We're going down to the woods today! May 29th.
We have not walked in Thrunton Woods for a couple of years so off we go on what is promised to be a hot day, taking a stroll in the shade.
Take the A1 north, the A697 at Morpeth and turn off on the left for Thrunton Woods, not the village which is a bit further on.
The map to use is OS Explorer 332 Alnwick and Amble.
There is a cafe as you approach the car park.
Warning, there are tics in the area, do not wear shorts.
Thrunton Wood is a Forestry Commission plantation. Many of the trees, conifers, are in lines. There is a network of tracks and paths, some metalled, some grassy and some very stony footpaths.
Just beyond the last car in the photo we went round the barrier and started walking gently uphill. But after a matter of yards we left the track and stumbled down a rocky footpath through the trees. At another reasonable track we walked for almost a mile in a south west direction before heading north, then west then south on stony footpaths as we approached Castle Hill. From this point we started to climb on more stony and sometime steep paths needing to scramble at times, until we reached Macartney's Cave.
Macartney's cave is small .Carved into the sandstone by a chaplain from nearby Callaly Castle as an oratory for his studies.
Leaving the cave we stumbled on up a steep, but thankfully short, incline. Finding a shady spot in the trees we settled down for a Herbie.
Herbie time: apple pies, cookies and from Mrs A. sweet and savoury.
Moving on we left the wood through a gate reminding us to protect the ponies by closing the gate.
Now out on moorland on a narrow stony path we passed a cairn.
A cairn, possibly once held a leader's remains. Dave would have known.
Leaving the cairn as it has been left for hundreds of years possibly we followed the narrow and very stony path downhill to the Coe Burn, also very narrow and easy to cross. But we now had to take the stony path uphill to Long Crag. One or two scrambles on this part of the path, and another cairn at the top.
Ian taps the trig point at 319metres on Long Crag.
we were back on a path in woodland (mile 6) which took us through Coe Wood, much of which lower down had been felled. After a short stretch on a good forest track we were back in the wood to a footbridge.
Bridge on the Coe Burn.
Once across the bridge we were on a metalled track that took us in a semi circle round Coe Hill and Black Walter until we were back at the car park.
It was a warm day, requiring rehydration which we took at the Ridley Arms in Stannington.
Contains OS data, copyright. Crown copyright and database right 2026
The walk is about 10 miles, some climbs. But some great views over Northumberland
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