Barrowburn Tea Room Walk
Grade: Strenuous
Distance: 5 miles (8.2 km)
Time: 2 hours 30 mins
Start OS Grid Ref: NT 866 103
This publication includes mapping data licensed
from Ordnance Survey © Crown Copyright and/or
database right 2009. Licence number 100022521.
Map: OS OL16 1:25000 The Cheviot Hills
Parking: Wedder Leap car park (NT 866 103)
Nearest Public Toilets: Alwinton - National Park car park
D
Nearest National Park Centre and Local Services: Rothbury
Terrain: Footpaths, tracks and forest rides with some steep slopes, may be muddy
Description: Invigorating half day family hill walk, with stunning views ending at a farm tea room
E
A Turn left out of the car park along the
C
B Join the gravel track following it uphill,
before descending into the valley alongside
Hepden Burn. Look out for skylark and buzzard
overhead. Climb steeply uphill on the track out
of the valley and onto more level ground.Cross
the ladder stile and take the track straight
ahead into the forest. Head downhill to
Usway Burn, Fairhaugh, originally a Shepherds
cottage, is on the far side. Sea trout and
salmon can be seen here, and in the River
Coquet, between October to December.
F
G
road and cross the small footbridge over the
River Coquet at the deep pool known as
Wedder Leap. Go through the gate, and follow
the fence line on your left up to the corner
of the field. Go through the gate and follow
the tumbled dry stone wall up past the hay
meadow, to the Deer Hut and the Old School.
Old
School
IP
B
A
Wedder Leap
Car Park
Please use an OS map on this walk
C With the burn still on your right keep
following the track around to the left, and head
uphill into the forest. Red squirrel live here. At
the hilltop follow the track right, and downhill. Go over the ladder stile out of the forest.
After 50 metres turn right onto a narrow path
which skirts gently around the hillside.
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D Cross the stile and head straight ahead
for 50 metres, then turn left down a sunken
grassy track to the Hepden Burn. Cross the
burn and go through the gate, following the
track uphill to the main forest road.
E Follow the forest road left, to the end of
the plantation.Turn left and go through the
gate. After 20 metres turn right onto a grassy
track and follow this over the brow of the hill.
Follow the main track as it skirts left of Barrow
Law, and head downhill, passing between two
large boulders that were an old field boundary.
F As the track comes over the crest of
the hill a lovely view of the Coquet Valley
opens up ahead with Barrowburn Farm ahead
and Shillhope Law on the left. Keep following
the grassy track as it winds its way downhill.
Go through the gate and across the hay
meadow to the farm buildings and the wind
turbine.
G At the farm road turn right and go past
the Farmhouse Tea Room. The sheep farmed
here are white-faced Cheviots. Turn left onto
the main road and follow it back to the car
park.
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Mountain Bumblebee
on Knapweed in a meadow
Barrowburn Tea Room Walk
Getting there
Hill Safety
Local History
Wildlife
From Rothbury: Leave Rothbury on the B6341
heading west, passing through Thropton. At
Flotterton Farm junction turn right, following
the sign posts to Alwinton. Pass through
Harbottle, and Alwinton, continuing on the
narrow single track road up the Coquet
Valley for another 5.5 miles (8.8 km) to
Wedder Leap car park, on the left.
The route involves exposed hill sections where
there is little shelter on the highest sections.
It is recommended that suitable clothing be
worn, and that food, water and a compass
should be carried at all times.The weather can
change very quickly at any time of the year.
Wedder Leap, a long deep pool in the River
Coquet opposite the car park has a folk
tale associated with it... told by David Dippie
Dixon (born 1842), a local archaeologist,
historian, and naturalist. In his book Tale from
Upper Coquetdale (1903) “..the Wedder Loup...”
story goes that during mosstrooping days,
a ‘lifter’ one night carried off a nice plump
‘wedder’ from the flock grazing on a nearby
hillside.The daring sheep-stealer had not
gone very far when the loss was discovered
and the owner and his men gave chase, but
handicapped by the wedder tied around his
neck (hill fashion) the thief decided his only
chance of escape was to to leap the chasm
over the River Coquet near where the
footbridge is today. His feet touched the
opposite bank, but the wedder around his
neck proved a millstone and dragged him
backwards into the murky depths of the
pool below and never to be seen again!
In June and July the
hay meadows around
Barrowburn come into bloom.Traditionally
managed by farmers to provide a crop to
feed their animals, these meadows have
developed into a haven for wildflowers and
grasses such as cranesbill, eyebright, yellow
rattle, buttercup, red clover and knapweed.
Look out for bumblebees and moths as
well as swallows and house martins flying
around the valley near the farm.
Public Transport
For information contact
Traveline T: 08706 082608
Or: www.traveline.org.uk
BERWICK
A1
NORTHUMBERLAND
Northumberland
National Park
Wooler
97
A6
NP National Park Centre
Ingram NP
ALNWICK
Ingram
Barrowburn
A1
Alwinton
A68
Kielder
KIELDER WATER
& FOREST
Barrowburn Farm
Tea Room
Rothbury Rothbury NP
Thropton
Elsdon
Otterburn
MORPETH
Bellingham
8
A6
A1
A6
96
Once Brewed NP
Haltwhistle
HEXHAM
NEWCASTLE
A69
TYNE & WEAR
This publication includes mapping data licensed from Ordnance Survey
© Crown Copyright and/or database right 2009. Licence number 100022521.
Barrowburn Farm Tea Room
& National Park Information Point
The family run Tea Room at Barrowburn
Farm (with toilets for patrons only), is
450 metres west of Wedder Leap car
park. Nestling in the upper reaches of
the Coquet Valley and surrounded by the
rolling Cheviot Hills the Tea Room provides a place to take the weight off your
feet, listen to the stream running past
the front door whilst refreshing yourself
with a home-made snack and a hot or
cold drink.Why not treat the kids to a
tub of local Doddington Ice Cream too!
Swallow
Local information on the National Park and
the surrounding area is available here too.
Accommodation is also available for 17 in
Barrowburn Camping Barn, a former school
built in 1879. The Deer Hut alongside,
originally the headmasters house and then a
base for deer stalking parties, today provides
self catering accommodation for up to four
people. To book: www.barrowburn.com
All photographs ©: Simon Fraser, Shaun Hackett, NNPA, Ian Tait.
The Deer Hut and Barrowburn Camping Barn
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Barrowburn hay meadow in bloom (June to July)
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