Falstone
Directions
To find the route out of Bellingham follow the signs for Wark and Hexham. Cross the North Tyne, turn right and follow the south bank. You are now in the Northumberland National Park. Continue for about 4 miles to the T-junction where you go right back over the Tyne. There follows a climb into Lanehead followed by a left. Close beyond the remains of Tarset Castle you turn onto the Falstone road.
The secluded little hamlet of Falstone lost nearly 80% of its parish under the waters of Kielder Reservoir. Today the village is a tranquil beauty spot surrounded by trees, and is a good stopping place, with post office, shop and pub. A tributary to the Tyne bubbles its way through the centre of the village and, depending on the time of year, it is possible to see dippers, heron, cormorants, goosanders, and with luck you may witness the miraculous sight of salmon spawning.
About the Village
From the 1st century AD the Northumbrian uplands fell under the control of an expanding Roman Empire. The principal bases of Roman power in the area lay at the forts of Risingham (Habitancum) and High Rochester (Bremenium), both on Dere Street, the main road into Scotland, and to the west at Bewcastle (Fanum Cocidii). Falstone is first recorded in the form 'Foustan' in 1317. This is thought to refer to the 'speckled stone' of the distinctive rocky outcrop, which acquired a religious significance in Medieval times.
Please Read the Following Route Advice Carefully:
It could make or break your trip
The next stage involves serious route choices which could either make or ruin your holiday. Either way, you take a right turn before the bridge in the centre of Falstone (it is marked as a dead- end), carry on down here for 50m and head left down a track to Hawkhope.
Your first choice faces you at Hawkhope:
1 Go left at the junction and head over the dam to join the road.
2 Take the forestry track along the north shore of Kielder Water. There are Reivers waymarks and also red arrows marked with the figure 6; both lead the same way. The track is good and is 8km in length, until you get to Gowanburn, where a tarmac road hives off to the left, taking you on a wiggly ride to Kielder village. You pass Kielder Castle and its visitor centre before getting to the village. Here you have another option:
3 The sensible one. Take the right turn up past Bell's Burn bridge, Deadwater and Saughtree, then left onto the B6357 and into Newcastleton. This is not the route on the map, but it makes a lot of sense.
4 Left, then right along Forest Enterprise Route 5c. Be warned, the this path has long, hard climbs.
If you take Option 1 above, the south shore option at the dam, then do bear in mind that the road can get busy in the summer. There is another choice to be faced:
1 Take the off-road Lewis Burn track to Newcastleton, 3km beyond the Leaplish Waterside Park. This is an extremely arduous off-road section through forestry where even experienced hands have been known to get lost.
2 Carry on along the aforementioned Saughtree road and head out to Newcastleton along the B6357, keeping your wheels firmly on terra firma.
NB: I would seriously advise anyone with panniers to take the ROAD to Newcastleton, and ignore all suggestions on the Footprint route map trying to lure you into the woods; it is 24km of off-road wilderness, with no services; not even a McDonald's.
Newcastleton is the only beacon of civilisation (apart from accommodation around Bailey Mill) between Kielder and the village (a seeming metropolis) of Hethersgill, some 30km away. If you are fit and unencumbered, there is yet another tough option: 3 Up Serpent Brae. Go left at the Leaplish centre, under the underpass and beetle up the severe incline before turning right and heading through the forest. You should emerge at somewhere called The Forks, where you join the Lewis Burn route to Akenshawburn, where the track crosses the border and snakes along the Scottish side of the Kershope Burn. At Kershope Bridge you can go right to Newcastleton or turn left towards Bailey Mill and yonder hills.
Accommodation
| The Pheasant Inn, Stannersburn, Falstone, by Kielder Water, NE48 1DD | |
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Traditional and unspoilt country inn which features in Alistair |
Run by: Robin Kershaw |
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Rooms : 4D, 3T, 1F (sleeps 4). B&B : £45-£50. Eve meal : about £17 for 3-courses. Pk lunch : please pre-order. Secure lock up. On route. 01434 240382 www.thepheasantinn.com / [email protected] |
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Have you stayed here? Let us know! |
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