- Feel Good
- 7th Aug 2024
- 0
- 6 minutes
Take a walk on the wild side at Cragside
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The grounds at one of our favourite Northumberland National Trust properties, Cragside, span 1,000 acres, with a staggering 40 miles of footpaths that cris-cross the beautiful landscape.
The team has made it easy to navigate, with waymarked routes to guide you. If you’re up for a challenge, two extra-long walks have opened this year.
Whether you want to explore with the kids, take in some history at the same time as racking up your steps, or want to tire your pooch out – there’s a walk for everyone at Cragside.
Dogs are welcome in all outdoor areas at Cragside. The National Trust asks that dogs be always kept on leads to protect wildlife and support those who are cautious around dogs. There are also lots of steep drops, so your dog is extra safe on a lead. More information, including where the dog bins and water bowls are, can be found on their website.
HLN’S TOP TIPS FOR EXPLORING AT CRAGSIDE
Wear sturdy shoes or boots: The terrain at Cragside is varied, uneven, and hilly. Most of the footpaths are either stone steps or gravel tracks, so sturdy shoes or boots are essential for exploring.
Pack water and snacks: Everything across the grounds is spread out, so it’s good to pack some snacks and water, especially if you are taking on one of the longer walks.
Stay safe in the sun: Don’t forget your hats and sunscreen on summer days.
Ready to go? Here are our picks of the walks we love…
VIEWS FOR DAYS
A new waymarked route for this summer is the View of Cragside walk.
Cragside gets its name from being built on the side of a crag, and its high elevation means there are some spectacular views. No one knows the grounds better than the outdoors teams and this new walk has been designed by the Rangers.
Witness the rolling hills of Northumberland from a well-placed bench. Discover the view of the stepped Simonside Hills from the Formal Garden and see a picture-perfect snapshot of the House, perfectly framed by the trees on the hillside.
This walk also opens up a new pathway through the Parkland, which connects the Powerhouse and the Formal Garden.
At 5.5 miles long, it will take up to 3 hours to complete. Follow the black waymarkers.
THE POWER WALK
To set the scene for this next walk we need to explain a bit of history…
Cragside was the first place in the world to be lit using hydroelectricity. William Armstrong, described as a ‘Geordie Genius’ used the grounds as an experimental playground to harness the power of water to light the house.
On the Hydro-power Trail, you will not only have the opportunity to enjoy the gorgeous scenery, you will also have the chance to discover parts of Cragside’s pioneering past.
This 6-mile hike takes you to all of Armstrong’s technology and adaptations to the landscape. Discover the timber flume that channelled water into Nelly’s Moss – the engineered twin lakes at the top of the grounds, which were created as the giant water stores needed to generate hydroelectricity.
See the turbines, dynamos and generators at the Powerhouse and trek to the Pumphouse to find out how Armstrong adapted his dock-side crane technology to push water to Britain’s original smart home. Follow the purple waymarkers.
A HIKE WITH THE KIDS
If you have little ones in tow and want something more gentle, this is the walk for you.
Uncover a completely different side of Cragside on the Rocky Ramble. This short but thrilling, circular walk takes you up stone steps, through tunnels of rock, and alongside rugged cliffs.
At just 1.5 miles, it takes about an hour to complete. Kids will feel like they’re on an adventure through an unknown land as they hunt for the next waymarker along the route. Look out for the brown waymarkers.
THE INSPIRATION TRAIL
Not far from the adventure play area is the start of the Inspiration Trail.
This 1.5 mile circular walk takes you along a track to Slipper Lake. Nestled in a clearing on the hillside, the lake is a great place for dragonfly spotting during the summer.
From here, you’ll see a large stone with a William Armstrong quote carved in it. Follow the zig-zagging steps up the crag and look out for more quotes as you climb.
Towards the top, you’ll discover a wooden bridge that spans the ravine, which will show you views across the Northumberland valley between the trees. Follow the pink waymarkers.
Did you know?
The grounds that surround Cragside House are actually a huge designer garden.
Cragside was the home of Victorian power couple, William and Margaret Armstrong.
When they moved into their house near Rothbury in Northumberland, the landscape looked very different. It was a rugged, heathery moorland.
As they extended what was a small hunting lodge into their dream home, they also sculpted the grounds around it to create a fantasy mountain landscape. Designed with beauty and function in mind, they planted millions of trees and covered the hillsides in swathes of rhododendrons.
Engineered lakes were created as vital water stores to power hydraulics and generate hydroelectricity.
Everything that the Armstrongs did was on a colossal scale. The trees in the Pinetum were selected for their enormous size once they reached maturity. The Debdon Burn, which flows through the valley on the property, was shaped to make feature pools. Replica wears were built to span the water to form cascades at different points along the Burn, and giant stones were hauled into place as rustic sculptures.
The Gorge was dynamited to make it bigger, and the rock was chiselled to create the most perfect waterfalls.
Each time you visit Cragside you can discover something new and different.
Cragside, Rothbury, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE65 7PX
Rachael Ellis
Head of Content
After gaining a first in her BA Media and Journalism degree at Northumbria University, Rachael worked at Newcastle’s leading regional newspaper with her stories being picked up in national and global newspapers. She spent two very successful years giving a voice to those communities across the North East who otherwise…
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