We felt the chill, On Crawberry Hill,
Allendale Town, Northumberland Sept 15th
 As Fats Domino almost sang. It is officially autumn and the temperature has fallen after a cool summer. Today we six are off for a walk from Allendale Town in the hills of South Northumberland. Allendale owed its existence to lead mining, long gone so now it relies mainly on tourism. It is a pretty little town with several cafes and hostelries, a good centre for walking.

From base take the A69 west and beyond Hexham the A686 south and follow signs for Catton and Allendale. There is parking in the town centre, Yorkshire stile.
The map for this walk is OS OL 43 Hadrian's Wall. Hexham and Haltwhistle.
Today's turn out consists of John x 3, Dave, Brian and me and we had breakfast in the Tea Rooms.
Highly recommended, friendly staff who addressed Dave,John H and me as riffraff. They had been forewarned and so were forearmed.

                       Allendale Tea Rooms. A warm and friendly welcome.

Town centre car park, true Yorkshire style.
Breakfast over we finally decided to move on the walk. We walked down the main street, past the town's first school and fire station and  took the left fork after the County Council Depot. Almost immediately, on the right hand side of the road, we found the marker that would lead us on our way. Down some steps, across a footbridge, up more steps and into the fields.

                       Footbridge at the start and looking back over Allendale.
After crossing a few fields we turned sharp right and walked towards High Struthers. Just before the farm house a finger post pointed roughly west along a well made track, obviously built for the benefit of grouse shooters. We followed this track   on the side of Crawberry Hill for approximately  two miles before turning through a sharp angle, almost reversing our direction, and followed what started as a track but became a boggy footpath, across the moor. There are several lonely sign posts on this path, mostly the worst for wear and in need of some TLC. If you do this walk ignore them, stick to the path to Knightscleugh Head where it becomes a farm track and then a road, at Sinderhope.

                              Westburnhope Farm, well isolated 

                                    One of several broken finger posts.
At Sinderhope we took the road directly opposite the road sign.

Take the lane opposite.
After a few hundred yards we followed the finger into a field above the river and settled down on an old wall for a Herbie.

                        Herbie Time. Feasting on sandwiches, Club biscuits, ginger cake from Mrs A., chocolate cake, chocolate from Hungary and pork pie.
Herbie over we walked down to the river, the East Allen. The footpath along the bank is narrow, muddy, slippy and needs care. Some stretches have boards laid  which help the ageing walker.

                                    Holms Linn on the East Allen. Marked as a waterfall on the map.
Eventually the path leaves the bank and crosses fields.

               Old mine workings close to the river.

Poor selection of gate fastenings this walk. This is a standard one, frequently spotted. Lots of "Kissing gates" though.
One farm we passed seemed to have cornered the market in old snow ploughs and gritters;

And there is some evidence that we are on part of Isaacs Tea Trail, another popular and fairly long trail in this part of the world, named for a 19th century gentlemen who sold tea to outlying farms and cottages.

Post Isaac advert. And what happened to the CWS?

Golden Lion, Allendale

There are giant chickens in the area, beware.

Isaac was here.

The path across the fields is well marked with the usual yellow arrows and eventually we found ourselves back in Allendale near the old corn mill. Up the hill and back to the town centre.

Once changed we headed for the Golden Lion pub in the square, it had Timothy Taylor's Landlord ale on draught. It also sold coffee for drivers.      

                                                                                      

Matrix MMXVII  Z to n+2

steps                                                miles

NAK                           24170                                                   9.62

iPhone                          24937                                                           10.3

trek 20                                                                                            10.2

OUDOOR GPS                                                                                    10.2

Dave's 3D                       23467                                                               9.62

""USB                            22116                                                                 10.12

"""NAK                         22027                                                                      10.08

Sylvia's mother             22416                                                                          10.29