Pennine Way: Bellingham to Byrness

Wednesday 24th April 2020

On the next stage of my attempt to complete the Pennine Way I started from the village of Bellingham heading wearily uphill in misty and overcast weather, although in a way it was easier walking in this sort of weather than in the hot weather that we had enjoyed over the Easter weekend. After passing Blakelaw the trail climbs through a field before reaching the open moorland where the impressive rocks of Callerhues Crag could be seen to my right, which the trail bypasses to continue heading north across the grass and heather moorland. Ahead of me I could see Hareshaw House, with a large collection of trees behind it, slowly getting closer until eventually I passed just below, but this was the only moment of interest or habitation for most of the day on my trek north. The Pennine Way soon enters a vast grouse moor where wooden butts shield the rich so that they can shoot at the poor, defenceless birds as they are driven into the air in large numbers. I continued to walk uphill reaching the cairn at the top of Deer Play and on to the top of Whitley Pike (also known as Lord’s Shaw), which in the misty conditions was no more appealing than anywhere else I had been all day. My map showed that there is a road near Whitley Pike, but in the murk I could not see any sign of it, however a good flagstone path led me from the top and down to the hidden road.

Climbing beyond I could see a monument at the top of Padon Hill, and although the Pennine Way bypasses it I thought I’d go across and see if I could have my lunch in its shelter. Wainwright recommended the diversion to the pepperpot cairn and although I could not read the inscription he informs us it commemorates a Scottish Covenanter and it provided me with a welcome shelter from the cold wind where I could have my lunch. Returning to the Pennine Way I resumed my trek down the hill and steeply up the other side between a fence and a conifer plantation whose windblown trees frequently barred my way making it difficult to squeeze past. Eventually I reached the top of the incline where, on the other side of a fence, I found a heavily manufactured stony footpath and this amazing sight effortlessly took me to the top of Brownrigg Head. Turning left the path headed towards the conifers, and although the path was very easy to walk on I also found it very dull and tedious with the same surface underfoot all the time and the same scenery around me, but soon I entered the conifer plantation of Redesdale Forest where extensive swathes had recently been felled.

The heavily manufactured path continues through the desolation until I reached a wide forestry road where I turned north again until I reached a path with a sign that directed me onto it. It would have been easier to stay on the forestry road, but fastidiously I took the slender path through the trees until it deteriorated to such an extent that my only option was drop back onto the track. When I reached the point where the Pennine Way is supposed to rejoin the forestry road I could see no sign of the path that I should have been on. Staying on the wide track I crossed the Wind Burn and Greymare Sike to find another diversion, but this one was much clearer appearing to be an old forest track that has been superseded by the current, wider road. Back onto the forestry road I stayed on it through the monochrome surroundings of the conifer trees until I reached Blakehopeburnhaugh where I finally came off the road onto a path that follows the River Rede through scenery that was lovely and wild in a way that the conifer plantations could never be. Sadly, this was woefully too short and soon I was approaching the village of Byrness where I could have found accommodation and indeed I did stay there in 2006. Instead I stayed on the Pennine Way crossing the main road and climbed steeply up the hill through another conifer plantation towards the top of Byrness Hill, which would be higher than any point I had yet reached on this holiday.

I could have wild camped near the top of the hill, which would have been delightful, but technically in England you need to get the landowner's permission to camp and I did not have this. In the end I decided I would make use of Spithope Bothy where one can stay legally, so I turned off the Pennine Way onto one of the forestry tracks that contour around the valley. Knowing that I was not on the right track for the bothy I descended steeply through a felled section of woodland onto the correct bridle way, but soon I saw ahead of me forestry vehicles engaging in felling operations. It was difficult for me to know what to do at this point, but fortunately it wasn’t long before the crane moved out of my way (perhaps the vehicle was being parked for the end of the day) and I was able to walk safely past and make my way to the Spithope Bothy, which is rather small, just a single room, but provided me with a fabulous evening as the sun finally came out through the breaking clouds. This was a rather dull day on terrain that had little variety starting with heather moors for half the day and conifer plantations later in the day, which was easier to walk through, but no more interesting. The best of the weather was in the evening, but most of the day it was very misty and grey, which didn’t help with the dull scenery, however the following day I would be heading into the Cheviot Hills and Scotland.

Pennine Way: Once Brewed to Bellingham

Tuesday 23rd April 2019

To continue my progress north along the Pennine Way I set off from the youth hostel at Once Brewed and took the route of the Roman Military Way that runs just to the south of Hadrian’s Wall rather on the Pennine Way, which follows the wall, as I had taken that route the day before and I was trying to minimise the undulations before leaving the wall behind. Eventually I returned to the Pennine Way, but not for long as when I reached Hotbank Farm I turned off to take a shortcut around Hotbank Crags and back onto the Pennine Way. This was as far as I had come along the Pennine Way the previous day and now I resumed my trek north heading into bleak, open moorland. The hills that form the Pennine range ends at Hadrian’s Wall and ahead of me now were low moorland hills largely covered in trees as part of the Wark Forest. There would be little variation in height and little to maintain my interest until I reached the Cheviot Hills two days away. The Pennine Way continues north through Northumberland National Park and initially I found the going rather boggy underfoot across Ridley Common and past the National Nature Reserve of Greenlee Lough.

The skies were overcast and added to my dreary feeling for the walk, although I appreciated the cooler temperatures especially compared with the heat over the weekend. Eventually I reached a conifer plantation, part of the Wark Forest, which merges with Kielder Forest further north to form the largest man-made woodland in England. The Pennine Way skirts the south-eastern corner of the conifer plantation on good, wide tracks that were easy to walk on, though lacking in interest, before branching off onto a boggy path that took me to the edge of the wood. There I saw a sign pointing towards a viewpoint for Bellcrag Moss, which was too intriguing to ignore so I took the diversion to the boggy, border flow country where an “internationally important” bog has been preserved for its conservation value, but wasn’t worth the look. Back onto the Pennine Way I headed out onto Haughton Common, which was mainly grass and thanks to the lack of rain over the previous twelve months was reasonably dry.

On the far side I entered woodland again with an excellent path underfoot that took me onto a road near Willowbog Farm and after a short walk along the road, and a stop for lunch, I headed back into conifer plantation until finally I left the woodland behind. A pretty clear path directed me north to the edge of the deep valley of the Warks Burn, which Wainwright described as “the best thing met on the walk from the Wall to Bellingham”. A steep descent brought me down to a delightful place with a slender river trickling over rocks through a deep cut ravine that was simple divine, and contrasted sharply with the man-made conifer plantations. The north bank was decorated with celandines, primroses and stitchworts as I now left behind the rougher part of the walk to head through the farmland of Horneystead, The Ash, Leadgate, and Lowstead eventually descending into another pretty valley, that of the Houxty Burn and up to the unfortunately named Shitlington Hall. A gentle rise brought me up to the similarly afflicted Shitlington Crags, which despite the name was a welcome assemblage of rock after the grass and bog of earlier in the day.

At the top of Ealingham Rigg I turned right past a big mast and down off Ealinghamrigg Common onto a road that led me all the way into the village of Bellingham. The weather had tried to improve throughout the day with the temperatures slowly climbing as the sun began to peak through the clouds mid-afternoon. After the dull start to the day I was astonished to realise that eventually I was beginning to enjoy it, even though there was nothing special about the walk itself as I just enjoyed the feeling of heading out across the countryside on foot, in cooler weather than the previous couple of days. After buying supplies for the next couple of days and checking in at the Youth Hostel the weather had improved so much I rushed back out to take advantage of it and head up Hareshaw Burn on a detour recommended by Wainwright. A path almost opposite the hostel heads uphill beside the stream into a fabulous wooded ravine that was brimming with life including wood anemones and wild garlic. I was absolutely in awe of the surroundings and entranced by everything I saw. The sun was now pouring down illuminating this delightful place though in many places the bottom of the ravine was in shadow.

The wonderful walk kept going through many fabulous scenes and past several small waterfalls until eventually I came to the end of the ravine at Hareshaw Linn, which is a spectacular waterfall into a damp, moss-covered bowl of rock. The lack of sunlight in the enclosed surroundings was slightly disappointing, but it had still left me thoroughly satisfied with the result and delighted to have to walk back through the valley to return to Bellingham. This was a day that just got better and better from the dull and overcast start in Wark Forest it culminated in this fabulous walk to Hareshaw Linn that was tremendously enthralling in good weather. I love wooded ravines such as these and this is a wonderful example.