their remains formed limestone beds. At other times distant mountain ranges were being eroded, and rivers brought mud, sand and gravel into the sea, which formed great thicknesses of mudstone, sandstone and gritstone.
Sometimes the rivers formed vast deltas, which allowed strange, fern-like trees to gain rootholds, only to be toppled by floods and buried beneath more mud and sand. The plant matter was compressed over time to form coal measures. These are Northumberland’s predominant rock types, forming rocky edges in some places, but breaking down to form sandy soils in others, with enough coal to support a little mining activity.
The Carboniferous rocks were laid down in layers, and that helps to explain what happened next, around 295 million years ago. A great mass of molten dolerite was squeezed, under enormous pressure, between the layers of rock – rather like jam between two slices of bread. This rock is always prominent wherever it outcrops, and is referred to as the Whin Sill. It forms some of Northumberland’s most striking landscapes. The highest parts of Hadrian’s Wall, for example, were built along the crest of the Whin Sill, so as a geological feature it has shaped the political landscape of Britain! The Whin Sill outcrops all the way across Northumberland and is notable along the coast, where its higher parts are crowned with castles at Bamburgh and Lindisfarne, while its lower parts form low cliffs and the Farne Islands.
Almost 300 million years of geological time are ‘missing’ in Northumberland, so the rock types and formations are mostly very old. The region was scoured during the ice age, within the last couple of million years, and many parts are covered with glacial detritus, in the form of boulder clay, sand and gravel.
Today’s visitor looks at the landscape to see the rounded, resistant humps of the Cheviot Hills, rocky gritstone edges on lower hills and moorlands, and the jagged crest of the Whin Sill often flanked by gentler countryside.
WILDLIFE
Northumberland is good cattle country, and cattle rearing, and cattle rustling naturally, is part of the region’s heritage. In 1270 a herd of wild cattle was enclosed within parkland at Chillingham, and since then has had no interaction with other cattle, or much interaction with human beings either, so visitors can observe how the habits of the ‘wild’ Chillingham herd differ from those of domesticated cattle.
The Reivers Way runs almost all the way round Northumberland, which is excellent cattle country
Apart from farm stock, or feral goats in the Cheviot Hills, other large mammals that can be seen around Northumberland include shy roe deer, generally seen grazing the margins of forests at dawn and dusk, along with rabbits, foxes and badgers. Britain’s most northerly colony of dormice are found at Allen Banks, and the elusive otter can be spotted, with patience, beside rivers, ponds or on the coast.
Reptiles are seldom seen, but adders and grass snakes are present, along with slow worms and common lizards. Amphibians such as frogs are more likely to be visible, while toads and newts are much less common.
The heather moorlands of Northumberland are managed for grouse shooting, and apart from large populations of red grouse, there are a few black grouse in the region. Late spring and early summer are important times for breeding birds. Cuckoos will be heard as they advance northwards, while skylark, lapwing, snipe and curlew are often seen on broad moorlands. The curlew is the emblem of the Northumberland National Park. Watch out for buzzards and kestrels in open areas. Herons fish in ponds and watercourses, while dippers and grey wagtails will completely submerge themselves in rivers.
On the coast, and more particularly on the Farne Islands, thousands of pairs of breeding birds fill every possible nook and cranny to rear their young. Most notable are the puffins, with guillemots, shags and razorbills also seen in great numbers. Raucous arctic and sandwich terns, kittiwakes and other members of the gull family are also present. The autumn and winter months are notable for an influx of wildfowl, especially around Budle Bay and Lindisfarne. Be ready for surprises – old gravel pits in Coquetdale have been transformed into wildlife habitats that are now popular with bird-watchers.
The emblem of the Northumberland National Park is a curlew, commonly seen and heard on the moorlands
ACCESS LAND AND THE CROW ACT
When Harold Wade walked the Reivers Way in 1975, he didn’t always follow rights of way. When James Roberts walked the route in 1992, he made sweeping changes to ensure that rights of way were always followed. In a couple of instances, both Wade and Roberts followed roads when they could have used nearby rights of way. Things have changed over the years, and most rights of way are clearly signposted and waymarked. Indeed, a couple of places that once lacked rights of way now have them. Furthermore, large areas of open moorland have been designated ‘access land’ under the Countryside and Rights of Way (CROW) Act 2000. Routes that Wade ‘trespassed’ upon, and Roberts saw fit to avoid, are now available to walkers, and therefore included in this guidebook.
‘Access land’ should not be regarded as offering unlimited access. Some areas are indeed open all the time, but others are ‘restricted’, and can be closed for various reasons, including grouse shooting and the movement of animals. Access land on the Reivers Way will either be available to walkers all of the time, or at least most of the time, so it will usually be possible to stay high and follow Harold Wade’s original route. Just in case the land is closed for any reason, the low-level detours made by Roberts serve as alternative routes. It is possible to check in advance whether access land is open or closed by going to www.countrysideaccess.gov.uk. It is also likely that notices will be posted at the main access points indicating the nature of any closures.
TRAVEL TO NORTHUMBERLAND
By Air
The most convenient airport for the Reivers Way is Newcastle Airport, tel 0871 8821121, www.newcastleairport.com, which has good connections with the rest of Britain, as well as several European cities. The Metro system links the airport with Newcastle Central Station every few minutes for onward travel.
By Sea
Ferries reach Newcastle from Amsterdam, bringing the Reivers Way within easy reach of the Low Countries. Check ferry schedules with DFDS Seaways, tel 0871 5229955, www.dfdsseaways.co.uk. DFDS runs its own buses between the ferryport and Newcastle Central Station for onward travel.
By Rail
Cross Country trains provides direct long-distance rail access to Newcastle and Alnmouth from Exeter, Bristol, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Glasgow, tel 0844 8110124, www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk. Newcastle also has direct National Express East Coast rail services from London Kings Cross and Edinburgh, www.nationalexpresseastcoast.com. Rail services between Carlisle and Newcastle are operated by Northern Rail, www.northernrail.org, which also operates between Alnmouth and Newcastle.
By Bus
National Express runs direct services from London Victoria Coach Station to Newcastle, as well as direct services from Edinburgh and Wrexham, passing through Otterburn, tel 0871 7818181,
