It was a nice day and I fancied a long walk. We had an idea for a walk from Haltwhistle and one of the many books, that we have, had this one in it. It is a circular walk from Haltwhistle and of a reasonable length. So, it was perfect for a day walk.
The start – Haltwhistle
I started by wandering through Haltwhistle, to find the start of the walk. This was at the end of a lane in the South West of the village. Crossing under the A69 isn’t very picturesque but has to be done. Quickly though the walk becomes countryside and the sound and sight of the road is gone.
Wydon Eals
The first part of the walk is across farmland and down towards Wydon Eals. This area is pleasantly surprising. It opens out onto a wide plain of fields, which is unusual as much of the area is hills. The name gives a clue to the origin of the plain. According to a book I have on Northumberland Place Names, Wydon refers to a wide flat valley and Eals are islands in a flood plain.
Featherstone
A little further on I crossed a lovely stone arched bridge over towards Featherstone. The road on the Featherstone side leads to a path along the river. At the point where the South Tyne meets the Hartley Burn sits Featherstone Castle. It’s quite an impressive structure but is not open to the public. Venturing further down the river, I passed the remnants of an old army camp. The state of the building illustrates that it hasn’t been used in some time.
Lambley
The path follows the South Tyne down to Lambley. There is a very impressive viaduct at Lambley. It was designed by Sir George Barclay-Bruce and opened in 1852 for the Haltwhistle to Alston branch line. The branch was closed in 1976 and the viaduct was restored and opened as a footpath in the mid 1990’s.
Viaduct from below 
Meeting of paths 
Viaduct from top
South Tyne Trail
The path climbs crosses the river and then climbs up the side of the valley to join the viaduct and the South Tyne Trail. It crosses the viaduct and continues on the disused railway all the way back to Haltwhistle.
Back to Haltwhistle
This is a great walk and very varied. It’s a lovely way to explore the area South West of Haltwhistle and learn something about the railway, that anyone that travels the A69, sees as they pass along the Haltwhistle bypass.
We will be publishing this soon. Why not book onto it and come along.
Martin x
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