Walking the Simonside Hills in Northumberland

It's undeniably attention grabbing in the area, Simonside really can't be missed, it also just happens to be one of our favourite walks in Northumberland. Make the effort to reach the summit and you're rewarded with the most outstanding views of the Simonside Hills and the Cheviots beyond. We particularly enjoy this walk in August when the heather transforms the landscape into lush hues of purple and brown.

We start our walk from the Forestry Commission Simonside Car Park, which can be found to the South of Rothbury (turn off the B6342 at a sharp bend approx 1 mile out of the Village). Once parked up, our favourite route to follow is kindly provided by The Northumberland National Park, in their hand leaflet Simonside Ridge Walk, takes 2-3 hours and covers a distance of 4.2 miles.

The first part of this walk takes you gently uphill through the forest, at this stage you'll get glimpses through the trees of the wonderful views to come. Don't get too worried about the incline at this stage, it may look intimidating but the route is really quite gradual. There is just one section as you approach the summit that is a little more challenging, the National Park describes this section:

"This path is very steep and involves scrambling up amongst the rocks but the effort is rewarded with stunning views of Coquetdale and the Cheviot Hills from the top".

And they're not wrong! If it's a Summer walk we like to pack a picnic and blanket and enjoy a lazy here to spend some time drinking in those views. As the National Park leaflet details, there are many points of interest during this walk, from ancient burial cairns to rock carvings and a huge array of wildlife.

Don't forget to keep yourself safe and follow the Counryside Code: Close gates behind you, take your litter home and keep your dogs on a lead or under close control.

Our Cottages
We have a range of Cottages that are ideal for a walking holiday in and around Simonside. If you're not sure about where to stay just give us a call for a chat - we're happy to help and offer advice. Tel 07827 780 717 or drop us an email on stay@northumberlandholidays.com

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