Hepburn Woods Walk 2 Visiting :- An Iron age fort, Ross hill castle and Ross hill woods. Location OS Landranger Sheet 75 Start point NU073248 Length 4.5 miles How to get there Take the B6346 Alnwick to Chatton road. At Harehope Hall where B6346 indicates left, continue on past Old Bewick and turn east for Hepburn Woods where signposted. Stop at the Forest Enterprise car park Download walk instructions Click Here check your downloads folder

Walks Allen Banks Belford Blanchland 1 Blanchland 2 Blawearie Cheviot Craster Ellingham Etal - River Till Hadrian's Wall 1 Hadrian's Wall 2 Hepburn Woods 1 Hepburn Woods 2 Holy Island Holystone Woods Hulne Park, Newburn-Wylam Rothbury Shaftoe Crags Thirwall Walk 1 Thrunton Woods 1 Thrunton Woods 2 Wall Wark-Redesmouth Warkworth Beach West Woodburn Yeavering Bell Lakes walks Bowfell Scafell Pike Northumberland's Castles Alnwick Aydon Bamburgh Barmoor (Lowick) Beaufront Belford Bellingham Bellister Belsay Berwick upon Tweed Birtley Blenkinsopp  Bolam Bothal Bywell Callaly Capheaton Cartington. Chillingham Chipchase Cornhill Coupland Dally Dilston Dunstanburgh Edlingham Elsdon Eshott Etal Featherstone Fenham Ford Gunnerton Haggerston Halton Haltwhistle Harbottle Haughton Castle Heaton Hexham Hirst Horton(Chatton) Langley Lindisfarne Low Horton Lowick Mitford Morpeth Nafferton Newcastle upon Tyne Norham Ogle Otterburn Ponteland Prudhoe Seaton Deleval Sewingshields Shawdon Simonburn Swinburne (Great) Tarset Thirwall Titlington Tweedmouth Twizell Tynemouth Warden Wark on Tweed Wark on tyne Warkworth Whitley Widdrington Willimoteswick Wooler Bill's Castles A Welsh Castle Newport (Pembs) Contact Cookies-Privacy Policy

Start :- From the car park take the track past the gate barrier and left into the wood the walk goes up the hill over a stile and through some huge boulders to a picnic table with the best views in Northumberland.

Past the picnic table there are the remains of a substantial Iron Age Fort. The path goes slightly left out of the fort and heads across the heather moorland towards Ros Hill for about half a mile before coming to a minor road.

Across the road the path leads up Ros Hill this was also the site of a prehistoric fort. The climb is steep in places. Ros Castle is not a "castle" but was a camp. this noted on a plaque at the top of the hill .

The compensation for the climb is one of the best vantage points in Northumberland. Looking to the coast you can see all the major castles. To the east Cheviot and it's satellites. Directly below to the north west are the grounds of Chillingham Castle famous for its wild "White Cattle"

Click picture to expand

The wall here is that of the Chillingham estate keep it to your left and follow it down through the heather. Continue on as the trees of Ros Hill Wood join on the right. Keep going down keeping the wall to your left, you will pass a boundary marker. Keep going.

The walk turns right at a point where there is an old gatewayon the left. Take the path right, into the woods.

You will emerge from the wood to great view of the coast and the Farne Islands A little hazy the day I was there

From there turn right there is another boundary stone dated 1859 after about 60 yards. Follow the fence and walk south climbing gently. The path turns right following the side of the wood. Follow it round to where there is an opening back into the woods. I have marked the entrance with an X on this picture.

Make your way though the wood following the path gently uphill. I was here on a bank holiday weekend and had the place to myself. So, so Quiet. Through a clearing the path takes a left hand this goes directly to the stile that provides the exit from Ros Hill woods.

Walk straight down to the road and follow it to the right.

Pass the Blawearie signpost (See the Blawearie walk from Old Bewick)

Follow the road back past Ros hill on your right down the Hill and over the cattle grid left to the car park.

For consideration, when using the countryside This selection of walks in Northumberland follow recognised public rights of way or permissive paths and should be easy for most people to negotiate: but please remember that wet and winter weather can make paths muddy in places and the summer months produce fresh growth of vegetation - so wear suitable clothing and footwear. If on any of these walks you find obstructions, or damage to stiles or footbridges which make paths impassible, please report these details as soon as possible to the countryside department of the Local or National Park authority responsible for the area. Relationships between local farmers and those who use the footpaths are generally very good and there is no reason why they should not remain so given reasonable attitudes and understanding. Remember that the countryside is the farmers' livelihood, so please observe the Country Code : keep to the paths; close gates after you ; and take care not to cause damage, or leave litter; keep your dog under control; and leave all wild flowers for others to enjoy. Taken from: Country Walks in East Tynedale by Philip R. B. Brooks (1978) NBM Sept 2009 Dogs in the countryside :- On Rights of Way - Dogs must be kept under close control, preferably on a short lead. On Access Land - 1) Keep your dog on a short lead from 1 March to 31 July this to protect ground nesting birds from disturbance 2) Local restrictions may include a ban on dogs. 3) Note that restrictions do not apply to Guide/Hearing dogs, or if you are using a public right of way

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