Walking in Northumberland - Circular Day Walks

• Location
• Description
• Contents
• Introduction
• Sample Route
• Maps
• Updates
• Further Reading

View Sample Route Map

Walk 17: Victorian Endeavour - Stones Galore, A Profusion of Wildlife and Musical Burns

‘Skew–Arched’ Viaduct, Three Pikes and Kielder Castle

---

Distance: 9½ miles (15.3 km)
Height gain: 820ft (250m)
Start/Finish: Bakethin ‘Fisherman’s’ free car park (GR 631927) (1km south of Kielder Castle Visitor Centre) at the northern end of Bakethin Reservoir or at Kielder Castle Visitor Centre
Grade: 3
Walking time: 5 hours
Maps: OS 1:25 000 Explorer OL42 Kielder Water and Forest; OS 1:50 000 Landranger sheet 80, Cheviot Hills and Kielder Water
Accommodation: Limited accommodation at Falstone and Leaplish Waterside Park, B&B and caravan/campsite at Kielder and surrounds
Parking: Car park at Kielder Castle and Bakethin

---

Nine and a half circular miles of constantly changing views that please the eye and challenge the body. Experience the fells as they were before the conifers came, listen to the varied birdsong, examine why scattered stones pepper these lonely uplands. Muse on who our forebears were and why they lived on these apparently inhospitable fells. Gaze down to the ever changing waters of Kielder and Bakethin prior to descending with two of Northumberland’s most picturesque and historic burns that lead to Kielder Castle and eventually journey’s end.

The Route: Rise W from Bakethin (Fisherman’s) car park in the conifers by footpath onto the rail-bed of the retired Border Counties Line. Swing left, i.e. S, along the grassed-over track through a leafy tree-lined ‘tunnel’ leading to the raised deck of an extraordinary North Tyne crossing – the Kielder Skew-Arched Viaduct. Once over the Viaduct descend left into the trees and with the marked stepped path walk north, crossing a road into Camp Rig clearing via a marked wicket gate. 200yds NNE note the remains of an Iron Age, and later, Roman settlement and visible earthwork.

Border Counties Railway and Skew-Arched Viaduct The railway operated from Bellingham from 1862 to 1958. It ran over the spectacular Kielder Viaduct c1862, known as the ‘Skew-Arched’ bridge on account of its angled arches and offset pillars designed to withstand the once violent River North Tyne. It spans 120yds/m, rises to a height of 55ft (17m) and its faceted pillars offer minimal resistance to the surges of the North Tyne. It cost £4572 to construct.

The path continues E into the trees and, ignoring all side tracks, cross a forest road onto a waymarked trod rising ENE to meet and cross another forestry road at a fork. Continue ENE through a ride to meet yet another road. Turn right, i.e. S, for 250yds/m to a marker directing right into a clearing that holds the scatter of stone known as the Devil’s Lapful. Retrace the 250yds to the waymarked ride and turn right, ENE, following the angled forest fringes for ¾ mile (1.2km) rising to Mount Common capped by Forsyth’s Cairn and a prominent Fire Tower. Continue NE with the heather flanked track through the broad ride and once free from the conifers rise to a line of perished posts leading N to the 1460ft (445m) trig point atop Greys Pike. For further panoramas carry on N, alongside the ailing posts, to the Pike’s twin top. Here the posts give up and hand over to a clear pathway running NNE for 1 mile (1.6km) along a heathery, rock and tussock clad high ridge to the cairned Three Pikes.

Three Pikes These triangular, 6ft (2m) high standing pikes on fell sandstone outcrops neither mark a battlefield, a burial ground, nor a boundary. Why are they there? Other Cheviot summits display similar cairns and offer similar negative explanations.

Devil’s Lapful A Stone Age burial cairn that straddles, either by accident or intent, the 1000ft (300m) contour. Built in 2000BC, 13yds wide 60yds long, today it is a sizeable scatter of small boulders scared with/by ‘robbing holes’. Folklore has the Devil, with an apron full of rocks, flying over the fells and when displeased hurling earthwards the contents of his ‘Lapful’.

Descend NNE to the forest fringes where the NE/N track rapidly loses height as it passes a sheep-stell prior to a footbridge over Ridge End Burn. Do not cross the footbridge, turn left to walk W on the burn’s true left bank over open fell and by forest fringe. At the next footbridge, after 1 mile (1.6km), nip into the trees by waymarked stile and with the burn-side spruce finally emerge by the confluence with Kielder Burn. Cross the road to join the waymarked true left bank of Kielder Burn, which is followed for 2 miles (3.2km) to the arched ‘Duchess Bridge’ that takes us over the burn.

Burns A profusion of wild flowers carpet the burnside banks and braes, but it is the birds and aquatic life that catch the eyes and ears. Dippers that walk under water to feed on tadpoles, mollusks and larvae; greedy goosanders (the male of which is almost white) and statuesque herons compete for small fish and frogs.

A distinct path leads to Kielder Castle, initially through a meadow then by a gauging station, fish hatchery, salmon cauld and Border Park RFC, site of the first international ‘footba’ match with the auld enemy. From the castle walk south, pass the Anglers Arms to cross the bridge and the road ahead onto a burnside pathway through Viaduct Wood to our starting point, Bakethin car park.