Reiver’s Way
A 140-mile long-distance path in the north of England celebrating the county of Northumberland, home of the notorious Border Reivers who terrorised the borderlands of England and Scotland between the 13th and 16th centuries. With map, statistics, and GPX route file.
Statistics and Files
Grid Ref: NY 988 644
Distance: 140 miles (225 km)
Time: 60–70 hours
Duration: 10–14 days
Ordnance Survey Explorer Maps (1:25,000):
OL16 Cheviot Hills
OL42 Kielder Water and Forest
OL43 Hadrian’s Wall, Haltwhistle and Hexham
307 Consett and Derwent Reservoir
332 Alnwick, Amble, Craster and Whittingham
340 Holy Island and Bamburgh
Summary
The Reiver’s Way is a route wandering across Northumberland in the footsteps of the notorious Border Reivers who terrorised communities in and around the Anglo-Scottish Border country between the 13th and 16th centuries. They were thieves, vagabonds, and stock rustlers who raided indiscriminately and kept local law forces very busy.
The walk begins in Corbridge in the Tyne Valley, soon passing some of the best stretches of Hadrian’s Wall before heading northwest over the Cheviot Hills and finishing with a walk along the Northumberland Coast Path into Alnmouth. Places passed along the way include Dipton Wood, Slaley Forest, Lilswood Moor, Hexhamshire Common, Allendale Town, Allen Banks, Bardon Mill, Vindolanda Roman Fort, Housesteads Roman Fort, Halleypike Lough, Haughton Common, Broadpool Common, Wark, Birtley, Tone Hall, Raylees Common, Elsdon, Harwood Forest, Tosson Hill, Simonside Hills, Rothbury, Thropton, Coquet Dale, Hepple, Holystone, Harbottle, Wholehope Knowe, Kidland Forest, Yarnspath Law, Score Head, Cairn Hill, The Cheviot, Scald Hill, Broadhope Hill, Watch Hill, Wooler, St Cuthbert’s Cave, Belford, Bamburgh, Seahouses, Beadnell, Embleton Bay, Dunstanburgh Castle, Craster, and Boulmer.
(Note: Other sources state the distance of the Reiver’s Way as 150 miles, but my plot following the route indicated in the official book measures it at 140 miles.)