It was the worst start to winter in living memory with huge amounts of snow being deposited countrywide. Vast tracts of northern England, particularly towards the east, had taken the brunt of the severe weather and there was, unsurprisingly, widespread travel chaos. The prospect of a trip to the Cheviot Hills for my annual pre-Christmas walk looked mightily slim, even … [Read more...]

I had calculated that it must have been more than 20 years since I had last started a walk from Alnham. A re-visit was well overdue and, with the morning apparently set to remain dry and bright, I decided on a shorter than normal trip to the hills. I hoped to be home by early afternoon. The tiny, slightly fragmented village lies just over 300 metres outside the … [Read more...]

I headed out of the pretty riverside hamlet of Ingram on a bright October morning relishing the thought of a day alone in the hills. But, as Robert Burns famously wrote, “The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft agley”. He was, of course, absolutely right. The diminutive summits of East Hill and Old Fawdon Hill were taken at a canter and, with 3½ miles … [Read more...]

The heather-coated Simonside Hills stand high above the River Coquet and enjoy unrivalled views northwards. They overlook the market town of Rothbury and are a popular destination for walkers of all shapes and sizes. It had been more than five years since I had last tramped across these sandstone hills so, as I left a deserted car park at Lordenshaw on a dull … [Read more...]

The adrenaline seems to rush through my veins when I first set off on a long walk and the temptation is to burst out of the blocks like an Olympicsprinter. However, with the prospect of 13 switchback miles ahead of me I was determined, on this occasion at least, to ease slightly more gently into the day. The neat farmstead of Hartside lies at the end of the public … [Read more...]