Walking in the North Pennines. Paddy Dillon
countryside
Many years ago, when faced with the wide-open moorlands of the North Pennines, some walkers simply assumed that they could walk anywhere, while others were more cautious and concerned about the complete lack of rights of way in some areas. The situation over the past few years has been clarified immensely. Rights of way can be followed by anyone, at any time, but there is also a huge amount of designated access land that can be visited by walkers most of the time. The vast military range, the Warcop Training Area, has not been designated access land, and anyone wanting to walk there will find opportunities very limited.
Large areas of open moorland have been designated access land under the Countryside and Rights of Way (CROW) Act 2000. ‘Access land’ should not be regarded as offering unlimited access. Some areas are indeed open all the time, but others are ‘restricted’, and can be closed for various reasons, including grouse shooting and the movement of animals. There may be a complete ban on dogs at any time in some areas, so check in advance whether this is the case. It is always a good idea to check whether any other restrictions or closures are in force – get in touch with the Open Access Contact Centre, tel 0845 1003298, www.openaccess.naturalengland.org.uk. It is likely that notices will be posted at main access points indicating the nature of any closures. Remember that the access granted is on foot only, and does not extend to bicycles or vehicles, nor does it imply any right to camp on a property.
Prominent signs announce ‘access land’ and note any restrictions in force
Getting to the North Pennines
By air
Few visitors to the North Pennines arrive by air. Newcastle Airport, tel 0871 8821121, www.newcastleairport.com, has good connections with the rest of Britain, as well as several European cities. The Metro system links the airport with Newcastle Central Station every few minutes for onward travel. Tees Valley Airport, tel 0871 2242426, www.durhamteesvalleyairport.com, is less well connected, but is also a handy option. Sky Express buses connect the airport with the nearby transport hub of Darlington, allowing rapid connections to the eastern parts of the North Pennines. Leeds Bradford Airport, www.lbia.co.uk, is another option. There are regular Metroconnect buses from the airport to Leeds, enabling a link with the Settle to Carlisle railway line to the Vale of Eden.
By sea
Ferries reach Newcastle from Amsterdam, bringing the North Pennines within easy reach of the Low Countries. Check ferry schedules with DFDS Seaways, tel 0871 5229955, www.dfdsseaways.co.uk. DFDS runs its own buses between the ferryport and Newcastle Central Station for onward travel.
By train
Railways almost encircle the North Pennines, but do not penetrate into the area. Cross Country trains provides direct long-distance rail access to Darlington, Durham and Newcastle from Exeter, Bristol, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Glasgow, www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk. There are also direct Virgins Trains East Coast rail services to Darlington, Durham and Newcastle from London Kings Cross and Edinburgh, www.virgintrainseastcoast.com. Northern trains, www.northernrailway.co.uk, operates along a branch line from Darlington to Bishop Auckland. Carlisle has direct Virgin Trains services from London Euston, www.virgintrains.co.uk. Rail services between Carlisle and Newcastle are operated by Northern Rail, and the same company also runs along the celebrated Settle to Carlisle line through the Vale of Eden, serving Kirkby Stephen, Appleby and Langwathby.
By bus
National Express runs direct services from London Victoria Coach Station to Newcastle and Carlisle, tel 0871 7818181, www.nationalexpress.com. Some long-distance Arriva buses operate to Newcastle, which is one of the hubs in their network, tel 0870 1201088, www.arrivabus.co.uk. Some long-distance Stagecoach buses operate to Carlisle, one of the hubs in their network, www.stagecoachbus.com. JH Coaches offers an interesting, regular cross-country service between Blackpool and Newcastle, www.jhminibreaks.co.uk.
Getting around the North Pennines
The last time a reasonably comprehensive brochure was produced listing most of the useful bus services around the North Pennines was in 2007. There do not seem to be any plans to reintroduce such a publication, which leaves readers the awkward task of tracking down individual timetable leaflets. This is not easy to do, but essential if you are hoping to use public transport to, from, or around places where it is sparse or irregular. Throughout this guidebook, the names of local operators are given so that contact can be made with them. The vast majority of routes in this guidebook were researched using local bus services. See also Appendix B.
By train
Railways do not penetrate the North Pennines. The Weardale Railway operates only between Wolsingham, Frosterley and Stanhope, but has plans to extend its services in future, www.weardale-railway.org.uk. The South Tyne Railway is a very limited narrow-gauge line running only between Alston and Kirkhaugh, but again there are plans to extend the line, www.strps.org.uk.
By bus
While some bus operators make their timetables easy to obtain, others don’t, and there are several operators running a variety of regular and irregular services around the North Pennines. Bear in mind that very few services run from dale to dale, so there is no real ‘network’ allowing easy travel from one place to another. You can always walk!
Stagecoach buses, www.stagecoachbus.com, operates regular services between Carlisle and Newcastle, from Carlisle to Brampton and Alston, and from Kendal to Kirkby Stephen. Most of the East Fellside is sparsely served by Fellrunner buses, tel 01768 88232, www.fellrunnerbus.co.uk. However, the villages near Appleby are served by Robinson’s buses. Grand Prix buses, tel 017683 41328, www.grandprixservices.co.uk, operate between Penrith, Appleby, Brough and Kirkby Stephen. Central Coaches serves Bowes from Barnard Castle, while Hodgson’s buses serves Greta Bridge from Barnard Castle and Richmond. Arriva buses, tel 0870 1201088, www.arrivabus.co.uk, runs most of the buses in Teesdale. Weardale Travel, tel 01388 528235, www.weardale-travel.co.uk, operates throughout Weardale, as well as linking Weardale with Consett and Blanchland. Go North East buses, tel 0190 4205050, www.simplygo.com, serves Consett from Newcastle, as well as operating Tynedale buses serving Allendale from Hexham. Wright Brothers buses, tel 01434 381200, runs local services around Alston, as well as a very important summer service linking Alston with Newcastle, Hexham, Penrith and Keswick. Telfords Coaches, tel 013873 75677, link Nenthead and Alston with Carlisle.
Traveline
Timetable information can be checked for any form of public transport in and around the North Pennines by contacting Traveline, tel 0871 2002233, www.traveline.info. It is also possible to enter start and finish points into Google Maps and be given transport links.