HPB Lucker Hall: Rothbury and Simonside

Rothbury, nestling in the valley beside the River Coquet, is often referred to as the “Capital of Coquetdale”. The small town has a village-like atmosphere with its assortment of shops, cafes and pubs mainly along the length of its main street.

Located close to both the Simonside Hills and the Cheviots, it is a popular base for walkers. This walk enables you to enjoy a gentle stroll alongside the river before entering the Northumberland National Park. You have a choice:

Route (a) involves a challenging climb to reach the top of Simonside (1411ft; 430m). The ensuing ridge walk provides splendid views across to both the coast to the east, and the Cheviot Hills to the west. The rugged descent might deter those with knee problems and poles are recommended;

Route (b) replaces the challenging sections with an undulating road walk. On the return, towards Rothbury, both routes pass through Lordenshaws, the site of important pre-historic cup-and-ring rock markings, as well as an Iron Age fort.

1. From the car park cross the footbridge over the River Coquet, turn left and follow the riverside surfaced path, ignoring paths off. (However, should you wish to visit the town centre, you need only walk straight ahead from the footbridge some 150m). After about ¾ mile, go through a gate. You soon cross a footbridge and then go through another gate before joining a farm access road. Turn left and follow the road to an arched footbridge.

2. Cross the bridge (Lady’s Bridge). Continue ahead on the vehicular track with a fence on your left. The track turns left with a stone wall on the right. The track becomes an access road as it passes a number of properties on the site of a former mill.

3. At a T-junction (Tosson Mill), turn left onto the minor road. Follow the road a short distance and turn right at the junction signed, “Great Tosson ½; Lordenshaws 2½”. The road climbs gradually to the hamlet of Great Tosson where you meet a road coming in from the left. A faded signpost indicates that a picnic area is down this road.

Route (b) For the shorter walk, turn left down this road. You need to follow this road for 2 miles. After about ¾ mile you reach the picnic area. For some relief from the road walking, turn right to the Forests of Rothbury information board. Turn left and walk through the car park. Pass between four stones to join a path. Ignore paths off and continue along the edge of the wood before returning to the road. Turn right and follow the undulating road until you arrive at Lordenshaws car park, where you re-join the longer route at point 10 below.

4. Route (A) However, to continue on the longer route, ignore the road off and proceed a few metres to a parking area. Here an information panel explains the significance of the nearby ruined Tosson Tower. Continue past the pleasant properties to Great Tosson farm and a fingerpost, “Tosson Burgh Hill Fort ¼; Simonside 1½”. Turn left through the gateway and bear right to pass farm buildings on your left, with a stone wall on your right. Just after a dwelling on the right, turn left to cross a stile at a further fingerpost.

Walk to the left of the small summerhouse to pick up a well-trodden steep path. The path leads through a kissing gate and continues uphill between the gorse bushes. Ignore a permissive path to the right and continue climbing to reach the corner of the forest. You go through a gate where a waymark indicates that an iron age hillfort lies to the right. However, continue ahead. You pass two stiles/gates. Simonside ridge dramatically appears ahead. Yes, you will be going up there!

5. The path leads into the forest via a gate. Now you will have to exercise your navigational skills as forestry work has obscured some of the route. You soon reach a track. Turn right and after 40m, at a small waymark post, leave the track to continue on a clear path. You begin to gain height again. The path narrows and can be muddy, particularly, as you enter a somewhat devastated felled-area. Bear right, then almost immediately left through a waymarked fence to cross a further forest track. Continue ahead over the rough ground which can be stony, muddy and littered with discarded branches.

You reach a significant-looking fork to the left. Ignore this and instead, before a further fork to the right, bear left into a narrow bracken-sided, stony gully. Half- hidden towards the top of the gully is a waymark post. When you reach the post, turn left. The path passes over a moorland section on a softer peat-base before meeting a forest track where you turn right. After about 150m, turn left to an information panel, “Welcome to the Simonside Hills”.

6. Now prepare yourself for the steepest part of the walk up the face of Simonside. Clamber up the rugged and stony crag side as best as you can. After the relatively short climb you arrive at a cairn. You are rewarded with magnificent views. From here, the clear path for the next two miles is largely stone-flagged and mainly downwards.

7. After ¼ mile, at Old Stell Crag, the path bears right and descends quite steeply.

8. A further ¼ mile on a pleasant level stretch takes you to Dove Crag. Again you descend more sharply. Ignore a path off to the right and continue ahead through a gate.

9. A gradual climb along a pleasant broad path takes you past the final rise, The Beacon, marked by a rocky circular cairn. Below, you should be able to see your next goal, the car park. Continue descending. At a junction of paths, you join St Oswald’s Way and the stony path leads you down to the Lordenshaws car park.

10. You will be pleased to see from a fingerpost that Rothbury is 2 miles ahead. The area beyond the car park contains the remains of several ancient monuments.


You may be able to see the outline of the iron-age fort ahead to the right. A notice “Rock Art on Mobile Phones” indicates the location of the important archaeological sites in the vicinity.

11. Walk straight ahead. Look out for a path off to the left towards a metal sign and a large rock. It is worth following this to visit Main Rock, a good example of the cup-and-ring markings. A clear path leads back to the route. Continue ahead, climbing a short way before descending on the well-waymarked path. Eventually the path passes through a gate/stile. Continue ahead on the narrow green path which soon meets a track. The track winds round to pass through a small gate at the farm buildings of Whittondean. Continue ahead along the farm access track.

12. After about ¾ mile you pass Sharp’s Folly with its explanatory plaque. As the track descends between the trees, keep left at a fork, just after the cottage (Folly Cottage). You arrive at a road where you turn left. Walk downhill past some splendid properties.

Just before the junction, leave the road and turn right, to follow the public footpath, “Rothbury ½”. The green path descends to meet an access lane which leads down to the road. Turn left and walk 200m to return to the car park and the end of the walk.