HUMBLETON HILL, TOM TALLON'S CRAG & COMMONBURN

Rising above Milfield Plain, the heights and meltwater channels of Humbleton and Harehope lead to a high plateau, traversing above Common Burn. An ideal walk for the inquisitive and energetic, with waymarked ways revealing a basket of summits and crags. Abundant moorland wildlife, historical remains and folklore complete the enjoyment.

From the car park walk north beyond the information board, crossing Humbleton Burn onto the fenced Nature Trail. After approximately 100yds/m a grass footpath left, marked ‘St Cuthbert’s Way’, ascends between larch and Douglas fir to a perimeter wall, seats and picnic bench. Pass through the wicket gate onto a bridleway twisting west, between a series of bracken clad glacial mounds north-east of Brown’s Law. At the gated crosstracks, by sheep pens and an incongruous ‘British Rail’ wagon, pass through to turn right descending with a line of ageing ash to the red pantiles of High Humbleton.

Immediately left the great bulk of Humbleton Hill rears above, whilst ahead the flat fertile acres of Milfield Plain lead the gaze north-east over the moors of Weetwood and Doddington (sites of Bronze Age ‘cup and ring marks’).

Prior to High Humbleton, a finger post, ‘Cleadscleugh 1.5 miles’, directs us left, i.e. west-north-west on a gated cart track below the rock strewn upper slopes of Humbleton Hill. Don’t let the views over the Milfield Plain prevent you from taking the left fork at a dual waymarked post, leaving the bridleway for an ascending footpath south-west between Humbleton and Harehope. The footpath is, in fact, a wide and initially rocky track ascending to the col between the two meltwater scarred hills. North, the rock and scree face of Monday Cleugh divides Harehope and Gains Law, whilst to the south the dry valley - Meltwater Channel - slices through the skirts of Humbleton Hill. Footpath markers continue to guide the walker to the path junction below the summit bump of Gains Law.

Turn right to pass Gains Law for a westerly 2.5 mile scenic hike to below Tom Tallon’s Crag, that provides a unique taste of the total isolation of the Cheviots. The route is waymarked and good underfoot, with a couple of exceptions: a) after leaving the wall west of Black Hill and b) west and below Tom Tallon’s Crag; and take care once over the stepstiled fence at the cleugh head between Gains Law and Black Law to leave the fence right, 25yds over the stile, onto a narrow trod through heather. A map is essential on this section, not so much for navigation but to identify the dozens of surrounding hills, crags and cleughs.

The dolerite outcrop known as Tom Tallon’s Crag can be seen on the immediate skyline, north of the public path which leads north-west through heather and tussock to a prominent dual marker post and cairn at GR 928282. A path that focuses attention, not on the crag but on the great prehistoric walled fort astride the twin domes of Yeavering Bell. Turn sharp left at the marked and cairned junction, to begin the trek south to Commonburn House Farm, veering left at the first fork to descend straight to the valley and farm of Common Burn. The aspect ahead is highlighted by a crescent of Cheviot’s outlyers, curving east over Great Moor and Preston Hill to Broadhope Hill, Hawsen Crags and Cold Law.

The final 3.25 miles is alongside, or on the central grass strip of Commonburn Lane. A straight untrammelled way that provides nothing but ever freshening views with grouse, peewit, lark, weasel, rabbit and hare for company, as it skirts the coniferous flank of Fredden Hill to meet the gorse-clad shoulders of Coldberry Hill and Brown’s Law. Here we leave the lane left for a waymarked grassy ascent of Brown’s Law, and a bracken lined descent to the ladder stile into the larch of our outward path from the car park. If time and energy allow why not explore the adjoining Nature Trail.

Tony Austin & Joe McDermott kindly used their cars in order to transport Kate Mouter, Anne Marie Forster, Ian Thomson, Christine Moran, John Tetlow & Rose Envy to Wooler where they met up with Ailie Langston, Linda Boakes, Russell Boakes, Chris Downie, Anna Hope, Jon Robinson & Kishor Raichura.