Tag: walking

Wonderful Walks

Posted on January 15, 2024 by - Hadrian's Wall Area Attractions, Northumberland

Walks, we’ve got so many it’s hard to know which ones to tell you about. Northumberland has everything from circular walks to gentle river walks, from coastal walks to woodland walks, a walk along a very long and famous wall and everything in between. In fact it’s estimated that in the Northumberland National Park alone there are over 600 miles of waymarked footpaths and bridleways and that’s without the 4608 square miles of Northumberland that the National park doesn’t include.

The Dilston Trail is one of the three Corbridge Heritage Trails and if you take this walk you will find yourself following the River Tyne and then onto Devil’s Water and with the opportunity to visit the very lovely Dilston Physic Garden (depending on open hours). The walk is around 4 miles long but there are a couple of shortcuts shown in the trail leaflet if you don’t have time for the whole route. You will find the leaflets for all three of the Heritage Trails in the cottage.

alt="Historic Dilston Trail walks signage"
Historic Dilston Trail signage

Cawfields Quarry Circular lies within the Northumberland National Park and begins and ends in the Cawfields Quarry car park. The route takes you through stunning countryside, firstly you’ll head North of Hadrian’s Wall which offers a wonderful view of Cawfields Crags before looping around and then enjoying a stretch on the Hadrian’s Wall National Trail. This is classed as a moderately difficult walk and has steep parts and can be muddy in places, it covers a distance of around 3.5 miles and takes in great examples of a Roman milecastle and Turret en route.

alt="Cawfield Quarry with blue skies above"
Cawfields (c) Geoffrey Braun

The Falstone Circular Walk is a lovely 2 mile walk around dramatic riverbanks, an old railway line and taking in the delights in and around the village of Falstone. The walk follows the now retired Border Countries Railway which transported steam trains in the late 1800s to mid 1900s and as you walk you’ll be able to see the top of Kielder Dam, enjoy fields of open pasture, a hump back bridge and you’ll spot the Stell, a sculpture that was inspired by this Northumbrian village and it’s land. A short walk that allows plenty of time to visit Falstone Tearooms for a well deserved cuppa and cake.

alt="Falstone stell on circular walk"
Falstone Stell – credit and with permission from Andrew Forster

If you’re heading to North Northumberland then a walk that takes in the magnificent coastline is ideal and none more so than the short walk that starts in the fishing village of Craster and takes you to the ruins of the the 14th century Dunstanburgh Castle. The walk allow you to take in the lovely sea views and offers plenty of flora and fauna along the way, it is a flat walk and just under 1.5 miles long. Enjoy time at the castle before either turning around and heading back to Craster or you could choose to carry on further along Embleton Sands to Low Newton and enjoy even more of the wonderful Northumbrian coast.

Fishing village of Craster with Dunstanburgh in the background

If you love being out and about enjoying walks, hikes, rambles or even just a gentle saunter, then St Oswald’s Farm is where you need to be for your next UK staycation, look out for future blog posts with more wonderful walks for you to enjoy!

Autumn walks

Posted on September 5, 2020 by - Northumberland

Isn’t Autumn just the most glorious time of the year? Crunchy leaves, misty mornings, crispy air and with a myriad of colours sweeping over our trees, woodlands, gardens, hedgerows, fields and even across our skies. Autumn is definitely not the time to hibernate.

alt="autumn walks at St Oswald's Farm in the mist"
Early morning at St Oswald’s Farm

Northumberland is renowned for its walks and trails right across the County from coast to country, from remote moorlands to river walks, Northumberland offers the very best in walking opportunities. For hardened walkers Autumn brings a new dimension to each walk with a kaleidoscope of colours to indulge in and for those who enjoy more of a gentle stroll there’s no better time than Autumn to breathe in the great outdoors. Whatever your walking level or experience we can guarantee Northumberland has a walk for you.

alt="orange leaves on the ground at Tyne Green hexham"
alt="Tyne green hexham autumn walk"
Tyne Green in Hexham

You don’t need to travel far from our back door to enjoy the River Tyne. One of Hexham’s nicest green spaces is Tyne Green and it is the most tranquil of places to enjoy, this long river walk at any time of the year is lovely but bathed in Autumn glory it’s nothing short of beautiful.

Further east, the River Tyne takes you to Wylam and to Hagg Bank which is dominated by an impressive single span arch bridge, this former railway bridge is now a footbridge only. The walk East, Keelman’s Way (cycle route 141), stretches from Wylam to Newburn and can be accessed from either end or you may wish to explore the river stretch from Prudhoe to Wylam taking in sights such as George Stephenson’s Cottage and Prudhoe Castle along the way.

alt="autumn walks at Hagg Bank bridge Wylam"
Hagg Bank at Wylam

The walks at Allen Banks & Staward Gorge are a must-see in Autumn. The gardens and woodlands are owned by the National Trust and are the largest area of ancient semi-natural woodland in Northumberland. This beautiful wooded gorge that follows the River Allen has many different walks to enjoy with miles of paths, most are signed, however some are fairly steep and in places can be a little uneven. Amongst this ancient and ornamental woodland not only will you discover wildife and fauna but also ancient monuments and perhaps even a summer house! Make sure to grab a map available from the car park to keep you on the right path. For current opening times and parking details please check their website before visiting. Top tip – afterwards head to Bardon Mill Village Store & Tearoom for hot drinks, light lunches and cake!

alt="staward gorge and allen banks autumn walks"
Allen Banks & Staward Gorge in Autumn

The Simonside Hills in Northumberland National Park are perhaps the most recognisable hills in the County and as the Autumn months approach they bring just an expanse of purple beauty across the heather moorland. There is a circular 7km walk to the summit and although the route across the woodlands and moor are classed as moderate it is oh so worth it. At the summit you will encounter 360 degree view and be able to take in the Cheviot Hills, Coquetdale and over to the North Sea coastline. You will find details of parking and route guidance on the National Park website.

alt=" autumn walks through the purple heather of simonside hills "
Simonside Hills

It’s hard to choose our favourite place to visit in Autumn, Gibside with its long tree lined avenue or the charm of Belsay Hall and the colours that appear across the gardens and surrounding woodlands at this time of year. Or perhaps our favourite is Cragside House & Gardens which despite the many evergreens amongst their 7 million trees they just seem to highlight and compliment the display of Autumn colours. Talkin’ Tarn is lovely for a gentle walk around a lake but then so is Bolam Lake and there’s Blanchland …if only Autumn lasted longer. There’s always next year when nature will do it for us all again!

Whatever or wherever you choose to walk during your Autumn stay we can guarantee you will ‘fall’ for the charm of Northumberland.

alt="talkin tarn"
Talkin’ Tarn
alt="cragside house in autumn"
Cragside
alt="bolam lake in autumn"
Bolam Lake

Heavenfield Cottage is the perfect base for all your Autumn days out and just perfect to return back to following a day in the great outdoors. With underfloor heating, a log burning stove, a deep double ended bath, walk-in rainforest shower, fluffy bathrobes, the biggest most comfortable bed with luxury bedding, oh and there’s even somewhere to dry your boots! Sound good? All our Autumn availability can be found here.

We look forward to welcoming you to St Oswald’s Farm.

Northumberland Coastal Path

Posted on February 5, 2020 by - Northumberland

The Northumberland Coast has to be one of the most stunning in the UK and with it’s own dedicated Coastal Path it couldn’t be easier to enjoy and offers some of the most spectacular walking in Europe.

alt="Northumberland Coastal Path Signpost"
Northumberland Coastal Path – Image Gavin Duthie

As you would expect there are huge expanses of gorgeous sweeping beaches but the path takes you on a journey to discover so much more. Ancient castles, spectacular cliffs and rocky outcrops, wild sand dunes, secluded coves, friendly villages and fishing ports, a national nature reserve and the opportunity to take in the wildlife and bird life and undoubtedly has an unspoilt yet majestic beauty.

The 62 mile linear route through the Northumberland Coastal Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty runs from Cresswell in the South to the historic border town of Berwick Upon Tweed in the North. It is well signed and a mainly flat walk with only a few steep climbs giving you the opportunity to concentrate on the constantly changing landscape around you.

Cresswell in the South……
Image C Parker
…to Berwick in the North
Image G Duthie

The whole route is broken into 6 stages with many of the stages taking in some of our Northumbrian highlights. Section one enjoys Druridge Bay, Hauxley Nature Reserve, views of Coquet Island before arriving in Warkworth, a picturesque village sitting in the shadow of its impressive Castle and Hermitage.

alt="Northumberland Coastal Path Warkworth Castle"
Warkworth Castle

Section two visits Alnmouth and Boulmer before reaching Craster where an obligatory visit to the smokery is a must and perhaps refreshment at The Jolly Fisherman! Section three takes you past the dramatic ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle and onto Embleton Bay and Low Newton which offer a haven for birdwatching & wildlife before the route continues on to the fishing port of Seahouses.

alt+"Northumberland Coastal Path Craster"
The fishing village of Craster
Image Gavin Duthie

Section four takes you from Seahouses to Belford and section five from Belford to Fenwick both only a short 6-7 mile walk with the final leg of this magnificent walk taking you 12 miles to the border town of Berwick Upon Tweed.

The Coastal route isn’t just for those wishing to complete the whole walk, there is a bus service that enables you to enjoy shorter sections and there is a helpful video about the X18 Coast and Castles which services the route of the Northumberland Coastal Path between Amble and Berwick. It’s ideal if you’d like to enjoy short linear routes and return to your starting point.

alt+"Northumberland Coastal Path Dunstanburgh Castle"
The impressive ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle

Also ideal for day visitors are the circular walking routes, choose from 4 miles routes from Craster to Howick Hall (famously the home of Earl Grey Tea) or Craster to Dunstanburgh. If you have a little longer to spend then there is a walk of just over 10 miles from Belford to St Cuthbert’s Cave which is reputed to be where the monks of Lindisfarne brought St. Cuthbert’s body to rest for a short period in AD875.

alt="Northumberland Coastal Path Howick Hall"
Enjoy a cup of Earl Grey Tea at Howick Hall

To enjoy the circular trails it is well worth obtaining the trail leaflets from a local Tourist Information Point and the Northumberland Coastal Path Official Guidebook & Path Passport can both be purchased from Northern Heritage.

Circular Trail Leaflets
Guidebook

Northumberland has no end of fantastic walking opportunities, each one as unique and diverse as its neighbour. We hope that when you visit you get to enjoy some of our walks and the see the very best of our lovely County.

We’re always happy to recommend walks and days out to our guests and there are books and guides in the cottage to help you choose. For all details of our accommodation here at St Oswald’s Farm and our current availability please go to our website

We look forward to welcoming you here and sharing our walks and our magnificent coast with you!