October 2025 trip to Alston Several hillwalkers explored for a week in the North Pennines, based near Alston, in October 2025. We walked in sunshine over The Dodd and Hard Rigg from Nenthead; surrounded by spiders’ webs up Cold Fell into the King’s Forest of Geltsdale, lots of rough trackless ground and striking cloud inversion; from Allenheads to Rowantree Read more

Nenthead, The Dodd & Hard Rigg Start Nenthead, a lead and silver mining town purpose built by Quakers. The last mine closed in 1961. We walked up out of Nenthead in autumn sunshine, onto open moor, along a well-made track. Then off the path and onto rough moorland pasture with no discernible path (a frequent Read more

Geltsdale and Cold Fell We left our accommodation in bright sunlight and expected a brilliant day’s walking but, as we drove, the mist and murk closed in. The first part of the walk was through the reserve, made up of upland woodland and open pasture. After working our way up through the woodland we emerged Read more

Allendale and the shooting hills Start Shorngate Cross Currick (a large stone cairn) on the Northumberland /County Durham border. Today’s walk, in bright sunshine, is over open moorland and shooting country. Red grouse abound and the paraphernalia of organised shoots are everywhere. Butts and huts. It is obvious that this land is highly managed. We Read more

High Cup Nick Starting in light mist, we walked from Dufton, where we had stayed a few years previously when walking the Pennine Journey.  This is on the western side of the North Pennines escarpment and one of its highlights. The Pennine escarpment itself is made of layers of Carboniferous limestone, shale and sandstone laid Read more

Allenheads Start by the River Allen, near where it flows into the South Tyne. Rather a different walk today. Much of the walking around the North Pennines is on open moorland, today was in a wooded valley following the River Allen before it joins the River South Tyne. It’s a beautiful valley maintained by the Read more

Cauldron Snout Cauldron Snout is a spectacular cataract waterfall fed from the Cow Green Reservoir which controls the flow of the South Tees, and is fed from the surrounding hills. It is reckoned to be the longest waterfall in England, about 180metres long. The falls are caused by the upper Tees passing over dolerite steps Read more