Description
Explore Northumberland: Cheviots, castles, and coastline
Grade 
Come and explore sweeping sandy beaches, dramatic castles, and pretty villages as well as the wildness of the Cheviot Hills in this beautiful county made for walking.
Price: £1095
– Single supplement £250
Duration:
7 nights
Next departure:
– May 9th 2025
Northumberland is a county made for walking. Coastal walking is full of interest with sweeping sandy beaches, rocky headlands, charming villages, and dramatic castles every few miles. As if that weren’t enough, the Cheviots offer fantastic walking from delightful market towns on grassy paths with far-reaching views across the surrounding hills and onto the coastline beyond. We also spend a day walking around Alnwick exploring the beautiful scenery of Hulne Park, the former hunting ground of Alnwick castle. Our home for the week, the White Swan Hotel in Alnwick is a gem: comfortable rooms and an excellent reputation for food in its Olympic dining room, so-called because it is furnished with fittings from RMS Olympic, sister ship of RMS Titanic.
Holiday highlights
- Explore the diverse landscapes this beautiful area has to offer, from beautiful stretches of coastal path to the open reaches of the Cheviots with their far-reaching views.
- Marvel at the scale of dramatic Borderland Castles in their magnificent settings on the Northumberland coast.
- Enjoy exploring the charming town of Alnwick with its excellent pubs, largest second-hand bookshop in Europe – Border Books – and, of course, the Castle and Gardens.
- Stay in the lovely White Swan Hotel with its unique dining room and excellent food.
Accommodation
Our home for the week is the friendly, elegant, and excellently located White Swan Hotel, a charming 300-year-old coaching inn, set in the heart of the historic market town of Alnwick. It is just a stone’s throw from the Castle and Gardens and is the perfect base to explore this lovely area.
The hotel is renowned for its magnificent Olympic restaurant, considered one of the best places to eat in Alnwick; it features the original panelling, mirrors, ceiling and stained glass salvaged from RMS Olympic, sister ship of RMS Titanic. The head chef and his team put together seasonally changing menus using fresh, local produce and offer a wide range of dishes.
All rooms are en-suite, have tea & coffee making facilities, and can be reached by the magnificent aft staircase, also salvaged from the illustrious British vessel, the RMS Olympic.
As added bonus the hotel is less than two hundred metres from not just one but two excellent pubs which I am sure we will find time to visit during the week!
Sole ocupancy of a double room
Single occupancy supplement: £250
Included
- En-suite half board accommodation in the White swan Hotel, Alnwick.
- A three-course meal, served each evening in the hotel restaurant.
- 5 days guided walking with a qualified and professional leader.
- Private transport to and from all walks (except for one morning when we take the bus) is included in the cost of the holiday.
Not included
- Lunches -these are available to buy from local shops in Alnwick or can be ordered from the hotel
- Incidental expenses such as drinks.
- Entry to the local sights, Alnwick Castle and Gardens and other castles in the area should you wish to visit.
Day-to-Day Itinerary
The following is the proposed itinerary. However, please bear in mind that in the event of local conditions changing, for example due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances, it may be necessary to change the itinerary.
The walks will be ordered to make the most of the conditions.
Day 1: Arrive in Alnwick
Day 1: Arrive in AlnwickArrive at the White Swan Hotel and check into your room. Meet at 7pm for a short briefing about the week ahead before our three-course dinner is served in the hotel’s restaurant.
Meal included: dinner
Day 2: The River Aln and Hulne Park
Today we explore the area surrounding Alnwick. The Percy family have lived in Alnwick Castle since 1309. The castle was once surrounded by three parks of which today, only one remains, Hulne Park. We head out of town to pick up a route along the river Aln for a classic view of Alnwick Castle itself before entering Hulne Park, the former hunting ground of the Percy Family. We ascend to Brizelee Tower and then descend through beautiful scenery to again follow the river as it loops its way around the remains of Hulne Abbey and back into Alnwick. This is a straightforward walk on good paths. There should be enough time on our return to Alnwick to visit the castle or gardens should you wish to do so.
17 km, ascent/descent 240m
Meals included: breakfast and dinner
Day 3: The Rothbury Terraces
In the late 19th Century, the industrial magnate, scientist, and philanthropist William Armstrong built his house at Cragside, the first house in the world to be lit using hydroelectric power. Today we walk in its grounds along the extensive carriage drive laid out across the Rothbury Terraces by Armstrong for its lovely views across Coquetdale. We travel by private transport to Rothbury and begin by following the route of the River Coquet itself. After pausing for elevenses on the riverbank, we begin our ascent through Thropton and then on to Armstrong’s carriage drive. With easy paths underfoot and impressive sweeping views across the Coquet Valley to the Cheviots and Simonside Hills, this is lovely walking for relatively little effort. We descend into the lovely market town of Rothbury where we may just partake of refreshment before returning to Alnwick!
16 km, ascent/descent 230 m
Meals included: breakfast and dinner
Day 4: Yeavering Bell from Wooler
Today we walk in the footsteps of St Cuthbert and take in part of his pilgrimage route between Melrose Abbey and Lindisfarne, now the long-distance footpath, St Cuthbert’s Way. We travel by private transport to the attractive market town of Wooler where we pick up St Cuthbert’s Way. We follow this beautiful grassy trail with spectacular far-reaching views across the Cheviots as it winds its way up to Yeavering Bell, a significant Bronze Age Hill Fort. We return by a lower-level route back to Wooler, where there should be a short time to explore the town before returning to Alnwick.
16.5 km, ascent/descent 470m
Meals included: breakfast and dinner
Day 5: Free day
Today is free to discover the local area. There is so much to do and explore in and around Alnwick and Northumberland. Some suggestions are:
- Holy island, Lindisfarne Priory and Castle
- A boat trip to the Farne Islands
- Cragside -Armstrong’s innovative house in Rothbury
- Bamburgh Castle
- Alnwick Castle and Gardens
If you would rather not lose a day’s walking in this beautiful area, then I can provide you with plenty of routes/maps/walking books for ideas.
Meals included: breakfast and dinner
Day 6: The Northumberland Coastal path from Alnmouth to Bamburgh
Coastal walking in Northumberland is delightful: vast expenses of sandy beaches with rocky headlands, dramatic castles, and attractive coastal villages. On this holiday we follow the Northumberland Coastal Path from Alnmouth to Bamburgh; two glorious days of coastal walking.
Stage 1 Alnmouth to Embleton
We travel by public bus to the attractive sea-side town of Alnmouth. If the tide allows we will walk the mile or so of this coastal route on the lovely firm sand of the beach. We then pick up the Northumberland Coastal Path, and first views of the intriguing Dunstanburgh Castle, and follow it through the seaside village of Boulmer and then onto Craster, famous for its kippers. After lunch we continue onto the remains of Dunstanburgh Castle which have been in our sights for sometime now, and then to Embleton where our private bus will pick us up to return to Alnwick.
18 km, ascent 100 m descent 100 m
Meals included: breakfast and dinner
Day 7:
Stage 2 Embleton to Bamburgh
We return to Embleton by private bus and drop down to the coast where we can glance back for another view of Dunstanburgh Castle before turning north. We wander through sand dunes, seaside villages and around Beadnell Bay to Seahouses. From Seahouses we take a slightly inland route for fine views of the Farne Islands, the Cheviots and eventually of the magnificent Bamburgh Castle itself. Our walk finishes in Bamburgh with time to explore this lovely town before we return by private bus to Alnwick.
18 km, ascent 80 m descent 110 m
Meals included: breakfast and dinner
Day 8
The holiday finishes after breakfast. It’s goodbye -until next time!
Meals included: breakfast
Kit list
For walking each day:
- Good walking boots or shoes
- Waterproof jacket and trousers
- Lightweight, quick drying trousers
- Base layer
- Mid-layer such as a fleece jacket and an additional ‘spare’ layer depending on the forecast
- Walking socks
- Warm hat and gloves -just in case the weather turns
- Sun hat, sunglasses, lip salve and high SPF sun block
- Day sack (25 litre capacity is a good size) to comfortably carry your kit, lunch and water
- Dry bag or rucksack cover to keep the contents of your daypack dry
- Water bottle
- Basic first aid kit (plasters, blister treatment, antiseptic etc)
- Some snacks to keep you going
- Walking/trekking poles (if you use them)
Maps
OS Explorer map OL340 Holy Island and Bamburgh, OL332 Alnwick and Amble, OL16 The Cheviot Hills.
Group size
This guided holiday will have a maximum group size of 15.
