THE ALWINTON ROUND
The tiny village of Alwinton sits comfortably
beneath the rolling foothills of the Cheviots and faces south. It was one of
the `Ten towns of Coquetdale` and stands at the
junction of two important historic border crossings. Its annual Shepherds` Show
is the last of the season and draws visitors from far and wide. Otherwise, for
most of the year the village is a peaceful place and an ideal base for
exploring the surrounding hills. This walk takes you on an unusual journey over
three of the area`s least visited hills and to three
exquisite valleys. The views will be outstanding and all the while you will be
surrounded by traces of a long and interesting past. As you tramp the green hills,
high above Northumberland`s longest river, the
Coquet, you will never be more than three crow-flown miles from the cosy and
welcoming hearth of Alwinton`s petite `Rose and
Thistle ` public house.
The
valley of the Hosedon Burn
The
Walk
1. There is a small Northumberland
National Park car park at the centre of Alwinton,
just beyond the tiny `Rose and Thistle` public house (NT919063). The name of this `watering hole` refers to the Union of the
Crowns and is a reminder that the border is only a matter of miles away. Leave the
car park by turning left along the tarmac road and then cut across the small
village green. Go over the wooden footbridge, which straddles the trickle of
the Hosedon Burn, before turning left to follow Clennell Street in the direction
of the distant Border Ridge. This track is one of the great drove roads over
the Cheviot Hills, linking Morpeth, on the English side of the border, with Kelso, on
the Scottish side. A previous name for this road was `Ermspeth`,
which is Old English for `eagles path`, and this perhaps indicates the age of
this once vital route across the border. Follow the track as it climbs gently
past a farm and continue as far as the metal gate and the near vertical ladder
stile (NT 923069). Climb over and, on reaching the other side, turn left and
head alongside the boundary wall and fence towards the small saddle between the
prominent rocky slopes of Castle Hills.
2. Continue across the saddle and turn right to cut diagonally down the
steep hillside to the exquisite valley of the Hosedon
Burn. This is one of the hidden gems of the Cheviot Hills, often seen from above by walkers heading north on Clennell Street, but rarely visited. Standing here, surrounded by
steep slopes dropping precipitously to the narrow twisting burn, there is a
sense of scale far greater than the actual height of the surrounding hills. You
are now heading towards your first hill of the day, the 392 metre high Lords
Seat. Keeping to the right hand side of the burn and the intermittent path, aim for the circular sheep stell higher
up the valley and the obvious `nose` of Lords Seat immediately beyond (NT 915073). Once past the stell, cross over the burn and, with the deep hillside
cutting cleft to your left and the upper reaches of the valley to your right,
commence the tough climb, on a faint path, up the bracken covered `nose`. When
the gradient begins to ease, turn slightly to your right and head in a
northerly direction towards the cairn topped summit of Lords Seat. Rest awhile
and enjoy the expansive views towards Bloodybush
Edge, Cushat Law and Wether
Cairn as they pop their heads above the green mass of the Kidland Forest.
Lords
Seat from Green Side
3. Now turn
south westwards and start the easy ¾ mile journey to your next objective, Green
Side. On reaching the fence, with an old boundary stone to the right of the
gate, go through the gate (NT 909078) and pick up the quad track which heads in
the general direction of the summit. Once again the views from the top are
impressive, none more so than the bulk of Shillhope
Law and the adjoining valleys. A few years ago the trig point had lost its top
but this has since been replaced. The `break` in the pillar is still clearly
evident so, perhaps not a trig point to stand on the top of! Time
now to head downhill, in a south westerly direction, towards the Pass Peth. On reaching the 300 metre contour, relatively
level ground, a track and a directional fingerpost (NT 897068), turn right and
take time to soak up the fantastic view up Coquetdale.
On this exposed height, four centuries ago, the men of Upper Coquetdale took turns to stand watch, night and
day, guarding against the incursions of the Scottish freebooters. The views do
not get much better than this! Now for the exciting descent of the Pass Peth, as it cuts diagonally across the steep north western
flank of Green Side. Once at the bottom, and back in Coquetdale,
you will very soon cross Passpeth Sike,
surrounded by a new fenced-in plantation which you will pass through via a five
bar gate and two smaller gates. Less than ½ mile up stream, lies
a large rectangular enclosure containing the remains of three houses. These are
believed to be part of the medieval settlement of `Whiteside`, which appeared
on a 16th century map of the area.
4. Continuing north westwards, you are now contouring the Knocks on a
clear single line path, with the River Coquet wriggling away to your left.
Continue to walk straight ahead, crossing first the delightful Wholehope Burn, tumbling down from your right, and then
alongside a wall on your left. When a gravel track is joined, where there is a
directional fingerpost (NT 887076),
turn right and begin the 2 mile long climb up Copper Snout to the summit of Saughy Hill. The strangely named Copper Snout was once a
branch of the drove road Clennell
Street, a
track you will rejoin once this particular unforgiving uphill stretch is behind
you. Remember to keep pausing as you go. The views continue to please and, once
again, Shillhope Law dominates. Be careful not to
follow the side track which turns away to your right around the 420 metre contour,
where once again a directional fingerpost points the way (NT 890095). Eventually, when a step stile is reached, the second
one on your uphill journey, catch your breath, cross over and leave the path in
a north westerly direction, with a circular sheep stell
to your right (NT 893102). A helpful
quad track leads you towards the 494 metre top of Saughy
Hill. There are excellent views back over Copper Snout and to the valley of the
Usway Burn. Now return to the path by heading
eastwards over rough ground and, eventually, over a barbed wire fence. Once
reached, the path will soon lead you onto the gravel track of Clennell Street. Turn right along the track, passing through a
stretch of recently harvested forest. When the track decides to bend away to
your left, keep straight ahead, passing through a couple of five bar gates and
onto a green track.
Shillhope Law and the Usway Burn
5. To your
left, immediately in front of the tin shed, is the site of the former shepherd
cottage of Wholehope, purchased, together with
adjoining land, by the Ministry of Defence in 1941. Subsequently, during the
latter part of the Second World War, the uninhabited building fell into
disrepair. In 1949, the building was returned to a reasonable state of
habitation by a team of volunteers and, in April of that year, began to operate
as a basic Youth Hostel. In an age when personal transport was rare, the
existence and location of the hostel helped to open up a whole new area of hill
country to weekend walkers. Most of the time it was bursting
at the seams. Whilst it officially remained a Youth Hostel until 1965,
it had since 1953 been in a state of terminal decline. It had become, in
essence, one of northern England`s unofficial open bothies when, in 1967, the fledgling Mountain Bothies Association attempted to obtain permission to
repair and maintain the building on an official basis. Unfortunately,
permission was never forthcoming and, at some point during the 1970`s, the
major part of the building was demolished. How many happy hostelling memories must
now wander lost among these bare bones of a building?
6. Continue downhill along the green track, in a south easterly
direction, crossing first a step stile and then passing on your left the edge
of the Kidland Forest. This is pleasant walking country and soon you begin
to contour the slight rise of Uplaw Knowe. At the highest point, a secondary track turns away
from Clennell Street to your left (NT
913087) and heads downhill towards the most southerly point of the forest.
Take this track, which cuts across the forest edge and through a five bar gate,
turning in due course towards the north east. Ignore the track heading to the
right. Not far from here, on your right hand side, lie the remains of a
Romano-British period (AD43-AD410) settlement consisting of five or six small
enclosures, with associated hut circles. Around the settlement, which was
probably occupied by two or three families, are the faint remains of a field
system. The downhill slope begins to steepen, making
this one of the most exhilarating descents in the Cheviot Hills. You will now be in sight of the River Alwin and the hills that rise sharply up from the valley on
the eastern side. This is a splendid vantage point as you drop, like a stone,
towards the red gravel valley track (NT
919091). At the bottom, ignore the path which heads diagonally uphill and
is signposted `Alwinton`.
7. This
uphill path is the `sting in the tail` of the annual 14 mile Alwinton Fell Race, normally held on the second Saturday in
June. The runners, having started the race in Alwinton,
head up Clennell Street before
crossing the summits of Bloodybush Edge and Cushat Law. An exciting descent through the Kidland Forest eventually
leads the contestants to this very spot. However, their route back to Alwinton now heads uphill, before rejoining Clennell Street just north
of Castle Hills from where it is all rapidly downhill. Your way back takes a
gentler route, so cross over the step stile and turn right. Time
now to enjoy the easy 1¾ mile walk down the valley, alongside the River Alwin, towards Clennell Hall.
This river is one of the many tributaries of the 57 mile (125 km) long River
Coquet, a river designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) under
the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The SSSI also includes the River Alwin, together with parts of the Allerhope,
Yoke and White Burns, deep within the cloak of the Kidland Forest. On
reaching Clennell Hall and the cattle grid, cross
over the iron and concrete bridge (NT 928070), turn left and climb up the bank
on the other side. Then, cross over the step stile and head across the fields.
Ahead, you will see the twin tops of Castle Hills. When reached, cross over the
ladder stile and turn left down Clennell Street, familiar
from your outward journey. It is now only a matter of walking over the wooden
footbridge over the Hosedon Burn and heading back to
the car park. Maybe the temptation of a long cool drink
in the `Rose and Thistle` will delay your arrival back to the car. You have
certainly earned it!
The bare
bones of Wholehope
|
Distance
|
16.9 km (10.5 miles)
|
|
Total
Ascent
|
645 metres
|
|
Grading
|
Moderate
|
|
Start
& Key Grid References
|
NT 919063, NT 923069, NT 915073, NT 909078, NT 897068,
NT 887076, NT 890095, NT 893102, NT 913087, NT 919091 & NT 928070
|
|
Time
|
5 hours
|
|
Nearest
Town
|
Rothbury
|
|
Terrain
|
Mainly mixed fell of grass and bracken with a number
of ascents and descents, some steep, and gravel tracks
|
|
Maps
|
OS Explorer 1:25000 OL 16. Harveys Superwalker (1:40000) The
Cheviot Hills
|
|
Accommodation
|
Rose & Thistle Public House, Alwinton
(limited), Clennell Hall (including caravan park).
Otherwise, a variety in Rothbury
|
|
Public
Transport
|
None (except to Rothbury
& Thropton)
|
|
Tourist
Information
|
Rothbury National
Park
Centre Telephone 01669 620887
|
Devised, written & photographed: Geoff
Holland 2007