Blanchland - Baybridge - Newbiggin - Bulbeck Common - Slaley Forest - Blanchland Moor

Alan Anderson

You need to log in as a member of Walkingworld to access the details for this walk and have an active subscription. Please join, or log in above if you are already a member.

This is mainly a moorland walk from the ancient village of Blanchland. The terrain includes riverside paths, both surfaced and un-surfaced lanes, fields and woods as well as vast expanses of fairly flat heather covered moors. The tracks are easy to follow and provide great views.

From Blanchland the route initially follows the River Derwent to the hamlet of Baybridge before starting the gradual rise up onto open moorland. The fairly flat moorland walk is on clear tracks with good views of the arable Northumberland countryside to the west. At the farthest point of the walk the route passes through the southern edge of the huge Slaley Forest before heading south, initially across the very gradual rising Blanchland Moor before levelling out and finally descending steeply to intersect the remote cottage called Pennypie House. The final lap of the walk is along a flat and then descending lane that passes through the hamlet of Shildon with its derelict stone pump house to eventually arrive back to the car park in Blanchland.

England - North England - Northumberland - North Pennines

Features

Birds, Butterflies, Flowers, Great Views, Hills or Fells, Moor, Pub, River, Tea Shop, Waterfall, Wildlife, Woodland

8/2/2020 - Rachel Gee

We did this walk on 29. July 2020 and thoroughly enjoyed it. Interestingly, it follows the opposite direction from the vast majority of walkers. There is one section which proved difficult to navigate, between points 7 and 8, through Whitehill Plantation, where tree felling and an increase in undergrowth means there is no clear path to follow and the going is very uneven. The instructions say 'bear diagonally right' but it was difficult to pick the right line and we emerged too far to the right and missed the 'wide stony track'. Realising our mistake, we walked back along the track we were on and found it. The photo of the gate at point 8 was useful at this point, although the mature tree top right is no longer there.