The Simonside Hills near Rothbury
Northumberland Walk
Nat Park - Northumberland
County/Area - Northumberland County
Author - Lou Johnson
Length - 4.5 miles / 7.3 km Ascent - 710 feet / 215 metres
Time - 3 hours 0 minutes Grade - easy
Maps
Ordnance Survey Explorer OL42 | Sheet Map | 1:25k | BUY |
Anquet OS Explorer OL42 | Digital Map | 1:25k | BUY |
Ordnance Survey Landranger 81 | Sheet Map | 1:50k | BUY |
Anquet OS Landranger 81 | Digital Map | 1:50k | BUY |
Walk Route Description
Click image to visit gallery of 3 images.
To the south of Rothbury, a small attractive market town on the River Coquet, lie the Simonside Hills. Contained within the boundaries of the Northumberland National Park, they are formed from a dramatic sandstone escarpment and provide easy walking with fine views especially in the northern sector.
This out and back walk is based from the Lordenshaws car park (grid ref. NZ052988) on a minor road off the B6342 that runs south from Rothbury. Other alternative starting points are possible but involve walking through an extensive plantation of conifers - certainly not my idea of pleasant walking! After parking your car, cross the lane and take the obvious path that heads south west to climb steadily to the skyline. This path continues to follow the escarpment to reach the summit of Simonside in just over two miles.
Little descriptive text is required for this walk as the route remains clear for the full length of the escarpment with the summit rocks of Simonside perched above a col. The ridge does continue to Tosson Hill, which overtops Simonside by 11 metres. This adds another three miles to the walk although it must be stressed that although there is a path there is in fact no right away beyond Simonside summit.
The walk, although short offers some extensive views across Coquetdale with the Cheviots forming the skyline and enables you to fully appreciate the understated beauty of this part of the Northumberland National Park. In addition there are some notable archaeological remains dating from the Stone and Bronze ages a few hundred yards from Lordenshaws car park.
Two excellent brochures entitled "Lordenshaws" and "Simonside" are available free of charge from the Tourist Information Centre in Rothbury and other National Park Centres. These provide a brief overview of the history of the respective sites.
Other walks nearby
Walk 2148 | Simonside Circular | easy/mod | 4.7 miles |
Walk 2095 | Simonside Hills & Rothbury | moderate | 7.9 miles |
Walk 2163 | Darden Pike & Darden Lough | easy/mod | 4.2 miles |
Walk 3085 | The Dodd & Wether Cairn | moderate | 9.5 miles |
Walk 1805 | An introduction to the Breamish Valley | easy | 2.0 miles |
Walk 1766 | Cushat Law and Bloodybush Edge from Hartside | mod/hard | 12.5 miles |
Walk 2282 | Bewick Moor | moderate | 9.1 miles |
Walk 1200 | Windy Gyle | moderate | 7.5 miles |
Walk 1763 | Mozie Law & Windy Gyle | moderate | 8.2 miles |
Walk 1764 | The Cheviot from Langleeford | mod/hard | 8.2 miles |
Recommended Books & eBooks
Hadrian's Wall Path
Hadrians Wall Path guidebook to walk the 84 mile National Trail. Described in both directions, the main description is west to east between Bowness-on-Solway and Wallsend, Newcastle, with extensions to Maryport and South Shields. With extensive historical information related to this World Heritage site and separate 1:25,000 OS map booklet included.
More information
Walking in Northumberland
This guidebook contains detailed route descriptions for 36 day walks in Northumberland including the Cheviot Hills. The terrain varies from wild walks and craggy ascents to gentle riverside strolls. Each route ranges from 4 to 16 miles in length and there is the opportunity to link several walks together to create longer treks.
More information
Mountain Weather
Stay safe on the mountains with detailed weather forecasts - for iOS devices or for Android devices.