Bill's Walks

College Valley and St Cuthbert’s Way

Distance: 10 miles

Start: College Valley Car Park GR 893281

Click to view start position on Google Maps

I do not normally include walks along National Trails on these walks as they are all well documented but there are times when they can be used to advantage to gain access to other areas as is the case on this relatively easy ten mile walk. The St Cuthbert’s Way is an excellent walk and well deserves four or five days of your time on another occasion and you may well decide to do that after completing this walk.

The walk starts at the car park just to the south of Hethpool by the cattle grid. Here there are extensive views south up the College Valley to the Cheviots. The derivation of College is uncertain but is thought to be a combination of col and leche meaning a stream passing through wet ground. There is a very nice little loop to start the walk which involves taking the St Cuthbert’s Way east towards Wooler. To pick this up this head north on the road towards Hethpool and you soon reach a row of attractive cottages built in 1926 which were designed by Robert Mauchlin. Here you are now on the St Cuthbert’s Way and head down towards Hethpool Mill. As soon as you cross the burn take the good track on the left which inclines slowly upwards for a short distance. On older maps the route is shown passing through a coniferous wood; this has now been felled and at its boundary there is a high gate and fence which enclose a large area which has been recently planted with a range of hardwood trees stretching up the flank of Wester Tor. There are a few wet patches along this stretch. You exit the wood by another gate and take a stile on the left heading back to the burn.

Hethpool Mill and College Burn

After a very short distance the St Cuthbert’s Way heads off right but here we leave it and continue to the burn where there is a fine waterfall called Hethpool Linn. The burn is crossed by a good footbridge and you now head upstream on a clear path. You cross a minor burn and then a stile. On your right is a wood behind which is Hethpool House and a 14th Century pele tower which is on private land. The path crosses a field and reaches the track used earlier which leads to the Hethpool Mill. Here turn right back to the road and the cottages.

Hethpool has had a famous occupant in the past when it was occupied by Lord Cuthbert Collingwood who was Nelson’s second in command at the battle of Trafalgar. There is a fine statue of him at the mouth of the Tyne at Tynemouth . He was born in 1750 and died in 1819 and is buried at St Paul’s Cathedral in London. Sadly he died at sea after several requests to return home. The loss of oak in Britain at the time encouraged him to plant acorns around the country and on his land he planted many oaks on his wood at Hethpool Bell, just to the north of the house.

The St Cuthbert’s Way heads west up the access road towards Elsdonburn Farm but before starting have a look down the drive into Hethpool House where several cannons taken from the defences of the Keep in Newcastle can be seen near to the entrance on the right. The path, which is well marked, starts at the bend in the road and it is a steady walk of just over a mile and a half to the farm. Turn left here through the farm passing the bungalow on your right and after two fields descend on your right to cross a ford over Shanks Sike. Ahead is a field behind which is a wood. Cross this field towards the wood aiming for the middle and enter the wood via a stile. There is a path through the wood (not always clear on the ground) and you exit at the corner of the wood. The path is clear now and it is a steady short climb up to the border ridge which is reached just to the south of Eccles Cairn at a gate where there is a “Welcome to Scotland” sign with a similar “Welcome to England” on the other side of the gate.

Border fence South of Eccles Cairn

There are wide-ranging views deep into Scotland with the Eildon Hills prominent along with the much wilder hills of the border ridge and Hownam Law. Alan Hall’s book in the Cicerone stable called “The Border Country “ covers much of this territory in front of you. The purists may decide here to continue on the St Cuthbert’s Way to where it joins the Pennine Way and then they jointly both make there way to Yetholm but there is little point in losing height. Have a seat and enjoy the view listening to the many skylarks that nest here. Note the old hill forts on some of the hills here, most noticeable of which is Burnt Humbleton about a mile to the north. This area is a very old border crossing which is actually a few hundred yards to the south of the gate and is where the Pennine Way reaches the border. The broken wall from the gate can be followed to the Pennine Way which is then immediately left by crossing back to England. The crossing was known, in the 15th Century, as the White Swire.

Head south-east on a good track past Maddies Well to Wideopen Head where there are a choice of routes. The main one to the east contours above the Wide Open Burn, on a terrace built years ago and leads directly to Trowhope Farm but a more interesting way is to seek out the little path that descends down towards the Wide Open Burn and then follows the left bank of the burn. On reaching level ground the burn is joined by the Trowup Burn which is crossed to arrive at a broad green track. There are lovely views here back up the Trowhope valley to its source on Black Hag on the Pennine Way and also the Schil a mile further south on the Pennine Way. The path towards Trowhope Farm in the distance looks as though it would go to the farm but instead crosses the Shorthope Burn to enter a conifer plantation. Currently the way through the wood is blocked by fallen trees from the storms of the 2013/ 2014 winter but a way can be found by following the fence on the wood side uphill and then going through a firebreak to arrive at a forestry road, which is followed uphill to the edge of the wood at a site of a former homestead. The stile on the right of way can be seen about 100 yards down the fence.

Wide Open Burn

The path is clear on the ground to a wall on the col at Sinkside where there is another plantation. If you had opted earlier for the apparent easier direct route to Trowhope Farm you can reach the same place direct from the farm by going up the steep slope to the col. Sinkside boasts a hill fort which is not visible from the path due to the trees but some of this plantation has also been felled. There is a path to the fort which is part of a route highlighted on the information board at Hethpool Car Park but again this is currently closed due to storm damage. The Forts path also visits forts on Great Hetha and Little Hetha to the north of Sinkside .

It is easy going now downhill all the way to the College Valley at Whitehall with fine views ahead to Hare Law and Wester Tor. Take note of all the new hardwood that has been planted on the slopes of Loft Hill to your right which given a few years will create a fine new wood and enhance the area for wildlife and visitors alike. At Whitehall there are two options – one is to follow the tarmac road back to the start. Traffic is negligible (as you need a permit costing £10 to use this private road and only 12 per day are issued) and this makes an easy finish to the walk. Alternatively you can head south for about half a mile to Cuddystone Hall and take the track to Sutherland Bridge across the College Burn, and then pick up the Permissive Path down the right hand side of the College Burn passing the deserted settlement of Harrowbog to arrive at Hethpool Mill.

College Valley below Sinkside Hill

For those wanting a longer walk, the Trowhope route can be omitted and the Pennine Way followed to either Black Hag where there is a route down to Mounthooly Bunkhouse (which has a YHA franchise) or proceed further to Red Cribs at GR 874201 where there is a track leading from one of the sources of the College Burn down to the valley upstream from Mounthooly. In adverse weather there is the Mountain Rescue Hut just past Red Cribs on the Pennine Way which can give shelter if needed. This refuge is looked after and cleaned by a Northumberland National Park Ranger now in his 80s who makes the climb up regularly and takes the litter way for disposal. If you are there help him by taking your own home and if possible taking others refuse back as well.

The College Valley was bought in 1953 by the Sir James Knott Trust and the Estate is managed by a Board Of Directors whose function is to manage the land in a way to increase its value both to the environment and also for social advantage and create an economic place of excellence focused on education and recreational enjoyment. This they do very well and the creation of so much new hardwoods exemplifies this, as can be seen on this walk. Indeed the 55,000 hardwood trees planted near Mounthooly was one of the biggest new woods in the country. Marks & Spencer also paid for 30,000 new hardwood trees here as a grant made by the company. For further information go to www.college-valley.co.uk and for more on the Sir James Knott Trust have a look at their website. This trust established the famous Knott Flats at Tynemouth near to the Collingwood Monument and the Knott Memorial Hall at Heddon on the Wall. Each year they distribute over a million pounds to charities in Durham, Tyne & Wear and Northumberland and all these donations are listed on their website as well as a history of the man himself. A great benefactor to the North East!

For further reading keep an eye open in second hand bookshops for “Ramblers Cheviot” written and illustrated by old friends of mine, Bernard and Babs Hiley and illustrated by Betty Fletcher (all now sadly deceased) who produced this book for the Ramblers Association in 1969 with a revision in 1976 and which has much useful information on the Cheviots, some of which was used in these notes.