| Walking |
| Northumberland is
a great place to walk. Plenty of paths, fabulous scenery
and historic sites to check out en route. And you can
choose the length and difficulty of the walk to match
your legs. |
|
Two walks can start right from the front door of the
Boatside Inn: |
| Follow the traffic
free path alongside the railway line from the Boatside
Inn to Tyne Green. Alternatively if not too muddy, cross
the bridge across the South Tyne and follow the South
Tyne to the confluence with the North Tyne. Either turn
round and come back, (about 2 miles round trip), or continue
on down to Tyne Green in Hexham - about 2½ miles
one way. You can either walk straight back, or why not
have a look round Hexham and then take the bus back -
it stops right outside the Boatside. |
| A second walk starting
at the Boatside takes you to the top of Warden Hill, where
you get excellent views of the Tyne. |
| This and other
walks are described in detail in John Harris' "Walking
in Northumberland" website. Walks titled Chollerford,
Fourstones, Hexham, Newbrough and Wark are all locally
based. |
| Another place to
find interesting walks in the area is the Visit
Hardian'sWall Country site. The walk based on Chesters
is closest to the Boatside. Walking on or beside Hadrian's
wall is always interesting, and the area near Houseteads
is a favourite location. |
| The Northumbrian
Walks site shows some excellent walks, most of them
based near Kielder reservoir. The coastal path in North
Northumberland is also very attractive in good weather,
as is the Simonside walk near Rothbury. |
|
| Cycling |
| Sustrans' cycle
route
72 from South Shields, Tyne & Wear to Silloth
in Cumbria, taking in Hadrians Wall en route, and specifically
the section from Hexham to Haltwhistle passes right by
the door of the Boatside Inn. Why not make the Boatside
Inn a stopover point for the night, its approximately
40 miles from South Shields. |
| Check out the Sustrans
web site for other appropriate routes in Northumberland,
such as the "Coasts and Castles" route from
Tynemouth to Berwick, or the "Reivers Cycle Route"
from Tynemouth to Whitehaven. |
| For those who want
to bring their bikes just for a potter around, you can
follow the section of route 72 down the path beside the
railway line to Tyne Green Hexham, roughly following the
river. |
| For mountain bike
enthusiasts, Kielder
Forest is probably the best place to go, and you can
even hire a bike there normally. |
|
| Bird Watching |
| Birders are in for
a treat in Northumberland. Near Warden you could hope
to see goldfinch, oystercatcher, heron, merganser, kingfisher,
dipper, kestrel, tawny owl, redstart, long-tailed and
coal tits, even a buzzard as well as the more common garden
birds. |
| On the coast, Coquet
Island is renowned for being a breeding colony for Roseate
Terns and Puffins. Wading birds can be found in most of
the estuaries of the Northumberland shore. The Farne Islands
are one of the most important breeding sites for Puffins,
Terns and Guillemots, and there are boat trips to the
Farne Islands leaving from Seahouses if you want to get
up close (only some are allowed to go ashore).. |
| On the moors of Co. Durham you
should hope to see Black Grouse as well as other game
birds. |
| For further information,
check out the RSPB
or Visit
Northumberland sites |
|
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