Walk 35 - Edlingham and Lemmington - Moderate Route

Distance: 5 miles (8 km)

Maps: Explorer 332

Walking time: 3 hours

Start: Edlingham Church

DOWLOAD a PDF of this walk with a map from here.

If you are travelling from the Rothbury direction take the B6341 heading towards Alnwick. Go directly across the A697 and continue along the B6341 and after a while turn left, signposted Edlingham (it’s actually the first left, but it’s quite a way from the crossroads).

Pass down the hill and take the first right and park on the verge before you reach the church (grid ref - NU113090).

Summary

A low level walk circular walk that treats you to some great views.
The walk stars and finishes at St John the Baptist church, a Medieval (11th century) Church. The church is mostly Norman, from two periods, the late 11th - early 12th Century and late 12th century.

During the walk you also see Edlingham Castle, which is a Grade I listed building that is managed by English Heritage. The ruins are mostly laid low though much of the solar tower still stands despite an impressive crack running several storeys down to ground level. The castle was more probably a fortified manor house typical of many medieval houses in this region.

Route Details.

From your car walk down towards the church (St John the Baptist) and turn left just in front of it (Public Footpath sign – Overthwarts 1 ¼, Lemmington Hall 1 ¾ ) and walk down a small path with the church away to your right.

St John the Baptist church is a Medieval (11th century) Church. The church is mostly Norman, from two periods, the late 11th - early 12th Century and late 12th century.

At the end of the path you pass through a small wooden gate and turn right, following the wall on your right and walk down and pass through a large gate, bear left and follow the fence on your left with a hedge the far side of it.

Away to your right is Edlingham Castle, which is a Grade I listed building that is managed by English Heritage. The ruins are mostly laid low though much of the solar tower still stands despite an impressive crack running several storeys down to ground level. The castle was more probably a fortified manor house typical of many medieval houses in this region.

As you continue on you pass two large gates before reaching the corner of the fence where it turns left through 90 degrees. You bear just 45 degrees here and head towards the stile in the top left corner of the field. After crossing the stile turn right and cross the old railway line to and through a small wooden gate that is located to the left of a large wooden gate (Public Footpath arrow on it).

Pass through the field following the field boundary on your right as you gradually drop down to a large wooden gate and pass through it.

From here you need to walk in the direction the Public Footpath arrow was pointing on the gatepost you just passed, which is away to the left. You are heading towards a telegraph pole on the far side of the field which is located in front of a wooded area (not the line of telegraph poles running away to your left).
Before you reach the telegraph pole you start to approach a fence line. At this point cast your eyes to your right and you can see a bridge crossing a small burn (with the burn being lined by trees). This can be seen at the furthest point of the U shape in the field. When you see the point you are heading for bear right to the bridge passing through a small wooden gate to get to it and cross the bridge taking you over the Edlingham Burn.

After crossing the bridge continue walking in the same direction passing to the right of a row of trees and walk directly up the hill in front of you. As you climb up you start to see the top of a large tree just in front of a house and you head towards this. As you reach the brow of the hill you will see the large gate you are heading towards which is just to the right of the tree. Pass through the gate and turn right and follow the road with the houses on your left.

Continue to follow the road as it bears around to the left and after a short while you are walking along a hedge lined single track road leading away from the farm. As you continue along you reach a fence on your right and then the road bends around to the right then left before you reach the T junction onto a road, with the old railway bridge away to your right.

Turn left here, walk 25 yards before turning right through a small wooden gate (Public Footpath sign – Broome Wood 1). Follow the trodden path through the wood, which is not great and rough underfoot in places but is fairly easy to navigate as you just need to run parallel to the fence away to your left.
After a little distance you reach and pass through a gate on your left hand side. At the time of writing there were some small trees lying across the path at this point which prevented you from walking beyond this gate.

Pass through the gate into the field. Walk in the direction of the Public Footpath arrow on the gate which is pointing towards another gate which is taking you through the boundary on the right of the field, with the gate located about a 1/3 distance down the field. The gate you are heading for has a wooded area behind it.

As you cross the field you can see a monument. This is called the Fellbridge monument as it once stood in Fellbridge, Surrey. When it was in Surrey it was known as the Evelyn Monument and in the 1920’s it was brought to Northumberland.

As you reach the gate pass through it and walk through a wooded area and cross a small bridge taking you over the burn. Pass into the next field. You need to bear slightly to the right as you head towards the gate which is located to the far right of the fence line that passes through the far side of the field. This gate is where the fence meets the trees (the trees are actually the line of the old railway).

When you reach this large metal gate pass through it, turn left but instead of following the boundary on your left walk out into the field passing between two prominent clumps of gorse bushes. As you reach the gorse bushes bear left heading towards a small cottage. Just as you pass the cottage you go through a wooden gate and turn right along the drive which is taking you away from the cottage.

You then reach a road and turn left along it. You have a very short section on the road here so be careful; walk on the right hand side so that you are facing oncoming traffic.

As you walk down the road you are treated to some spectacular views of the Cheviot Hills ahead of you.

Take the first road on your left (road sign – Lemmington Mill 1, Lemmington Hall ½) and continue up the single track road with some woods on your left. As the road rises up take the right fork (road sign – Lemmington Mill) and after a few yards you pass Garden Mill Cottage on your left as you continue along the single track road. As you reach and pass the last few houses (Forge Cottage and Mill Cottage) you then have a wood on your left with the ground dropping away on the right.

As the road turn right and drops steeply down don’t follow it but instead keep walking in the same direction (Public Footpath sign – Edlingham 1 ½ ) and walk along the edge of the field with a fence on your left and the field dropping down to the right. There is also a row of electricity poles running on your right so you will find yourself walking on the path with the poles on your right and the fence on your left.

You then reach and pass over a stile located to the right of a large gate and then continue following the fence on your left until you reach and pass over a stile located to the right of another large gate.

Walk in the direction of the Public Footpath arrow which is taking you in the same direction you were previously (i.e. don’t follow the track going up to the left) as you head towards an electricity pole heading back towards the tree line you passed earlier on in the walk after crossing the bridge. As you pass the electricity pole just skirt around the edge of the trees before turning right as you head back towards the bridge you passed earlier on and cross it.

Pass through the gate taking you into the field before walking into the middle of the field then bear left towards the old railway arches in the distance with the gate you need to pass through being just to the left of an electricity pole. Reach and pass through this large wooden gate and continue to follow the boundary on your left until you reach and pass through a wooden gate, pass over the old railway line and cross the stile back into the field. Cross over the corner of this field and follow the hedge on your right as you head back towards the church.

You reach and pass through the large wooden gate located just before the church and follow the wall on your left up to and through the small gate taking you into the lane that leads back to your car.