Guided Walks: Upper Coquetdale, North Northumberland (11 mile walk)

Duration: 6.5 hours

Various dates throughout 2011 as follows:

Sunday 14th August (6 places available)

Monday 29th August (6 places available)

Sunday 25th September (6 places available)

Sunday 9th October (6 places available)

Sunday 23rd October (6 places available)

If there are between 2 and 6 of you, you may be able to arrange an alternative date to suit you – please contact us to confirm the date is available before purchasing online.

Walk Stats:

This walk is 17km (11 miles) in length and 470m (1,550 feet) of ascent.

Considered a more ‘challenging’ walk.

Typically, you will walk at a speed of about 3km per hour (2mph) with short breaks and plenty of opportunity to take-in the wonderful scenery and catch-it on camera.

The walk alone will take approximately 6.5 hours.

Before booking your place, please consider your fitness level and evaluate your physical ability to cope with the stated distances and height gains.

Description:

This walk offers stunning views into Scotland, as well as across the Cheviots as you descend from the Border Ridge down an old 'drover trail' used for bringing sheep from Scotland to markets in Newcastle and Hexham. To get to the beginning of this walk you will be driven deep into the Coquet Valley with many points of interest and wonderful views. Along the way you will have negotiated your passage with sheep and cows, similarly for the return journey! If lucky, you will spot herons and dippers as you follow the river in each direction. The summit of this walk is Windy Gyle (619m/2,043 feet) from where, in fine weather, you will be able to identify the other major hills in the Cheviots range. At the Border Ridge is a cairn, originally Bronze Age, but named after an English lord shot dead on a 'truce day' at the height of the lawless Border Reiver times in the late 16th century. At the end of the walk, you will take well earned tea and homemade cake at the Barrowburn Tea Room.

Essential Information:

Tea & Homemade cake at the end of your walk is included in the price.

Bring your own water, packed lunch and additional refreshments you’d like to keep your energy up.

Wear appropriate footwear (walking boots) and layers of comfortable clothing, including a base layer next to your skin, an insulating layer, such as a fleece and a waterproof outer layer. Light weight gloves could prove useful and a hat or two - one for warmth, another for protection from the sun. Speaking of which, let's be optimistic and suggest you bring sun cream too!

You will enjoy the walk in a group of up to 6

You must be aged 18 years or older to join this walk

Terms & Conditions:

Before booking, please read and accept Experience North Country’s Terms & Conditions (see link at very bottom of page) as well as the following Terms & Conditions from the experience provider:

Age

You must be aged 18 or over to join one of my walks.

Cancellations

If you cancel a booking more than two weeks beforehand I will refund you the full amount less a £5 administration fee. If you cancel within two weeks of the walk your payment is not refundable. However, if you wish I will endeavour to place you on an alternative walk for the same price.

If I cancel a walk due to bad weather I will offer you a full refund or, at your convenience, an alternative date for a similarly priced walk.

If I have to cancel or adapt a walk due to unforeseen circumstances or factors beyond my control, which I could not have reasonably anticipated including for example, but not limited to, war or industrial action then no refunds or compensation will be paid. However, in the unlikely event that I cannot lead a walk due to illness you will receive a full refund of your booking fees but any other costs incurred prior to the cancellation will not be compensated.

If a walk has to be adapted or abandoned after it has commenced due to unusually severe weather or injury to a group member then I will not be liable to pay refunds or compensation.

If I have to cancel a walk because there is not a minimum group size of two people, that is only one person has booked, then I will give you two weeks notice and a full refund.

Health & Safety

You must satisfy yourself that the walk you are joining is within your capabilities and you must be of good general health. Please inform me at the start of the walk about any medication that you are taking with you. Please also tell me if you suffer from any severe allergic reactions, for example to bee stings. Any information you pass to me will be treated with the strictest confidence and only referred to in the event that you require first aid.

I will make every effort to ensure your safety in the hills. Of course there are some risks associated with hillwalking that arise due to the terrain. For example, wet and boggy ground, steep and uneven ground and dense vegetation. Bad weather is also a potential hazard. You will be expected to comply with any safety guidance that I give you during the walk.

I will not be liable or accept responsibility for any illness, injury or loss including consequential loss.

Clothing & Equipment

Although we all hope to walk in fine weather this is not always possible. Even in the summer months we may catch rain squalls and strong gusts of wind. The weather may deteriorate once we have set out and so it is best to have some sensible gear. I strongly recommend walking boots rather than walking shoes. Walking shoes may be adequate for the 'Easy and 'Moderate' walks in dry weather but proper walking boots are essential otherwise. I also strongly recommend that you layer your clothing starting with a base layer (next to your skin) and insulating layer, such as a fleece and an outer layer which should be waterproof. Light weight gloves could prove useful and of course a hat or two, one for warmth the other for protection from the sun. Let's be optimistic and say that sun cream could also be useful! All of this gear if not worn should go into a backpack with your food and drink.

I am a qualified first aider and will carry a first aid kit.

If at the start of a walk I judge your clothing to be unsuitable then you will not be able to join the walk. In such circumstances there will be no refunds.

Food & Drink

Food and drink are not provided on your walk unless otherwise stated. With transportation time added to the duration of a walk most walks are a day out so bring some food and drink with you. For example, sandwiches and fruit cake for lunch supplemented by raisins, sultanas and sweets. Bring some water, especially if the day looks to be hot and perhaps a hot drink in a flask if that is your preference.

Remember, if you have clothing, food and drink with you it's there to use if necessary. If you leave it behind you don't have a choice!

If you are being picked-up at Newcastle and have not had time to make your sandwiches then I know a good place to get some en-route.

Content of the website

All of the information on this website is provided in good faith, but is not guaranteed to be accurate. As such it is indicative of the kind of experience you will have rather than forming an agreement between us.

Photographs

With your permission I may take some photographs of group members to upload onto the website as an illustration for future customers.

Dogs

Sorry, no dogs allowed.

Protection of the environment & consideration of others

We will take care to protect plants and animals, take our litter home, leave gates as we find them, show consideration and respect to other users of the country side.

Complaints

Please make any complaints directly to me and I will seek to resolve them with you in an amicable manner.