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St. Cuthbert's Way
General Information
St Cuthbert's Way is a new long-distance path established in1996. It extends from Melrose in the Scottish borders to the island ofLindisfarne just off the coast of Northumberland in northeast England, linkingplaces associated with St Cuthbert. It includes a variety delightful and quiteunspoiled countryside: the Tweed valley (origin of the famous woolen cloth),the Eildon Hills, the Cheviot Hills (origin of one of the most famous breeds ofsheep), and the Northumberland coast with its broad horizons, sandy beaches,and dramatic contrasts between high and low tide. The small historic towns enroute - Melrose, Jedburgh and Wooler - are equally unspoiled and offer a pleasantcontrast with the thinly populated countryside. There is an abundance ofhistorical remains including ruined abbeys at Melrose, Jedburgh andLindisfarne. The standard route is intended to be walkable in 4 long days, butwe have made several modifications to make the route longer and perhaps moreinteresting.
The tour ends on Lindisfarne, but we recommend that if youhave time, you opt for the extended tour which takes you back to the mainlandand the beautiful village of Bamburgh overlooked by its grand castle andfurther down the coast, past the magnificent ruins of Dunstanburgh castle tonear the ancient kipper producing village of Craster.
Duration 8days (7 nights) of 10 days (9 nights)
Season: April to September, but necessity of fitting in with the tides on thecrossing to and from Lindisfarne means that you need to check with us to makesure that this is feasible.
Starting point: Melrose
End of tour:Lindisfarne (normal route) or Dunstan (near Craster) on the extension.
Nearest major cities: Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle-onTyne.
Nearest airports: Edinburgh, Newcastle, Glasgow International, PrestwickInternational, London
To reach starting point
FromEdinburgh airport bus/taxi to city centerbus station, then bus to Melrose
FromNewcastle airport Metro to Newcastle central station, thentrain to Berwick-on-Tweed, then bus from train station to Melrose
FromGlasgow airport bus to Edinburgh busstation then bus to Melrose
FromPrestwick train to Glasgow central stationthen train to Edinburgh and bus to Melrose. It is about 15 minutes walk or ashort taxi ride between Edinburgh Waverley train station and the central busstation in St Andrews Square.
From Londonairports train/underground to London KingsCross train station, then train to Berwick-on-Tweed, and then bus from trainstation to Melrose. We provide times of the Berwick-Melrose bus service in theroute notes.
End of tour
From Lindisfarne you cantake a taxi to Berwick Upon Tweed railway station for about £16 (approx US$32). If you are on the extension, from the last accommodation take a taxi to Alnmouth trainstation for trains to Newcastle, London, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Some local buses may also fit in with youritinerary.
Your accommodation
Accommodation is on a bed and breakfastbasis throughout. There are pubs serving bar meals near each of the overnightstops and lunches (a packed lunch can be ordered from most of theaccommodations; alternatively there is in most cases a grocery shop nearbywhere picnic materials can be obtained).
Please note that below we described our usualaccommodations. If they are notavailable for the dates you book we will endeavor to use alternativeaccommodations of a similar standard: Note all the below are on a Bed and Breakfast basis.
Night 1: Melrose.We stay in comfortable accommodation offering en suite facilities near to thetown center. Drying facilities areavailable.
Night 2: Ancrum. Just off the route we stay at a small B&B in the center of thevillage with modern rooms; also a 3star establishment. Drying facilitiesare also available.
Night 3: Morebattle. We stay in a small town inn here, in theroute. The rooms are en suite, newlyrefurbished with tea and coffee and there is of course, the bar!
Night 4:Kirk Yetholm. In this border village we stay at a very pleasant traditionalcottage B&B just off the village square.
Night 5: Wooler. We use a small family run guesthouse on thehigh street in this pleasant market town. This is a tourist board 4 star establishment with well appointed roomswith a rustic charm and lovely furnishings. Laundry and drying facilities are available.
Night 6:Lowick. This village is off the route,but you will be collected from Fenwick which is on the way. At Lowick you will stay in a lovely Inn, 4diamond grading, it was originally built in the 17th Century. The pub still retains a great deal of oldcharm and the original beams are visible in the snug bar. The spacious dining room leads off the barand offers a wide range of home cooked food prepared from as much local produceas available. En suite rooms and freedrying facilities, but laundry is not available.
Night7: Lindisfarne(Holy Island). In the only village onHoly Island we stay at a newly furbished old pub. South-facing views over the priory, the Farne Islands, BamburghCastle and of course, the famous Holy Island Castle. (Laundry and drying facilities are not available).
ExtensionAccommodation:
Night 8: Bamburgh. Our hotel is a grade IIlisted building overlooking the village green that is dominated by the walls ofBamburgh Castle. Formerly a country inn, the modernized hotel retains theatmosphere and charm of a bygone era. Almost all rooms have en-suitefacilities. TV and tea-making facilities are standard.
Night 9: NearCraster, a village famous for its smoked kipper, we spend our final night in agood quality country house hotel.
Included
Bed and breakfast with en suite facilities where available. Luggage transfers from Inn to Inn. Full route notes and map package.
Extendyour Stay
Extra nights: Ideally perhaps at Melrose from $67 perperson per night, Lindisfarne from $77 per person per night, or Bamburgh from$105 per person per night.
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ITINERARY |
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Day 1. Arrive Melrose. An opportunity to explore the town and visit the Abbey church, a 12th century foundation that is now a magnificent ruin. Dependent on your time of arrival it may also be possible to visit Sir Walter Scott's former home at Abbotsford (3 miles), using taxi or local bus service. If you arrive early enough it is also possible to do the first part of the Day 2 walk over the Eildon Hills as far as Newtown St Boswells, returning to Melrose by bus or taxi in the evening. Melrose to Newtown St Boswells 5 miles. Day 2. Melrose to Ancrum 14 miles. We start with the longest day! We walk over the steep-sided Eildon Hills (402m and 404m), which provide panoramic views of the Tweed valley. We descend to Newtown St Boswells and follow the banks of the Tweed, Just across the River Tweed and accessible by a footbridge is Dryburgh Abbey, another superb ruin and the site of Sir Walter Scott's grave. From St Boswells we continue along the riverbank footpath for about 4 miles to Maxton, and then strike off along Dere Street (an ancient Roman track way) to Harestanes, where we need to bear off the route a bit to reach our accommodation at Ancrum. Day 3. Ancrum to Morebattle 12 miles. We need to return to Harestanes and then cross the River Teviot. At Jedfoot bridge we join the old Roman Road of Dere Street for a few miles until fairly near the hamlet of Crailinghall. Next the trail passes the tower of Cessford Castle, which was built in the 15C by the Ker clan and abandoned in the 17thC. Then we reach the neat Borders village of Morebattle for our overnight stay. Day 4. Moorebattle to Kirk Yetholm 6.5 miles. Today is only a relatively short day, but has a steep ascent. From Morebattle the route crosses the Kale water river before ascending steeply to Wideopen Hill 369 m where the views are literally wide open! Shortly we descend to stroll alongside and then cross attractive Bowmont Water. We then come to our next night’s stop at Kirk Yetholm, just at the northern end of the Pennine Way, Britain’s first long distance trail. Day 5. Kirk Yetholm to Wooler 13 miles. Today we cross the border into England. The terrain becomes hillier, the trail steeper and the views wider as we traverse the northern sector of the Cheviot Hills within the Northumberland National Park, crossing the beautiful College Valley, before descending to Wooler, a market town since the 13th century. Day 6. Wooler to Fenwick 12 miles (Transfer Lowick 3.5 miles by road) The route crosses the rolling terrain of Weetwood Moor and passes St Cuthbert's cave, where the saint's body was taken during the flight of the monks from Lindisfarne in 875AD after a Viking raid. You then descent through forests and agricultural land to reach Fenwich near the main road (A1). There is a phone box here to enable you to phone the Inn where you are staying tonight in order to transfer you to Lowick. Day 7. Fenwick to Holy Island 5.5 miles. In the morning you will be transferred back to Fenwick, from where you gingerly cross the main roads before taking the appropriately names ‘Fisher’s Back Road’ down to the causeway across the sands to Lindisfarne. The causeway is covered by the tide for up to 5 hours in every 12, so correct timing is essential. This should be preplanned when you book your holiday (we can inform you of the timings). While exploring the island you should visit the Priory ruins (12th to 16th century), and between April and September, the 16thC castle, which is filled with Flemish furniture and featured in the film Cul-de-Sac by Polanski. Extension Itineary Day 8. Holy Island to Bamburgh 13 miles. The next stop of the tour is back on the mainland at Bamburgh, in the designated Northumberland Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. From Lindisfarne you can travel part of the way with the baggage and then walk from Belford to Bamburgh, or, wind and tide permitting, it may be possible to go by boat instead. There is however no scheduled boat service between Lindisfarne and Bamburgh. The Castle of Bamburgh looms large on the coast and is very well preserved. Henry VI tried to rule his disintegrating kingdom from here for some time. Day 9. Bamburgh to Craster/Dunstan 12 miles. Today you can either follow the coastal path past the impressive ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle, which got wrecked in the English Civil War in the 1640s. You then head to the village of Dunstan near to Craster, famous for its kippers (smoked Herrings). If you are staying an extra day in Bamburgh or if you want a change from walking you will have the opportunity for a boat trip from Seahouses to the Farne Islands National Nature Reserve (price not included and dependent on the weather and tides), a haven for seals and seabirds. Then get a bus or taxi from Seahouses to Craster and walk to your hotel at Dunstan. Day 8. Depart: Taxi to Alnmouth Station (not included) and depart to London via Newcastle, or Edinburgh via Berwick. |
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