarily at those heading out in the winter or venturing on to high ground.
Even in the height of summer, your daysack should contain wind- and waterproof gear. Most people will also carry several layers of clothing – this is more important if you are heading on to higher ground, where the weather