Moors and hills and rugged coast: walking Northumberland

Several of you commented on my coastal pictures from Northumberland, remarking on how relaxing the whole thing must have been. Well …. it recharged the batteries alright … but not by lying down on the beach with a good book. Certainly not.

Only birds sunbathe here……

We were at Nether Grange, an HF hotel, with our walking group. And we were there with other walkers – some in groups, others not. At Nether Grange, walking is what you come for. That and good food eaten in good company. We’d opted for guided walks. Three levels of difficulty are offered each day so there’s no excuse not to get involved. I chose one of each, so finished the week with 15.3 km, 12 km and 17 km. walks under my belt.

Moorland near Etal.

This is hill country. The Pennines, the backbone range that bisects northern England becomes the Cheviots as it marches towards Scotland. In the car you’ll swoop thrillingly up and audaciously down those hillsides. They provide a backdrop to the area which is at once dramatic and bucolic.

On foot, you’ll get to know about those slopes….. actually, we weren’t often faced with gradients that had us gasping, panting and begging for mercy. But we rarely had a long level stretch either. And our leaders were there to encourage, chivvy along, provide good humour and background notes on all kinds of topics … as well as read the maps, so we didn’t have to.

We walked moorland tracks, bouncy with springy turf nibbled short by sheep. We crossed hillsides bright with golden gorse. We tracked through woodland carpeted with bluebells.

A woodland glade … no bluebells this time.

We passed Ford Moss, an extremely ancient raised peat bog where we excited the residents: Exmoor ponies charged with grazing the vegetation and keeping it in trim.

Exmoor ponies going for a gallop.

We passed farms with shire horses and hissy geese.

Shirehorse and foal.
Hissing goose.

And on the last day, we walked the local coastal path: St. Oswald’s Way. The section between Alnmouth and Craster-where-the-kippers-come-from is characterised by craggy cliffs, and are home, like the nearby Farne Islands, to many thousands of seabirds such as kittiwakes and fulmars. Here’s what the zoom lens on my new camera can do.

Cliffs and Dunstanburgh Castle seen from afar. The next three shots zoom in ….
Craster: cottages, a safe harbour, and a few tourists.

Our group, the 17 km one (10 1/2 miles to the non-metric) finished just beyond Dunstanburgh Castle. It was built in the 14th Century by the Earl of Lancaster, who was openly hostile to King Edward II – never a good idea, because the king had him executed in 1322. This fortification was built to make a bellicose statement, in an area crowded with castles. Now it’s a ruin, and an impressive one. We slogged to the top of the keep for the views, marvelling at the extra-thick walls as we climbed.

Leaving the castle behind us.

We finished the day, and our three days of walks, with a paddle. Gotta have a paddle. Or ‘plodge’ as the locals call it.

Plodging towards home….

With thanks to our walk leaders Chris, Helen, Paul, Richard: to Reuben and Team Nether Grange, and to our own Mike and Angela for organising the holiday.

And this is also an entry for Jo’s Monday Walk.

Author: margaret21

I'm retired and live in North Yorkshire, where I walk , write, volunteer and travel as often as I can.

34 thoughts on “Moors and hills and rugged coast: walking Northumberland”

  7. Aha – I see what you meant by yesterday’s comment. Okay let’s make that rugged restorative walking with added danger – dodging the hissing geese! Gorgeous coast near Dunstanburgh Castle isn’t it, thought we might have to dodge the odd stray golf ball whizzing past though.

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  8. It all looks amazing–I long to do a trip like this. That’s quite a zoom lens you have–does the new camera weigh a ton? I like the variety of your shots–gives a great sense of the sights you saw, flora and fauna!

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    1. Kerry, you’ll never see me with a suitcase full of equipment or a tripod. This is a Panasonic Lumix – one of their higher end ones, but it stuffs in a pocket. Clever, isn’t it?

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  9. It all looks so fabulous in the sunshine. I love all the photos, but find I keep going back to look at the second one of the moorland with the sheep and the flowering gorse. How nice to have had good food along with the good walks and good company!

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    1. The gorse is extraordinary. We ‘do’ gorse here too, but not in such unending quantities. It makes an impact, the bees love it, and it has quite a unique smell, something like coconut.

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  11. I’m now hooked by the idea of a walking holiday. I’ve looked at them once or twice over the years and never quite managed to do anything more. Par for the course with me! But you’ve really made a case here. Wonderful countryside and beautifully captured. I am so envious of those close-ups! And with the ideal weather. I imagine this experience was invigorating and exhausting in equal measure – but always in a good way! (What was the food like? 🤔 )

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    1. The food is excellent with plenty of variety, good packed lunches and breakfasts with lots of choices. This time we had the possibility of ordering half portions which suited me just fine as portions tend to be copious. Yes, I’d highly recommend. And don’t be afraid to go on your own if no suitable walking companion is available. You wouldn’t be left out.

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  12. I definitely am NOT a walker, but maybe I could have joined you just for the ‘food’ parts?! I do like good food in good company – but no, that wouldn’t work either, because I didn’t walk with you. Heck, let’s leave it then!!!! 🙂
    Fab photos, it looks so pristine and beautiful.

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    1. Malcolm couldn’t walk much either – you’d have been welcome. But actually, you did need to have burned off a lot of calories to be able to do justice to the food. Yes, Northumberland’s a lovely county, and pretty unspoilt.

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      1. I take it that Malcolm is much better now. I haven’t heard any update and meant to ask you but didn’t dare to ask openly…..

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  13. I meant also to comment on the cute white stockings of those horses and the impeccable pissed-off impression of that goose! Great, great shots – thank you.

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