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Walk 1202 - printer friendly version

The Simonside Hills near Rothbury Walk

Author - Lou Johnson

Length - 4.5 miles / 7.3 km

Ascent - 710 feet / 215 metres

Grade - easy

Start - OS grid reference NZ052988
Lat 55.283304 + Long -1.9196803
Postcode NE61 4PU (approx. location only)

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.

Walk 1202 Route Map

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