Walking with Shepherds Walks

Hulne Park - Alnwick

Guided Walk Date – 15/05/08

Our first evening guided walk of the year and the weather was ideal. Not too warm but with it being dry it made for an ideal evening to discover Hulne Park.

We started promptly at 6.30 and soon we were walking through this beautiful park, owned by the Duke of Northumberland.

We soon climbed up and reached Brizlee Tower, an ornamental tower dated 1781, and thought to have been designed by John Adam for the first Duke of Northumberland, although it is also attributed to the Duke himself. It is in an elaborate Gothick style and was built as a viewing platform for Alnwick Castle Park.

Just around the corner we reached and admired the new family burial ground with its magnificent 12 foot high gates fashioned by blacksmith Stephen Lunn, who works at The Forge in Red Row, Northumberland.

The gates which took more than five months to create reflect the personal interests of the Duke and Duchess.

We then dropped down again and it was not long before we were passing through the archway, taking us out of Hulne Park back into the outskirts of Alnwick and then back to the Market Square.

A lovely small group of walkers and an ideal walk for a May evening.

You can find out more about the guided walks we have coming up by clicking here.

Above Rothbury - Private guided walk

Guided walk date - 03/09/07

After all the poor summer on the weather front it was a lovely summers evening for this private guided walk. I was going to walk with a couple who had come to Northumberland for a few days after a break in Scotland. They were going to be returning back to the South of England in the next couple of days, so it was important to show them the spectacular scenery we have in Northumberland. The couple had seen me on Countryfile, on the BBC, so I hope their expectations were not going to be too high!

What better place to take them walking than around Rothbury. For evening walks, where you just have a few hours of daylight I think there is no better place. We met in the car park and walked to the North of Rothbury up to the ‘carriageway drive’. There are numerous routes up so it gave me plenty of options to adjust the route according to how well they were managing.

I am glad to say that I could take them on the best route, which is the longest and  treats you to some brilliant views of Thropton, Snitter and the Cheviots rising tall to the North. With all these views being in the golden sunshine of the evening what else could anybody else ask for?

As we rose up to the carriageway drive we started to pass through the heather that tops this high ground. Two weeks previously the heather had turned purple, literally overnight and even though some of it had lost the brightness of that first colour the smell and colour was second the none.

After following the carriageway we reached one of my favourite viewpoints looking down on Rothbury and by this time the air was getting a little crisp making it cold but clear so the detail you could pick out in the village below was excellent.

We dropped down steeply back into Rothbury and one thing that always amazes me about this walk is what seems like 10 minutes after leaving the highest point of the walk you are back where it all began.

A great walk with some good company. Hopefully they will be back for a longer stay in Northumberland in the near future; you never know they may come on a Shepherds Walks Holiday!

• If you would like more information about a private guided walk click here.

Kirkharle Estate

Walk Date - 23/08/07

Our last evening guided walk of the year, but what weather.

At last after what feels like months of rain the sun started to shine, just in time for the walk. After a day in the Shepherds Walks shop at Kirkharle a guided walk was just what I needed. A wonderful way to end the day.

As with most of the evening walks this year the group was perfectly sized, so we all got a chance to speak with everybody in the group. The five mile walk was well received and as we climbed up away from the village of Kirkwhelpington what better place could anyone be. As we stopped at the highest point of the walk the stillness of a summer evening was a memory that we will all hopefully carry into the long winter nights.

After watching a wonderful sunset it was just after 9.00 when we returned to the courtyard. It was dark by 9.15 which makes you realise how quickly the nights are drawing in. If it had been an overcast evening it would have been well dark as we returned, but saying that we may not have been quite as sociable if the weather had been poor, making us a little quicker.

A great evening walk and even though I must have walked it many times it looks different everytime.

• To view the guided walks we have coming up click here.

Hulne Park – well nearly

Guided Walk Date - 08/08/07

I am always wary about leading walks around Hulne Park. The reason for this is that all the walks within the park itself are permissive as it is the Duke of Northumberland’s private land, so occasionally he closes public access, especially during the shooting season.

I was not expecting it to be closed for this reason when I went to proof walk the route in the morning, but much to my alarm I was greeted with a sign, ‘Closed, Precaution against Foot and Mouth’. All the rights of way in the area by law had to be kept open, but as the park has no rights of way running through it the Duke was completely in his rights to close it.

So seven hours before the walk I had to completely re think the route. I was going to offer the walkers something special to curb any disappointment.

At 6.30 in the evening we all met in the Market Square in Alnwick, which had been the centre for the Alnwick Music Festival earlier in the day. The stage and stalls were all still up in place and the town was unusually busy.

We started off by climbing up to ‘summer seats’ which is a lovely viewpoint literally five minutes walk from the centre of Alnwick. We then continued on, crossing the golf course before dropping down to the Aln, as we skirted alongside the tall wall of Hulne Park during our descent.

We returned via Alnwick Pastures, which I believe is one of the hidden treasures in the Alnwick area. From here we were treated so some lovely views of Alnwick Castle before we climbed up, past Alnwick Garden entrance back to the Market Square.

It was just about going dark when we returned, but it was 9.30pm which is very late for an evening walk to finish. It had been a three hour guided walk, which must be the longest one so far. The group were well able though and I suspect they went away having enjoyed a good walk.

One positive thing is that on Tuesday I had started to plan next years guided walk programme, so I have a walk I can slot in on a suitable date, Hulne Park. Hopefully we will get into the grounds next time.

• To view the guided walks we have coming up click here.

Rothbury Carriageway Walk

Walk Date - 18/07/07

A lovely summer evening guided walk, well that’s how I thought it was going to be when I planned the walks programme back in October. With all the rain we have been having recently we should just be grateful it was not pouring down with rain.

I was going to be moving house the following day to Rothbury and guess where this guided walk was going to be. I also did not know that back in October, but it was going to be my last good walk before spending three days lumping boxes around.

The car park was nice and quiet and after quick introductions we started our climb up to the carriageway. This was going to be a short but relatively taxing walk. We climbed up to the carriageway then walked along it for around 15 minutes before dropping steeply back through Rothbury to the car park.

It is only a short walk, but we had plenty of climbing in store. The rewards though were certainly worth all the effort.

The climb was brilliant as we utilised one of the little known paths in the area which is a true gem. As you climbed up you got a brilliant sense of height as you looked down on the golf course, which used to be the location of the old race course.

Luckily en- route we were greeted by friendly sheep and it made for an ideal opportunity to test the knowledge of the walkers. By now they should be getting fairly good with the sheep breed identification. The majority of the sheep had not been shorn, which is very unusual for this time of year. With the wet weather that we have been having recently farmers are weeks behind with shearing.

When we reached the carriageway it made for an ideal photo opportunity and continued on before dropping back past some of the spectacular houses you have high up in this lovely village.

New friends were made and the small group were all very much up to the task.

• If you fancy joining me on a guided walk click here to see the walks we have coming up in the future.

Hareshaw Linn

Guided Walk Date - 28/6/07

Wet, wet, wet. Not the pop group but the weather that greeted us on a summers evening at the end of June.

When I plan the guided walk you picture in your mind how you think it will be. Hareshaw Linn at the end of June should have been superb, a lovely summers evening. But in reality we met not one other person walking and the rain got heavier as the night went on.

On the positive side, the waterfall was certainly in full flow. The best I have ever seen it and the group were in high spirits. Even Molly (the dog) managed to wag her tail throughout the whole walk, even though on many occasions she must have been up to her tummy in water.

I very much enjoy these evening walks, despite the weather. It is a great way to end the day. We always get a good group of walkers as they are the ones who make the extra effort to get ready and go for a walk after their tea and often after a full day at work.

The Hareshaw Linn walk is one of my favourite shorter walks in Northumberland. It’s very different than any other walk in Northumberland.

Fingers crossed the weather improves for the next walk.

• If you fancy joining me on one of my walks click here to see what we have coming up.