Category: Trip Ideas
Northumberland revisited
2nd October 2006 On Saturday, I got to revisit Northumberland and expand my knowledge of the county. The start was early but I did get to Newcastle-upon-Tyne by 10:40 and travelled north to Berwick-upon-Tweed aboard a rail replacement coach that very nearly got me there in time to catch the 12:00 bus to Wooler. Along the way, I caught glimpses of Bamburgh castle and Holy Island in the distance. I had plans to catch a bus back to Belford and walk to Bamburgh, and maybe beyond, before catching a bus back to Newcastle.
However, the call of the Cheviots proved too strong and I ended up in Wooler by 13:50 (a bit late, I know) after spending a little time taking in a little of what Berwick has to offer. In the glorious sunshine, everywhere looked fantastic but I had to choose between coast and hill and it was a difficult choice. After spending a few hours of exploring a section of St. Cuthbert's Way, I continued to Alnwick where I only spent minutes before continuing back to Newcastle on a bus that took me round by Alnmouth (where I had been in January), Warkworth (home to an enticing castle) and Amble before it made its way to Morpeth and its final destination. From there, it was the railway that returned me home after a worthwhile day that had its share of tight transport connections, especially on the way home.
Following my ramble, my ideas and plans for exploring Northumberland have firmed up a little more. For the Northumberland National Park, there are a number of gateways with reasonable public transport options: Haltwhistle, Hexham, Bellingham, Rothbury, Wooler, Kelso and Kirk Yetholm. Now that I have been to Wooler, I can continue my explorations at leisure (all going well). St. Cuthbert's Way, mentioned earlier, passes through the Cheviots on its way from Melrose in the Scottish Borders, before heading across Northumberland to its destination on Holy Island. The route reflects that taken by St. Cuthbert himself through his life. Alnwick, while home to historic Alnwick castle (home of the Duke of Northumberland), is also sited in hill country of its own and worthy a little more attention. Northumberland's coast remains an attraction with places like Amble, Warkworth and others worth revisiting. In addition, I have recently learned that a long-distance footpath following this coast and there is a good supply of cycle trails as well. With the land near the coast is reasonably flat as well, which makes cycling a viable option.
Northumberland travel
26th September 2006 Being a large county with a low population and dramatic hilly countryside means that care and planning are required when using public transport in Northumberland. Northumberland County Council does produce a useful leaflet that helps a lot with bus services but Traveline remains the best authority. Train services are provided in the county by LNER, Virgin Trains and Northern Rail but it is the bus network that really allows travel to its many sights. What follows are a series of pointers as regards getting to these.
After experiencing Northumberland's glorious coastline last January, I fancy the idea of a return. Arriva and Travelsure operate useful services that allow you to get to such sights as Holy Island, Bamburgh Castle, Dunstanburgh Castle and the villages like Alnmouth that dot the coast. Trains serve Berwick-upon-Tweed and Alnmouth to boot. Historic Alnwick, some miles inland, is also well served with buses.
Exploring Northumberland's national park, one of the least visited of the bunch, remains an aspiration of mine. Given the distance from Macclesfield, a day trip is a tricky proposition but having engineering works on the train line between Edinburgh and Newcastle-upon-Tyne like on next Saturday and Sunday (with journey times doubled as a result) makes it even trickier. Nevertheless, a journey to Hexham via Carlisle remains a viable possibility with a ride on bus service thereafter. Overnight coaches might help but spending a weekend in Berwick-upon-Tweed, Hexham or Newcastle is an altogether more comfortable proposition, allowing for Friday night travel and a long Sunday journey home (a minor perturbation if enough time is allowed). A stay in Berwick would mean that I could then pop over and back from Wooler from there on services 267 and 464 and enjoy a day in the Cheviots. Weather permitting, that remains a possibility for the coming weekend. Otherwise, basing myself in Newcastle could get me to Rothbury, Kielder and Bellingham.
Northumberland ambitions
19th September 2006 Northumberland's attractions include stunning coastline and empty moorland; it is also one of the least populated counties in England. The coastline is certainly a sight to behold: beaches, rugged cliffs and castles abound. In fact, the Northumberland coast is classified as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and it also is possible to follow a lot of it on public footpaths. And there are plenty of beaches too, should one want to walk along them instead. While the dramatic coastline and big skies keep one entertained, Northumberland's coast would not be as engaging were it not for the landmarks that pepper its length. Holy Island, playing host Lindisfarne Castle and also a terminus of St. Cuthbert's Way, is just one of these, and you need to watch the tides if crossing over to it on the causeway. There is a bus service there and the timings follow the tides, making for a very eccentric timetable. Castles also abound and examples include the inhabited Bamburgh Castle and the decaying hulk of Dunstanburgh Castle.
Last January, I took myself up to Alnmouth by train (the station is a mile (less than 2 km) from the village), itself an engaging spot, for a coastal walk to Craster. The coast certainly held its drama and the mild day surprised me with some of the gorse in bloom, unusual for the time of year. The sky, however, was largely cloudy, and I fancy a return before I have photos totally deserving of the location. Continuing further up the coast to take Bamburgh and Holy Island remains another idea for the future.
Before dwelling on the county's coastline, I did mention that Northumberland possessed some splendidly empty moorland. In fact, it hosts a national park, probably the least frequented in the U.K. However, despite my plans to pay the park a visit, it has not as yet come to fruition and sights in the northern extremities of the Pennines such as the Cheviot and High Cup Nick remain unseen by my eyes. The Pennine Way frequents hills like these as it continues through Northumberland to its northern terminus at Kirk Yetholm in the Scottish Borders. Also passing through the county on its way from Newcastle-upon-Tyne to the western coastline beyond Carlisle is Hadrian's Wall and the national trail that follows it.
Combine the above with engaging the above with a variety of engaging towns and villages and Northumberland seems to have it made. It is definitely worthy of a few days stay and the price of rail travel from Macclesfield to stations like Berwick-upon-Tweed and Alnmouth might see to it that my explorations may indeed follow that train of thought (no pun intended).
Lochaber and me
26th August 2006 When setting down the first draft of this post, I soon realised that some may have thought that I was using Lochaber as a euphemism for Fort William. It is the main town in the area and its proximity to Ben Nevis ensures a steady stream of visitors. That has ensured that a plentiful supply of accommodation is available, though the place can get booked out at times, particularly during the summer. The town is also a public transport hub with both train and bus services available. You can find out more from ScotRail and Scottish Citylink.
All of these have ensured that on all but one occasion, Fort William has been my base when exploring Lochaber. The exception was in July 2003 when I had to decamp to Banavie due to accommodation shortages in my preferred base. Even so. Banavie is only a few miles away from Fort William and connected with the latter by a frequent bus service. Other possibilities are available but they require a little more work if you do not possess motorised transport of your own. Kinlochleven is a viable option for exploring the Mamores; Glencoe for Glen Coe and the Aonach Eagach; Spean Bridge or Roy Bridge for the Grey Corries. These are just a few ideas and they can all be accessed without a car.
My first visit to Lochaber was a day trip to from Edinburgh to Fort William on Scottish Cup Final day in 1998. My original plan was to carry my bicycle on the bus like I had seen people do in Eire, but that's for most intents and purposes a no-no in the UK. The coach journey from Edinburgh went via Stirling, Callander, Crianlarich, Rannoch Moor and Glen Coe. Being a sunny day, Glen Coe looked glorious and left a lasting impression on me. After having my lunch, I found my way into Glen Nevis and, while I did not see much of Ben Nevis, the glorious sight of Sgurr a' Mhaim attracted my attention. The stage was set for the future.
My next visit to Glen Nevis was in August 1999 when my brother came over to see around Scotland. He picked me up in Edinburgh and we headed over to Fort William by way of Rannoch Moor and Glen Coe. We walked into the heart of Glen Nevis together, to the car park at the end of the road in fact. The day was dry and cloudy, but rain rolled in that evening. We then went to Oban, Mull and Iona before overnighting in Balloch before making our way to Stranraer and heading to Ireland. I spent a weekend at home in Ireland before returning to Edinburgh.
It was not until August 2001 that my next encounter with Lochaber occurred and I was only passing through on my way up to Skye and down to Oban. Furthering my knowledge of the area had to wait until August 2002 when Fort William was a two-night stop on a tour of my own making across Scotland, from Edinburgh to Skye. A return to Glen Nevis occupied my first day when I walked all the way into Achriabach and then up the sloping banks of Allt Coire a' Mhusgain to enjoy the views abounding on a sunny August evening. The next day took me on to Kinlochleven from where I followed the West Highland Way to Glen Coe before returning to Fort William. The extent of cloud around on that day somewhat limited opportunities for photography but it was a good start to my plying that long-distance path in earnest.
2003 saw me in the area twice: the first of these was the one where I stayed in Banavie as my base. It was also an occasion where I ran out of luck with the weather: a fine spell spread across Britain the following week. At least I found out what the area is like in rain, having got a soaking a few times. Being based a few miles outside Fort William is all right in dry weather but it exacerbates any soaking you get when it is wet and even a regular bus service is no answer to the problem. I still got a few walks out of the visit; the first of which was a venture into Glen Nevis in the rain from where I walked over Cow Hill to Fort William to catch a bus back to base. The next day saw me head to Kinlochleven from where I returned to Fort William by way of the West Highland Way. That day was dry and it attempted to brighten up but never quite succeeded, and the evening was wet. My last walk of the lot was in the throat of Glen Nevis. A bus service got me to Achriabhach and I then walked to the road end before following the path beyond that point. On my way, I passed Nevis Gorge before continuing on into the heart of the Aonachs and the Mamores. The path would have continued to Corrour train station but I had got my fill way before then. A few dreadful showers were encountered but I never planned to go all the way anyway. I managed to catch another bus on my return to base.
My bad luck with the weather prompted me to go to the Lake District at weekends to get over it but it was a return on the August Bank Holiday weekend that set the world to rights. This time, I was in the part of Britain where the weather was best and not the other way around. I reprised my ramble from Kinlochleven to base, and was rewarded with weather that really helped me to make the most of the surroundings and I used up more film than perhaps I should. My second outing took me from Spean Bridge to Loch Lochy before I returned to base by way of the Caledonian Canal. More sunny weather (the day turned out better than forecast) allowed me to make the most of this ramble, though it is a candidate for bicycle usage if I return there again. The weather was wonderful again on the Monday and I really had to pull myself away to get home.
2004 was a bit of a wash-out as regards weather, but my annual Scottish break hit on reasonable luck. The break started in Argyll where I encountered some showers before heading to my now customary base in Lochaber. My first day in Fort William was a wash-out but I needed to recover after the previous day's exertions and there was a promise of better weather on the day after. (It was then when I purchased the Sprayway Commanche jacket that I now use regularly for all-round purposes in wet weather, though I have no plans to use it for hillwalking.) I turned my first attentions to walking from Spean Bridge to Loch Arkaig. I returned to base via the Caledonian Canal and I was readily reminded of the need of a bicycle: the section skirting Banavie Hill is soul-destroying; you really feel that you are making no progress. The next day took me to Kingshouse in Glen Coe for a ramble along the West Highland Way to Bridge of Orchy. The day was cloudy in parts, but the walking was still superb. All in all, the weather I enjoyed was more than could be expected for the summer that was.
2005 saw me pass through Lochaber on my way to and from the Isle of Skye straight after the 22/7 bomb scare, not a good time to be travelling. In contrast, 2006 has seen me return twice: once in January and again on the May Day bank holiday weekend. Thoughts of snow-capped mountains and the photography of Colin Prior inspired me to take the Caledonian Sleeper from Crewe on a cold January night. I awoke to fascinating scenes beyond Tyndrum and enjoyed some good winter walking once I sorted out my accommodation. Travelling up a section of the Great Glen Way and proceeding into Glen Nevis to ascend Dun Deardail allowed to me to experience some fascinating panoramas in the winter sunshine. There wasn't that much snow around, though. The next day, it was raining as I was departing; a spot of pathetic fallacy perhaps? The second trip is covered in another post and, rather ironically, I witnessed more snow-capped hills on this one. The main event was a walk from Corrour railway station to Spean Bridge, skirting Loch Treig and passing through the Grey Corries along the way.
As regards future trips, I might move away from using Fort William as my base: Kinlochleven, Spean Bridge or Roy Bridge are tempting propositions. One thing is certain though, I have loads more to see and I doubt that it is possible for anyone to see all of it and that's no bad thing.
Hillwalking books: Scotland
25th August 2006 As an enthusiastic hillwalker, I've developed a fondness for expanding my bookshelf over the years, as these books are invaluable for planning my outings. Here are a few of my Scotland-related guides:
SMC Hillwalkers' Guide: The Munros
SMC Hillwalkers' Guide: The Corbetts and Other Scottish Hills
These guides are my go-to resources when I find myself wondering, "What hill is that in the photo?" They are comprehensive and beautifully illustrated with photos of the featured mountains. Recently, while reorganizing the Lochaber section of my photo gallery, I delved into these guides and came up with numerous ideas for a weekend in Kinlochleven. Though not inexpensive, they are well worth the investment. However, they are quite hefty, so I usually keep them at home for planning purposes.
At just £5.99 each, these guides offer incredible value, making it all too easy to accumulate an entire set. Illustrated with maps and photos, the concise route descriptions are perfectly suited for their purpose. My collection includes guides to The Central Highlands, The Cairngorms, The Islands, The Southern Highlands, and The Southern Uplands.
These are Cicerone Guides, coming from a publisher I greatly respect. They provide comprehensive route descriptions and maps as part of their package.
Due to a peculiarity in Scottish law, public rights of way are typically not indicated on Ordnance Survey maps. This makes the Scottish Rights of Way Society's guide indispensable. Many of these tracks are former livestock droving routes, so good navigation skills are essential, as the path may not always be evident on the ground.
For now, these guides fulfil my needs, though I can't rule out the possibility of acquiring more if I decide to explore other parts of Scotland. Nonetheless, I will continue to make the most of what I currently have.
