UKC

Hiking in northumberland, as the title suggests, what's it like for long day hikes, out and back, so not linear routes. I have no real idea of the area but thinking of going for a few days.hilly more than mountainous? Open moor type land or more like fields, hedges and woods? Etc . A

Any recommended walks or areas to visit would be welcome! Also I guess rain gear needed even for July?

Thanks!

In reply to RX-78:

It's a very varied county from Hadrian's Wall in the south to the Cheviots in the north. Get the relevant OS maps and just plan whatever looks good. The coast up around Bamburgh and Dunstanburgh castles is great for big, sandy beaches too. North of the Wall is a huge area of forest around Kielder Water and lots of moorland leading up towards the Cheviots. Simonside Hills are good too. Watch out for firing times on some of the ranges around Otterburn and Chew Green - must be available online. I used to get some very good free material from the Northumberland NP visitor centre at Once Brewed at the Wall but haven't been for a few years. Last big walk I did was The Cheviot itself from the Harthope Valley. If you have enough daylight (I didn't) then the circuit round to Hedgehope Hill looks good. There are lots of prehistoric remains to add interest - hillforts and cup and ring carvings as well as the Roman stuff at the Wall.

In reply to RX-78:

Just to add to Lankyman's comments, the south west of the county (known as Tynedale) includes some exceptionally tough moorland. This is especially true around the South Tyne and the Allen Valleys (east and west). The area around Alston is over the border in Cumbria but is more Northumbrian in character and within the Tyne's watershed. Having said all that it's not very exciting walking unless you enjoy sparse, largely untracked heather upland. 

In reply to Kalna_kaza:

Ah yes, I'd forgotten about all those South Tynedale bits. To give them their due there are some lovely valleys to explore. Rather than Northumbrian/Cumbrian I've always thought of that whole area south of the Wall as North Pennine. Last year I wended up through Teesdale and Weardale to Blanchland (just inside Northumberland?) and explored around the Devil's Water near Hexham. Very pleasant in a quiet, backwater-ish kind of way.

In reply to Kalna_kaza:

Hi, Thanks, I don't mind moorland as long as it doesn't mean exposed to a hot sun for too long and bake me.

In reply to Lankyman:

That is good, though the section over Comb Hill is rather heathery and boggy! 

The College Valley and its adjacent hills (The Schil, Newton Tors) are very pleasant, and there look to be some decent circuits (e.g. to Windy Gyle) from the Coquet Valley (which I have not done as it's a bit of a pain to get to from the north). 

http://www.cheviotwalks.org/ is a useful resource. 

In reply to RX-78:

I love the Cheviots, they are bleak and empty, it's my "local" hills but you can often have it to yourself if you go midweek or in an evening. I've had days when I've not seen anyone despite it being glorious weather. 

Cheviot and Hedgehope from Langleeford is the classic round but can (is always) be boggy, my preference (as a runner) is clockwise.

Hedgehope can also be done from the other side, and a visit to Linhope spout is nice (though it's probably the busiest bit of the Northumberland National park)

There's lower stuff from Alwinton etc, and if you follow the road to Barrowburn etc it begins to get very empty and feels very remote! There's some river dunking here as well so great on warm day.

https://www.ukhillwalking.com/logbook/r/?i=1284

It's a very different character to the Lakes, maybe more Howgillsy but much lonelier! It's great. 

If you can get it, there is a Harveys superwalker map for the national park.

In reply to RX-78:

Its a big place, indeed hilly rather than mountainous, and theres plenty of variety - moorland in the cheviots and the south west as described; even for mountain types the coast has some interest, and it is spectacular. You could even do a circular involving hills and coast if you dont mind long days. There are rolling hills up from wooler to the scottish border, and plenty of farming type stuff mainly along the coast, but also much upland / sheep farmig inland. you can spend more than a few days without getting bored of the same stuff!

In reply to Herdwickmatt:

Thanks Matty, we did the route by Alan in the link to the log book today

 Great weather for the most part, got soaked with about 2km left to go. Lunch was had at Windy Gyle sheltering from the wind.

In reply to RX-78: Hope you enjoyed it! A much better day than yesterday, I had 3hours of rain and clag on hedgehope and Didn’t see a single person which is also one of the things I love about here! I’m a big advocate for the Cheviots but at the same time they’d lose their specialness if full of people!

In reply to RX-78:

I live in Northumberland and mostly go to the Lakes but did this when Covid closed them hills 

https://martinthehills.co.uk/2016/09/09/probably-the-best-route-up-the-chev...

outstanding day out, with the highlight being the hen hole. 
 

https://strava.app.link/gRf5WtCvS7

In reply to RX-78:

I did a good two day round stopping at one of the bothies overnight, you could take a tent as there was some dry flat ground nearby.

I have put a link on strava which hopefully you can see:

https://www.strava.com/routes/10286755

Think I ticked 14/15 summits and only saw 3 people over the 2 days

In reply to RedFive:

Hen Hole is great, it's really atmospheric, and feels bigger than it is due to it's amphitheatre setting. You know theres a legend about a tunnel connecting Henhole with the Smugglers cave on Bewick moor? 

I;ve got a map which indicates a path up past Bizzle crags as well, which proved to be a very *interesting* jaunt.

In reply to RX-78:

So our last day hiking, we did comb fell and hedgehope hill from linhope valley.  Saw very few out today despite almost perfect hiking weather, dry and cool.  The bit between comb fell and hedgehope hill was very boggy/marshy but good fun route finding through it. We saw a snake on the hike up, not sure what type though, but googling would suggest an adder.

Thanks everyone for the advice etc. We had a great few days here.

In reply to RX-78:

Brill, glad you enjoyed it. Comb fell to hedgehope is always....moist...great fun in winter though betting whether it’s ankle/knee/waist/chest deep bog!

Remember though (and I’ve genuinely heard this said) that Northumberland is like Fight club. First rule is You don’t talk about it because then everyone will come!