Northumberland Holiday Guide 2009
Hadrian’s Wall are in the central section between the villages
“As I marched south the views came
of Greenhead on the Cumbrian Border and Chollerford
at me from every angle. Look right and
near Hexham. It is 73 spectacular miles from Segedunum
(Wallsend) east of Newcastle to the earthen ramparts at
there’s the immense tabletop bulk of
Bowness-on-Solway beyond Carlisle and worth every step,
the Cheviot. Look left and there are
but if you only have a few hours there is a glorious walk from
the seas wider than nature intended
the car park at Steel Rigg, near the Northumberland National
Park Visitor Centre at Once Brewed, to Housesteads which
studded with rocks and tiny islands.
is the largest and best preserved of the Wall’s legionary forts. Look straight ahead and sheltered
This is also the most photogenic section of the Wall where the
sandy beaches spring out from under
stones follow the rocky crags of the Whin Sill like an ancient
the cliffs.” Dixe Wills, Guardian
Roman roller coaster.
St Oswald’s Way: A roadside cross marks the site of the battle
of Heavenfield, fought between Christian Northumbrians and
pagan Mercians around 635AD. A little chapel commemorates
the Northumbrians’ historic victory and marks the end of St
Oswald’s Way.
Oswald was the ruler of the Saxon kingdom of Northumbria
and as a young prince Oswald had been deposed by pagan
usurpers and forced to seek refuge in the Monastery on Iona
in Scotland.
When he grew to manhood the now devout Oswald returned;
he smashed the pagan armies at Heavenfield and was
canonised for securing the whole of the north for Christianity.
Every 5
th
of August there is a procession from Hexham Abbey
to the battlefield’s chapel and St Oswald’s Way extends this
pilgrimage as far as Oswald’s capital at Bamburgh and the
monastery he founded on the island of Lindisfarne.
The 97 mile long Saint Oswald’s Way follows some of the
prettiest sections of the Northumberland Coast Path as well as
the most scenic countryside.
St Cuthbert’s Way: After his victory at Heavenfield, Oswald
invited the Iona monks to come to Northumberland and found
a sister abbey at Lindisfarne. The monks sent St Aidan to be
Lindisfarne’s first abbot and one of Aidan’s first novices was
St Cuthbert, a former shepherd boy who would become the
patron saint of Saxon Northumbria.
St Cuthbert spent his early monastic career at Melrose Abbey
in Scotland before ‘transferring’ to Lindisfarne and you can
follow in his footsteps along the long distance footpath of St
Cuthbert’s Way. The path runs for 62 miles from Lindisfarne to
© St Oswald’s Way, David Langworth
Melrose; it starts at the abbey ruins on Lindisfarne and follows of challenging cirular and linear routes. At 2,500 feet, The
the tidal causeway to the mainland at Beal, then heads south Cheviot’s summit is the highest point in Northumberland and
west to the town of Wooler – gateway to the Cheviot Hills. the circular hike also takes in the area’s ancient monuments,
such as the Iron Age hillfort at Yeavering Bell. There is easier
Northumberland has a number of B&Bs who also cater for walking along the banks of the Ingram Valley’s river Breamish
horses! For experienced riders with their own mount, the which also boasts plenty of places for a riverside picnic and a
Cheviot Hills offer a series of trails known as the Cheviot Northumberland National Park visitor centre.
Challenge Riding routes, not for the faint-hearted perhaps,
but the breathtaking scenery of this remote area makes it St Cuthbert’s Way then crosses the College Valley at Hethpool,
all worthwhile. a vast sporting estate that was gifted to the nation by
philanthropist Sir James Knott. Today the College Valley estate
In addition to St Cuthbert’s Way, which crosses these is run by trustees who endeavour to carry out Sir James’
ravishing hills from east to west, the Cheviots offer a number wishes of “making available to the public an environment that
www.visitnorthumberland.com 19
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