© Haltwhistle Walking Festival
Wainwright Walks
In 1938 Alfred Wainwright undertook his ‘Pennine Journey’ which involved a circular walk from Yorkshire in order to see and experience Hadrian’s Wall. At that time it was possible to use roads a good deal, but we have adapted the broad details, using footpaths and tracks as much as possible, to produce 4 days walking which we think will have great appeal.
By coincidence, a new book is being published during 2010 by a member of the Wainwright Society and this will provide details of a recommended route over 18 days for those looking for a bigger challenge.
Sat 24th April
Wainwright Day 1: Blanchland to Hexham (Fully booked, click for waiting list)
Starting from the ancient town of Blanchland, sitting on the Northumberland/ Durham border, we leave the sheltered wooded valley to climb on to open heather moorland and pass through Slaley Forest and Hexhamshire alongside tumbling watercourses edged with alder and hazel. A second climb takes us over the hill and past the Racecourse before dropping into Hexham town to finish by the Abbey.
Walk Fee: £15 (to include coach travel)
Distance: 12 miles (6 hours walking). Grade: Moderate with 2 long but steady climbs
Meet: Wentworth Car Park Hexham, in front of the Tourist Information Office
(GR 937641 OL43) to take a coach to Blanchland. Coach departure 9.00. (If large numbers book for this walk we will arrange a second group to depart at 10.00 am.)
Other Information: Car Park charge approx. £4 all day. Bring packed lunch.
“But few people who cross Blanchland Moor will keep their eyes on the path.
The panorama is magnificent.”
Saturday 24th April
Evening with Alfred Wainwright (with optional buffet)
Come along to the Comrades’ Club and hear John Burland of the Wainwright Society perform his dramatic presentation of the life of Alfred Wainwright. John will take the audience on a journey through AW's life, from his humble upbringing in Blackburn, through his life-changing visit to the Lake District in 1930, his eventual move to Kendal in 1940 and the fifteen years spent writing the Pictorial Guides between 1952 and 1967. This promises to be a fascinating evening.
Wainwright books will be for sale and the profits will be shared between the Wainwright Society and the Walking Festival.
A buffet supper will be served at 7 pm and John’s presentation will begin at 7.45 pm approximately
Fee: Buffet & Talk £12. Talk only £6. If you have any special dietary requirements, please phone the Haltwhistle Partnership on 01434 321242 to arrange this.
Meet: Comrades Club, 2 Central Place, Haltwhistle, NE49 0DF
“The Wall was ahead. If there had been a pot of gold awaiting me, I could not have been more eager.”
Sun 25th April
Wainwright Day 2: Bridge End, Warden to Housesteads
We pick up AW’s route 2 miles west of Hexham at Bridge End, to cross the River South Tyne, and climb to an iron age fort which gives wonderful panoramic views to the North. Easy walking over arable land brings us to the higher ridge which carries Hadrian’s Wall and we follow this route across exposed fell ground with its scattered farmsteads to the famous Roman Fort of Housesteads.
Walk Fee: £15 (to include coach travel)
Distance: 12 miles (6 hours walking) Grade: Moderate
Meet: Housesteads car park, (GR 794684, OL43) Coach departs for Warden at 9:00 am.
Other information: Car parking fee £3. Bring packed lunch.
“Then I was off with wings on my feet and all up the back of my legs”
Sat 1st May
Wainwright Day 3: Housesteads to Walltown (via Haltwhistle!)
This walk takes in the most dramatic and iconic section of The Wall. Truly on ‘top of the world’ even though we leave the Whinsill ridge for a while to descend for a lunch break at Haltwhistle, which was a memorable stopover for Wainwright. We climb out of the town to rejoin the line of the Wall and travel further West to Walltown. With more ups and downs this will be a more strenuous day but the views provide a good return for the effort!
Walk Fee: £15 (to include coach travel)
Distance: 12 miles (6-7 hours walking). Grade: Strenuous
Meet: Walltown Car Park (GR NY669660 OL 43) to take coach to Housesteads. Depart 9:00am.
Other Information: Car Park charge £3 (2009). Bring packed lunch.
Many people, most people, do not agree that a walking holiday
is the best; they are all people who have never tried it.”
Sunday 2nd May
Wainwright Day 4: Park Village to Alston
This part of the walk marked a change in mood for AW as he was leaving The Wall behind to return home. The route passes through the very attractive South Tyne Valley, starting with a parkland landscape and then higher pastures and eventually moorland, and taking in the Roman road or Maiden’s Way and the Pennine Way. Approaching Alston we visit a church with unusual architecture and finish by a railway now exclusively for tourists but which was once at the heart of commercial activity in the area.
Walk Fee: £15 (includes coach travel)
Distance: 13 miles (6-7 hours walking) Grade: Moderate
Meet: Alston Railway Station (GR 718467 OL31) to take coach to Park Village. Depart 9:00am.
Other information: Bring packed lunch
“Northumberland had not ceased to surprise and delight me
from the moment when I first set foot in it.”
Sat 24th April
People never seem to tire of this ever- popular walk along some of the best bits of Hadrian’s Wall with its stunning views. It has almost become a pilgrimage. We start by taking the public service bus from Haltwhistle to Greenhead, then climb steadily up to Walltown, stopping briefly at Thirlwall Castle on the way. We then follow the undulating Hadrian’s Wall path to Cawfields, and return downhill to Haltwhistle through the Haltwhistle Burn Gorge.
Walk Fee: £7
Distance: 6 miles, allow 4 hours. Grade: Moderate, some short steep sections.
Meet: 10:00am at Haltwhistle Market Place. (GR 707641, OL43) Catch the 10:12am 685 bus (for Carlisle).
Other Information: Bring packed lunch. Bus fare £3, or use bus pass.
Sunday 25th April
We will gather in Haltwhistle Market Place to meet our singing leaders for the day.
They are from Standing Stones, a women’s singing group based in Northumberland,
who are rapidly gaining a reputation for their
a capella singing “with a North-Eastern
women’s twist”. Our circular walk will take us from Haltwhistle, alongside the Haltwhistle
Burn and will include visits to Cawfields Quarry and Aesica Fort. We will stop to
sing at regular intervals. New songs will be learnt during the walk, and we will
end up back in Haltwhistle singing in Holy Cross Church before enjoying tea there.
This walk will suit anyone who likes to sing, whether they can read music or not.
Walk Fee: £12 (to include tea)
Distance: Maximum of 5 miles Grade: Easy – may be muddy in places, and involves walking uphill for half of the walk
Meet: 11.00am in Haltwhistle Market Place (GR 707641, OL43)
Other Information: Bring packed lunch
Mon 26th April
From Forest Giant to Logs, in 50 seconds
We meet at the end of the public road beyond Edges Green near Scotchcoultard and take a circular route into the deep forest and across open moors to a working site. This is a rare opportunity to penetrate and experience one of the more remote areas of Kielder Forest and then to witness the spectacular harvesting operation at (fairly!) close quarters and for it to be explained by a working forester. We are grateful to the Forestry Commission for making it possible for us to enjoy this rare opportunity.
Walk Fee: £7
Distance: 9 miles (6 hours.) Grade: Moderate with few ascents, but some rough country without clear paths.
Meet: 10:00am at Scotchcoultard road end (GR 724712 OL43).
Other information: Bring packed lunch
Mon 26th April
A different walk around Haltwhistle in early evening
Walk Fee: £7
Distance: 3/4 miles (2 ½ hours) Grade: easy with gradual climb
Meet: 6:00pm at Haltwhistle Market Place, (GR 707641 OL43
“Oh how can I put into words the joys of a walk over country such as this.”
Tuesday 27th April
Lord Carlisle’s Railway – Part 2
As a sequel to the very popular autumn 2009 walk along the levels of Lord Carlisle’s mineral lines, we continue the journey along the foot of the Pennines to Lambley.
We start at the former zinc smelting village of Tindale and then we continue along the railway that was used until the 1950s when the last mines closed.
The remains of pits, drifts, shafts, buildings and drains, that enabled extraction of the mineral wealth over 400 years, is a fascinating element of this remote and beautiful landscape. Recently there was an unsuccessful opencast proposal to extract another 140,000 tons of coal.
Walk Fee: £7
Distance: 6/7 miles Grade: Moderate, mainly on the level but some rough and muddy sections
Meet: 9:50am at Haltwhistle Market Place, (GR 707641 OL43), to take the 10.06 bus to Tindale, return 4:24 from Lambley (16.40 in Haltwhistle.)
Other Information: Bring packed lunch. Bus fares roughly £7, or bring bus pass
Walks programme for the 15th Haltwhistle Walking Festival
Saturday April 24th to Monday May 3rd, 2010
number
Talk +/- buffet
All walks fees include VAT
See below for detailed descriptions of all the walks
If a walk is fully booked, your name may be added to a waiting list
Booking arrangements from Friday afternoon, 23rd April
We will be delighted to take your walk bookings throughout the Festival.
Please phone 07548 261170 to make your booking
and then pay on the day of your walk or at the Haltwhistle Partnership Office (mornings)
All cheques payable to Haltwhistle Partnership,
01434 321242
Haltwhistle Partnership, Westbourne House, Main Street, Haltwhistle, NE49 0AX
Click on this link to download a copy of the 15th Festival programme.pdf
Fri 30th April
Where did Roman soldiers go on their day off? This walk attempts to follow in their footsteps, seeking out possible taverns or other “baccus” stops on the way. We take a “chariot” to the Birdoswald fort for the start of our exploration.
We have approximately seven miles (or 6 Roman ones) to traverse, with possible sites on the way. We can also expect to time travel to the Reivers era. Return to Haltwhistle is by a more modern conveyance.
Togas or body armour and ‘skirts’ not compulsory.
Walk Fee: £13 including buffet lunch (excluding bus fares, c.£7.00 if you have no bus pass). If you have any special dietary requirements please phone the Haltwhistle Partnership office, on 01434 321242, to let us know.
Distance: approx. 7 miles Grade: moderate to easy
Meet: Haltwhistle Market Place at 09:40 am to catch the 09:55 am bus. (GR 707641, OL43)
“Old maps are old friends, understood only by the man with whom they have travelled the miles.”
Fri 30th April
We start our walk at the car park at Ridley Hall. We may be invited inside to have a brief look around. Our walk goes into Allenbanks itself, for many years part of the Ridley Hall estate. Allenbanks today – its river gorge and woodland – was described recently as the “jewel in the crown” of the National Trust. We follow the line of the river, alternating along the high level and riverside paths, to savour the great variety of woodland plant life and rock formations. After visiting the castle-like ruins of Staward Pele, we can take one of several return routes dependent upon the walking conditions on the day.
Walk Fee: £7
Distance: 5 to 6 miles. Allow 3-4 hours dependent on Ridley Hall arrangements.
Grade: Moderate, with some short, steep sections that need care if wet.
Meet: 10:00 am at Ridley Hall main par park, map (GR 794641, OL43).
Other information: Bring packed lunch.
Fri 30th April
“Buzzing about in the Spring” CANCELLED due to lack of flowers for the bees
This is a special interest walk with a difference. Shaun Hackett, ranger with the Northumberland National Park, has a passion for bumblebees. We will go with him on a walk in search of the earliest bumblebees to emerge in the Spring. In order to do this, we first need to search for bilberry flowers, since these provide food for the bees. We will look in the area around Crag Lough where bilberries are reputed to grow, and where there is limited grazing by cattle. We cannot guarantee that we will find bees, but we can be sure that Shaun will make this a nature walk of great interest.
Walk fee: £12
Distance: Maximum 5 miles
Meet: 11 am at Steel Rigg car park, (GR 751677 OL43)
Other Information: Bring packed lunch. Numbers limited. Car parking fee applies.
Sat 1st May
Wainwright Day 3 – see earlier description.
Sat 1st May and now also on Sunday 25th April (due to popularity of the walk)
From Haltwhistle the walk takes us along the river bank to the bluebell woods. Most of the migrants should have returned and resident birds should be breeding. We would hope to see a variety of birds including tree creepers, pied flycatchers, nuthatches. At Parkburn Foot (dipper and grey wagtail) we walk onto higher fields where redshank, curlew and lapwing should be calling. We may see snipe and buzzard. We can anticipate seeing 30 and 40 species during the day depending on the weather.
Walk Fee: £7
Distance: 6/7 miles Grade: Moderate
Meet : 10am at Haltwhistle Market Place (GR 707641, OL43)
Other information: Numbers limited. Bring binoculars and a packed lunch
*The May 1st walk is fully booked (as of 10th March)
Vallum Lodge
Twice Brewed
Bardon Mill
NE47 7AN
Tel: 01434 344248
Situated within the Northumberland National Park, Vallum Lodge is by the most beautiful section of Hadrian’s Wall and just 4 miles from Haltwhistle.
We are excellently situated for walkers and will provide a hearty breakfast plus a packed lunch if required. We have 6 comfortable en suite rooms with open country views and many luxury extras.
Good food is available at the nearby Inn.
www.vallum-lodge.co.uk
Is a family run business producing an excellent selection of hot and cold sandwiches and drinks as well as a varied menu of delicious home made savouries, soup, cakes and pastries.
All at takeaway prices!
Packed lunches available
for Walkers
Tel: 01434 321321
Main Street, Haltwhistle
Sat 1st May
The social evening has rapidly become a favourite activity for festival walkers and their friends and supporters. Further details of performers will be available nearer the time, but we can assure you that this will be the highlight of the festival for many people.
Venue: Comrades Club
Fee: £12.50 (to include Carol’s magnificent buffet) If you have any special dietary requirements, please phone the Haltwhistle Partnership office to let us know.
Sun 2nd May
Wainwright Day 4 – See earlier description.
“I was a free man on the hills again”
Sun 2nd May
Starting at Steel Rigg, we make an eastwards loop to the north of Hadrian’s Wall, before crossing it and returning on the south side. There we use the Roman Military Way, where it is mainly grassy, and off the craggy line of the Wall itself. Mostly away from the weekend crowds, the route is reasonably level for much of the way, some of it along limestone pastures with views of hidden valleys and the distant Kielder forests. We return briefly along the Wall by Housesteads Fort, before taking the Military Way for most of the walk back to the Steel Rigg car park. After the end of a good walk, you might choose to visit to either the nearby Twice Brewed Inn or the National Park Visitor Centre.
Walking Fee: £7
Distance: 7 miles, allow 4 ½ hours.
Grade: moderate, easy in places but with some short, rocky climbs.
Meet: 10:00am Steel Rigg car park on Hadrian’s Wall (parking £3 in 2009) (GR751677 OL43).
Other information: Bring packed lunch – and a camera
Sun 2nd May
We stroll down to the South Tyne where we should see swallow, sand martin, house martin and swift. We should also see willow warbler, possibly chiff-chaff, various finches and tits. We will then walk up the Haltwhistle Burn, where we should see dipper and grey wagtail, as well as the common woodland species. The breeding season should be in full swing, and the birds will be singing, giving us a good opportunity to learn to identify them by song.
Walk Fee: £11 (including bacon sandwich or vegetarian option and tea) (If you require the vegetarian option please phone the Haltwhistle Partnership on 01434 321242 to book this. Thanks)
Distance: 4 miles Grade: easy (approx 3 ½ hours)
Meet: 7am at Haltwhistle Market Place (GR 707641, OL43)
Other information: Bring binoculars. Numbers limited.
Mon 3rd May
The Quaker Chapel and Crystal Well
This is a pretty circular walk, that takes us sharply uphill south from Haltwhistle over the fell with wide open views. We pass a lovely waterfall on our way to the Crystal Well. Then we dip into the more gently profiled Park Burn valley. Here we visit the Quaker Chapel, recently restored to its original condition, and spiritual home and final resting place of Wigham family members for many generations. We then return to Haltwhistle over pasture, through fields and early summer woods, and alongside the salmon rich South Tyne.
Walk Fee: £7
Distance: 10 miles (5/6 hours) Grade: Moderate with several short steep sections of rough moorland.
Meet: 10am at Haltwhistle Market Place (GR 707641, OL43)
Other information: Bring packed lunch.
Mon 3rd May
Join us for a fascinating walk with Sally Graham, a full-time ranger from Northumberland National Park. Sally is based at Once Brewed and knows the area well. The walk route is fairly strenuous at the start, followed by an easier stretch over grassland to Greenlee Lough where we will stop at the bird-hide. We will then continue on the newly opened boardwalk and return to the car park on a country lane. Along the way we look at the Roman Wall and the special habitats of the area including Greenlee Lough. This is an opportunity to learn about Northumberland National Park through the eyes of a Ranger.
Walk Fee: £10
Distance: Approx. 7 miles (5 hours)
Grade: Moderate
Meet: 10am at Steel Rigg car park, (GR 751677, OL43). Car parking fee payable (£3 in 2009)
Other information: Bring a packed lunch and binoculars. Numbers limited.
Tuesday 27th April
Please note the change in the details of this walk (new and improved!)
This is a favourite walk with many people. We start by visiting some of the most attractive features of the area (Roman mile post, Roman quarries, graffiti and signalling station as well as a well preserved lime kiln). There are spectacular views to Hadrian’s Wall, over the South Tyne Valley and down into Vindolanda itself. We approach the fort up the gently sloping Chainley Burn. The walk fee includes entry to the fort and a talk by one of the senior archaeologists, after which you are free to wonder round the site and visit the museum and café as you wish.
Walk Fee: £12 (to include discounted site entrance fee and talk)
Distance: 5½ miles.
Grade: Easy to moderate.
Meet: 10:00am at Vindolanda Car Park (GR 769664 OL43)
Other Information: Bring packed lunch
Wed 28th April
Isaac’s Tea Trail – Ninebanks to Alston
Enjoy panoramic views over the moors towards the Cheviot Hills and the East Coast before we drop down to the beautiful South Tyne valley and the Roman Fort at Whitley, then back to Alston.
Walk Fee: £12 (including coach fare)
Distance: 9 ½ miles (4 ½ to 5 hours walking) Grade: Moderate, with some rough moorland
Meet: Alston Station car park , (GR 718467 OL31), to take the coach to Ninebanks AT 10:00 am
Other Information: Bring packed lunch
“Anticipation is the more pleasurable than realisation;
recollection is the sweetest of all and the most enduring.”
Wed 28th April
Cawfields Circular with Farmhouse Tea
Starting and finishing at Cawfields car park – a working roadstone quarry until the 1950s – we head into the wild country north of the wall, through farmland, along daffodil bordered roads, across moors where we will have a brief stop (we recommend a light packed lunch!). We continue along tracks and over streams until we visit the Ballantynes at Cowburn Farm for a real farmhouse tea. Our return to Cawfields Quarry will take in a short section of one of the most spectacular stretches of Hadrian’s Wall with extensive views north to Kielder Forest and south to the North Pennines.
Walk Fee: £10.50 (including tea)
Distance: 6/7 miles (5/6 hours) Grade: Moderate, sometimes over rough country.
Meet: 10:30am at Cawfields car park (GR 714366 OL 43)
Other information: Bring light packed lunch.
“There is only one way to know a hill and that is to put your feet on it and walk.”
Thurs 29th April
By popular demand, a walk that starts, finishes and features a lunch time stop at one of Northumberland’s most isolated and pleasant inns. By definition, the complete walk is in two loops: the one to the upland east including the trackways and long abandoned drift mines above the South Tyne; the other to the upland pasture, breeding grounds for curlew and peewits, and the most beautifully manicured Knar valley to the west of the river.
Walk Fee: £7
Distance: 10 miles Grade: Easy/Moderate, on tracks, sometimes rough, three long but gentle ascents.
Meet: 10:00 am at the Kirkstyle Inn (GR 679543 OL 43)
Other Information: The Kirkstyle Inn offer soup and a roll for £3, as an alternative to your own packed lunch. (NB The programme says “soup and a sandwich” which is an error - our apologies.)
Thurs 29th April
This is a shorter walk in the same lovely area as the Figure of Eight. The walk finishes at lunchtime so we have the opportunity for a leisurely meal in the delightful pub, or to take advantage of the soup and roll offer as shown above. (NB The programme says “soup and a sandwich” which is an error - our apologies.)
Walk Fee: £7
Distance: 5/6 miles Grade: Easy to moderate
Meet: 10:00 am at the Kirkstyle Inn (GR 679543, OL43)
Thurs 29th April
“From contamination to conservation”
Join Janet Simkin, lecturer with the Natural History Society of Northumbria, for a fascinating walk on a National Trust farm south of Haltwhistle. Janet is well known for her research into the effects of pollution on lichens, and is also responsible for a long term study of metal tolerant plants on the banks of the River South Tyne. We will meet in the centre of Haltwhistle and walk to Wydon Farm where we have special permission to visit Wydon Nab and the surrounding countryside.
Tea will be provided by Linda Ogle at Wydon Farm.
Walk Fee: £15 to include tea)
Distance: maximum of 5 miles but may be less depending on the availability of plants and lichens.
Meet: 10:30 am, Haltwhistle Market Place, (GR 707641 OL43).
Other information: Bring a packed lunch. You will find it useful to bring a x10 lens and any relevant identification guides, plus something to kneel on. Numbers are strictly limited so book early to avoid disappointment.
Edge Lifewear Special Offer for Festival Walkers
Shop at either of the Edge Lifewear shops in Hexham during the Spring Walking Festival
and receive 10% discount.
This is a great opportunity to buy that piece of kit you have been wanting for ages!
Heather offers a warm welcome for walkers at
Hall Meadows
Main Street, Haltwhistle, NE49 0AZ
Tel: 01434 321021
Email: richardhumes@tiscali.co.uk
En-suite and standard rooms available
