Northumberland Holiday Guide 2009
On Foot, Two Wheels
OR FOUR
Walking, cycling and motoring through Northumberland...
“The River Allen is a bewitching water
current, running due north where it
bolsters into the river South Tyne.
October is a superb time to visit, with
the leaves turning golden.”
Corby Crags, Edlingham, Mario Czekirda
Mark Rowe, Independent on Sunday
There are few areas in modern England where it is possible The Pennine Way enters Northumberland west of Alston and
to leave the 21
st
century far behind and most of them are in follows the South Tyne Valley to Hadrian’s Wall. There is also
Northumberland! Across the county, from the Pennine Hills to
the South Tyne Trail, a 23 mile, two day walk from the source
the North Sea, there are tens of thousands of acres of open
of the South Tyne, east of Alston, to the town of Haltwhistle
hill country that are crossed by miles of empty footpaths,
(official geographical centre of Britain) on Hadrian’s Wall.
cycleways, bridlepaths and clear roads...
If you just have a few hours to spare there are two shorter
North Pennine walks that should not be missed. The first
Whether you are planning to follow a long distance trail or
follows the first part of the South Tyne Trail from Garrigill village
you’d like to fit a walk into your holiday plans, Northumberland
to the source of the Tyne via the waterfall of Thortergill Force.
has an extensive public footpath network, offering a huge
The second follows the River Allen through the spectacular
number of long and short trails for all abilities.
Staward Gorge to the National Trust owned Allen Banks. This
is one of the best walks in Northumberland at any time of year
The North Pennine Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
but in the spring the bluebells of Allen Banks rival the Lake
2,000 square kilometres of inspiring upland scenery which
District’s daffodils.
straddles the spine of England between Hadrian’s Wall to the
north and the Yorkshire Dales to the south.
Many cyclists visit Northumberland on the extremely popular
C2C (Sea-2-Sea) cycle route which begins in Whitehaven,
This vast area of unspoilt upland encloses the remote valleys of Cumbria and ends in either Sunderland or Tynemouth, Tyne
Upper Weardale, Derwentdale and Teesdale in County Durham and Wear, crossing through Northumberland and Co. Durham
and the equally secluded South Tyne, East Allen and West Allen en-route. At 140 miles long, cyclists normally undertake the
dales in Northumberland. Roads and settlements here are few journey in anything from three to five days, offering a chance to
and these wild and Romantic uplands are home to important take in the UK’s highest village (Allenheads and Nenthead both
plant habitats such as ancient peat bogs, heather moorland, lay claim to this one!), as well as to recover from the incline in
hay meadows and native woodland. These pristine landscapes getting there.
also shelter rare wildlife especially bird species such as black
grouse, curlews and golden plovers. Hadrians’ Wall Path: The best preserved stretches of
18 www.visitnorthumberland.com
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