Bill's Walks

Allendale Town to Hexham and The Reivers Way

Filed under: Other

Distance: 12 miles

Start: Allendale Market Place (GR NZ 839558)

Click to view start position on Google Maps

Allendale is a very attractive large village in the East Allen valley. In former times it was much more important as the centre of the local lead mining activity which is still evident when you explore the area. Of particular interest are the two chimneys and the flue passed on the walk Two Chimneys and a Bastle. For much of the last century following the demise of the lead industry it became a quality outdoor holiday area as the many hotels testified. Sadly some of these have closed and changed into housing, but the town has much charm with its square and attractive buildings.

This walk can be done in either direction but starting at Allendale gives you height advantage. Obviously it is necessary to either have two cars or use the public transport (which is a minibus service) between the towns. Before starting have a look at the church of St Cuthbert built in 1807 and go behind the church to look down on the river below.

Follow the road towards Hexham and after crossing the Philip Burn where the road turns sharp left take the minor road on your right called Leadside Bank which climbs steadily uphill. After passing Moorhouse Gate continue straight ahead leaving the tarmac to continue climbing steadily northwards. At spot height 333 on GR850581 the map shows a bridleway heading north-east. This is not clear on the ground and we prefer to continue going north on a track which eventually arrives at a grouse shooters track at GR851589. Here turn right but note the excellent views ahead to the Cheviots and Wark Forest.

Follow this track to the east towards Coldcoats Rigg and Fell Plantation. On a recent mid February walk it was amazing to note so much birdlife of curlews, peewits (lapwings), golden plovers and snipe which had all arrived early. As this area borders softer terrain the birds could easily retreat to a kinder location should the weather deteriorate. Continue past Coldcoats Rigg heading a shade north of east to cross Anchey Sike by a footbridge and climb slightly up to a corner of two walls at GR880597. Here head nearly north to West Greenridge Farm, with the wall on your right. The great views north persist and below you can be seen vehicles on the Hexham to Allendale road.

Continue north on the farm access road to just short of the B6305 and take the track into West Dipton Wood (Deepdene Wood). This is a beautiful wood which as the old name implies is deep and wooded and on recent visits we have seen little owls here. There is a footpath along the bottom of the wood next to the burn but personally l cannot recommend this. It is difficult to walk, especially after heavy rain, and the area should be respected as a reserve for wildlife. The footpath along the northern edge is good and continues for about 2 miles. The OS map shows a Queens Cave below near the burn altough there is a report that the OS have made an error on the exact location of the cave.

Legend has it that following a battle near Hexham in 1464 in the Wars of the Roses, where a poor force of Lancastrians were routed, King Henry of the Lancastrians escaped but was subsequently captured at Clitheroe. Queen Margaret escaped on horseback with her son and fell upon a band of robbers near West Dipton Burn. She pleaded with the robbers for protection which they gave and hid them in a cave until they could be moved. The “Hexham Robber” story appears to have some authenticity from information recorded at the time. The actual site of the battle was in fields to the north-east of Linnels Bridge and was in fact the last battle in the Wars of the Roses.

After a shade over two miles the track descends to the burn which is followed down to the road at Dipton Mill. Here is a fine pub (eponymously named The Dipton Mill) with its own brewery and a stop here is more than justified. It was used in “The Likely Lads” (a popular TV program in the late 1960s with James Bolam and Rodney Bewes) where Bob’s father-in-law went for an illicit weekend and they happened to visit when he was there. The beer, an interesting range of real ales, is found in many free outlets in the north-east.

The route continues on the north bank of the burn to Hole House where you then go north passing to the right of the house, initially through a wood and then along the side to near Queens Letch. Here you go right through a gate near to a derelict brick building and continue north on the other side of the boundary. Queens Letch is thought to be where Queen Margaret was found by the robbers. Continue north to the next gate. On your right is a beautifully situated memorial seat placed there by the Hexham Branch of the Ramblers Association in memory of Jim Hobbes, a much respected member. The view to the south over Hexhamshire is beautiful and the Ramblers Association are to be congratulated on finding such a fine spot.

There are fine views back to the north now and it is a steep drop through pasture and scattered gorse down to the road near High Shield, where you turn left uphill for just less than half a mile to a lane on the right where there are a row of detached houses. The section of this walk from Hole House to High Shield is now part of a new long distance path promoted by the Wainwright Society called “A Pennine Journey” which broadly follows the route taken in 1939 by Wainwright on his first trip to Hadrians Wall. His book, which was written in 1939, remained in his desk unpublished until 1986. It is a very interesting book which was written when the negotiations were proceeding with Hitler and is not only a log of his route but is of significant interest in capturing the period. Much of his walk was on roads, many of which were unsurfaced with tarmac and the new route has endeavoured to follow the route on paths.

At High Shield the Wainwright route goes downhill to Hexham on the road and l believe that this is much inferior to the route taken on this walk past Wydon Reservoir. The lane leads down to Wydon Reservoir which is followed down its far bank. At the end of the reservoir continue down and descend to the overflow stream. This is a lovely path alongside it through mature woodland. At the end take the path to the right into some typical Hexham stone houses. Here you are looking down to the Abbey from where you can then go to the bus station on the main street. If you have left a car at the river car park (near to the bridge) exit the park in front of the abbey in the north-west corner near to the childrens play area and follow this to cross the Wydon Burn which you had left earlier. Here the burn is paved and serves as a road as well. This area was the industrial area of Hexham in earlier times when the town was famous for glove manufacturing. Continue following the burn past the bus depot in pleasant surroundings to cross the Newcastle to Carlisle railway and arrive at the riverside near the golf course. This is a lovely area called Tyne Green and the river is a good area for birds. Look out for gooseanders here. It is now just a short stroll downriver to the car park near to the mart.

The Reivers Way
There is another fine walk from Corbridge to Allendale which uses completely different paths and covers a distance of 17 miles. This is a popular route and is the first stage of a fine walk called “The Reivers Way” which covers much of Northumberland which is without a doubt one of England’s finest counties. The route, which is 150 miles long, was written by Harry Wade in 1977. We walked it in the early 1980s when the state of the paths was not as good as it is now and it was not then all on rights of way. These sections are now on Open Access. The route is basically Corbridge, Allendale, Bardon Mill in the Tyne valley, Wark, Elsdon, Rothbury, through the Cheviots to Wooler, Belford, Bamburgh and down the coast to finish at Alnmouth. Some sections are walked regularly by local walkers whilst others demonstrate the great sense of space which can be found here. It is a great walk and really recommended for walkers elsewhere in the UK to experience the fine countryside with its mix of moors, Simonside and Cheviot Hills and the coast of the Northumberland National Park. It will not feature on any walks on this site as a good guide book by James Roberts published in 1993 by Cicerone should be available. Put this down as a walk to do possibly in a small group as accommodation in some of the quieter areas is not plentiful and needs to be worked out. You will not regret it!