This month's caravanner
Alan Weightman
Outfit used
BMW 320i & Eriba caravan
Northumberland, with its moors, mountains and glorious beaches,
is one of the wildest regions in England, which is why we love to visit it. Despite living in the tamer landscape of rural Leicestershire these days, my formative years were spent based in Jedburgh, my homeland in the Scottish Borders. I learnt to rock-climb on the crags of Northumberland, so I have many fond memories of the area.
Our first base for exploring the area was the at West Kyloe Farm, a small site in the overlooking the North Sea. We like that you can walk from the site up through the farm to the top of the hill, and enjoy stunning views of Holy Island and the Farne Islands. If you like walking it's a great base, as there are lots of walks in the Kyloe Hills that begin from the site. There are also plenty of waymarked cycle trails nearby if you prefer to do your exploring on two wheels.
With the van happily ensconsed, we set off on a gentle stroll to shake out the aches and cramps of the journey. Rather than head out onto the fells, we sauntered into , which used to be an important harbour for fishing. Today, the boats are mainly used for pleasure trips. From here you can take a boat trip to the three to five miles offshore. The Farnes, which are owned by the National Trust, are important for their diversity of wildlife, including seabirds and seals, and for their rich history –Lindisfarne, for example, is associated with Saint Cuthbert, who was prior of Lindisfarne Priory. The island of Longstone is famous as the home of Grace Darling whose bravery was celebrated in the words of Wordsworth and in the in nearby .
Bamburgh, characterised by buildings of pale-cloured stone, is the ancient capital of Northumberland. It is dominated by , which was built on an outcrop of Whin Sill rock that has been occupied by fortresses since the sixth century. The present building, which remains a family home, was restored in 1750 by Lord Crewe and, again, by Lord Armstrong at the end of the 19th century. It provides a stunning backdrop for the coastline. Our first real chance to stretch the sinew was with a walk along the wide sand beaches, where you might catch a glimpse of the antics of seals and gannets diving in the shadow of the mighty fortress.
The Whin Sill is composed of molten rock called dolerite, which intruded into sedimentary layers and cooled many millions of years ago. Whin Sill outcrops in many places across Northumberland. It is much harder than the surrounding sedimentary rocks and tends to form rocky crags, giving high points from which to create defences; several castles are built on the Sill and even Hadrian's Wall is built on it.
or Holy Island is famous for its monastery, which was founded by St Aidan in AD635 and was also home to St Cuthbert. It is considered to be one of the most important sites in the history of Christianity in Britain. The monastery was inhabited for 450 years before its dissolution by Henry V111 in 1537. We took a lovely circular walk on the island. The walk started at Chare End; just where the road turns sharp left after running parallel to the sand dunes. The 4.5 kilometres walk is flat for its duration, and would take only an hour if you didn't have to constantly stop and linger to look at the spectacular scenery. We parked at Chare End and walked from there, it allows you to avoid the 'crowds' on a busy day. The island is linked to the mainland by a causeway, which is cut off by the tide twice a day so there is a massive exodus of cars at certain times. We bought fresh strawberries from the roadside on the island, which went down well as we marvelled at the view of the imposing Priory and Holy Island Castle. We noticed the time and raced back to the car, to ensure we didn't get back to the mainland aboard a BMW raft. Information notices about the tides are by the roadside at the beginning of the causeway.
At this point we decided there was nothing else to do with the day, except head back to our van, get the pots and pans out, and enjoy
a glass or two before hitting the hay.
After a morning spent exploring near the site, we jumped in the car and set off to suss out the main town in the area. , situated at the foot of the Cheviot Hills is a charming, busy place, which has retained its identity with distinctive stonebuilt shops. We strode among the Florin and the Glendale galleries, Hamish Dunn Antiques and Books, and we stopped by Gear for Girls, the first outdoor store for women.
The tourist office is in tucked behind the High Street in Padgepool Place. As well as a small interesting exhibition about the history of Wooler, which became prosperous through trading wool, the Cheviot Centre has information about Iron Age forts in the hills close to the town. Wooler is located close to the border and would have been invaded by Scottish armies and the 'Border Reivers' during times of conflict, which is why some farmhouses in the area are fortified.
By now, our boots were itching for a bit more exploring. We weren't quite up to the 62-mile St Cuthbert's Way, which runs through the Borders, from Melrose in Scotland to Holy Island passing through Melrose Abbey, Trimontium, Dere Street, the region of the Border Reivers and ending at Lindisfarne. Instead, we opted for a short walk in the Cheviot's foothills, and decided on one that begins at the confluence of the Carey Burn and Harthope Burn. The Harthope Valley is possibly the loveliest valley in the area. We parked on the right by the roadside near the confluence. Over the bridge the walk is signposted to the left. Immediately right is the finish to this circular walk, where the path descends from Cold Law. The path crosses over the Carey Burn and emerges on the sides of the hill and rises gradually. We made good progress along the trail which was largely deserted, with only the oyster catchers calling noisily as they headed up the river valley and a few black-faced Border sheep to keep us company.
As the path gained height, we saw tors of pinkish rock. This volcanic rock formed when the area was an erupting volcanic centre 400 million years ago. As the landscape levels out, there are several tors and rocks, some of which represent ancient settlements including Middleton Old Town, the remains of a medieval village and a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The track goes over Brands Hill, which was a stunning deep purple hue when we visited thanks to the glorious acreage of flowering heather. The path descends to Harthope Burn at Langlee. This deep gorge was gouged by glacial melt-water at the end of the last Ice Age.
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