Northumberland is Pennine Perfection

Saturday 2nd May 2009, 10:30AM BST

TRAVEL Northumberland Walking 6

Peter Beal follows in the footsteps of the Border Reivers.

Northumberland has been called England’s last wilderness, a vast landscape of soaring moorland and remote river valleys where it is still possible to walk all day without seeing a soul.

Whether you see it as beautiful or bleak, there is no denying the grandeur of the North Pennines, officially designated as an Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Add to this the recent naming – by the Campaign to Protect Rural England – of the nearby Kielder Water and Forest Park as the most tranquil place in the country, and you have an outdoor playground guaranteed to blow away the cobwebs and beat off any economic woes.

The North Pennines – which also take in parts of County Durham and Cumbria – stretch from the tip of the Yorkshire Dales as far as Hadrian’s Wall and contain more than a third of all the upland heathland in England.

To get the most out of this rugged countryside you simply have to pull on your boots and walk.

I chose a section of Isaac’s Tea Trail – a 36-mile circular route taking in the Allendale and Nent valleys and the high fells in between – as my introduction to this wild and sometimes windswept countryside.

From Allendale Town – a charming, compact village that seems untouched by time – I followed the River East Allen southwards through isolated farms and hamlets. Hay meadows border the river, giving way to heather and peat moorland above the drystone walls.

The trail climbs upwards to the broad sweep of Carrshield Moor. The views from here seem endless – north to the Tyne Gap and on the skyline the vast Kielder Forest. The cries of curlew fill the air, one of 150 species of birds that inhabit this area, including the red kite.

The trail was inspired by Isaac Holden, an eccentric local character from the mid-19th century.

Holden worked in the local lead mines from childhood before suffering a breakdown from the cruel conditions.

After marrying he opened a grocer’s and tea shop in Allendale, from where his black-clad figure was a familiar sight roaming the neighbouring valleys as an itinerant tea-seller.

Zeal

Influenced by John Wesley, his religious zeal turned him to good causes, including provision of a hearse for the valley, a savings bank and a fresh water supply for Allendale. He is now a local legend with his own memorial in the village churchyard.

The trail was devised by historian and walking guide Roger Morris, who designed it to be a way of seeing the rich diversity of the local history and nature. It can be walked in shorter sections, none of them more than 11 miles long.

This land was not always as quiet and peaceful as it is today.

For 300 years until the 16th century it was a brutal and bloody place, terrorised by the Border Reivers, lawless bands taking advantage of what were called the “debatable lands” between Scotland and England to loot and steal livestock. Blood feuds, murder and blackmail were the order of the day.

Clues to the perilous existence of the time can still be seen in the ‘bastles’ of the area, farmhouses fortified to protect against the pillagers.

Years later Allendale became a sort of Silicon Valley of its time, with thousands of lead and silver miners settling in its inhospitable landscape. At one time a fifth of all the world’s silver came from the ground of these hillsides.

As the miners descended on this remote land, virtually isolated from the rest of the world until the arrival of the turnpike roads in the 1840s, the early Methodists brought their religion.

The 36 miles of the tea trail is dotted with more than 30 chapels, most now converted or derelict.

Holden’s waymarked trail drops down from the 1,900-foot moorland to one of England’s highest villages at Nenthead, just over the Cumbrian border with Northumberland, and once an important mining centre.

Now a museum, the mine workings are open to visitors, with guided tours and sound effects that give an insight into the harsh working conditions of nearly 200 years ago. It’s great for children, who can pan for fool’s gold and operate the restored waterwheels.

From here, the trail winds down the peaceful and picturesque River Nent to Alston, which claims to be England’s highest market town.

The Nent is rich in wildlife. Red squirrels are still here, although I was not lucky enough to see one, and the water vole – Ratty from The Wind In The Willows – thrives in the Nent and neighbouring East Allen despite being in general decline.

The bustling town of Hexham just to the north and its capital of Tynedale makes an ideal base for exploring the area.

I stayed at the Michelin-recommended Hallbank Guest House, tucked away in the town centre in buildings that were the historic 16th-century grammar school behind the Old Gaol, the first purpose-built prison in England.

It was here in the 14th century that the Reivers – those who could be caught – were held, along with others committing crimes in the Border Marches.

Close by is the impressive Hexham Abbey, or the Priory and Parish Church of St Andrew.

It was founded in 674 AD and it was from here that Benedictine rule was first introduced to England. Children love the spooky atmosphere of the underground rooms and passageways where the Abbey’s founder Wilfrid would have walked.

Hexham also provides the ideal base for exploring Hadrian’s Wall, only three miles to the north.

The Wall, now a World Heritage site, runs for 73 miles from Wallsend on the Tyne to Bowness on Solway, but the stretches that will delight walkers and historians are near here – its best-preserved sections and the remains of the magnificent forts at Chesters and Housteads, and the restored Vindolanda.

A short drive north again into the Northumberland National Park is the outdoor lovers’ paradise of the Kielder Water and Forest Park, which boasts the largest forest in England and the biggest man-made lake in northern Europe.

A new 27-mile Lakeside Way, suitable for wheelchair and pushchair users as well as walkers, runners, cyclists and horse riders has just opened around its scenic shoreline.

For those keen to see more of these wide-open spaces on foot, this year’s Northumberland Summer of Walks Festival will mark 60 years since Parliament officially opened up the countryside by creating National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, National Trails and Nature Reserves. There’s no better time to get out there and explore them.

Guide

  • Peter Beal stayed at the five-star-rated Hallbank Guest House in Hexham, where overnight B&B for rooms sleeping one to three people starts at £60 per single, £80 per double. A three-night B&B break for two people costs £270. Reservations: 01434 605 567 and www.hallbankguesthouse.com