Northumberland National Park

The Northumberland National Park is a regular venue for walking club weekend trips. The park covers an area of 1030 square kilometres, from the Cheviot Hills in the north to Hadrian's Wall (Wrold Heritage Site) in the south.

Some of the best hill walking in England can be found in Northumberland National Park, including trails such as the Hadrian’s Wall National Trail and the Pennine Way. In total, the park hosts over 900km of footpaths and bridleways making it anideal walking location.

The Cheviot Hills in the north offer wonderful hill walking, whilst further south is the Breamish Valley, rich in archaeological remains. Further south still you can explore beautiful Coquetdale, the Tyne Valley and Hadrian’s Wall Country.

Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian’s Wall World Heritage Site is Britain’s longest monument, stretching for 73 miles across the north of England. The impressive central section lies within
Northumberland National Park. The recently constructed Hadrian’s Wall Path National Trail (launched in 2004) runs the entire distance of the wall; short section can be seem beside the pavements in Newcastle, but by far the most spectacular stretch is that between Birdoswald in Cumbria and Housesteads within the National Park. Museums and forts can also be found along the 73-mile length of the Wall, with innovative displays and reconstructions recounting its fascinating history.

The Cheviot Hills
The Cheviot Hills are found In the very north of Northumberland National Park, stretching for miles along the border with Scotland. Truly ancient formations, the Cheviot Hills are formed of granite, surrounded by volcanic rock, carved by ice-age glaciers, rain, ice and snow over the past 350 million years. These rounded hills provide a variety of walking possibilities, from rambles to tough hill-hiking.

Nature & Wildlife
Northumberland National Park is home to many rare species of animals and plants including black grouse, red squirrel, white clawed crayfish, otters, ring ouzel, juniper, Jacobs ladder and bog orchid.

The Northumberland National Park waterways are among the cleanest in Britain and some of the best in Europe, supporting a wealth of wildlife including fish such as salmon and sea trout and birds such as dippers and grey wagtails.

There are also many captivating waterfalls within the National Park, host to ferns, mosses and water loving plants which often grow in the splash zone on the rocks around waterfalls. The old Scottish word for waterfall is linn, a name used for waterfalls throughout the area.

For further information, visit the Northumberland National Park website at: www.northumberland-national-park.org.uk