Sidwood in the
National Park
No visit to the Tarset area of
Northumberland would be complete without a look
at the beautiful pinewoods of Sidwood. This area
is maintained by the forestry commission and is
easily accessible year round with parking facilities
and clearly marked trails. Sidwood is located about
3 miles northwest of the village of Greenhaugh.
Much of Sidwood is generally accessible to wheelchairs
and pushchairs as many of the paths are well prepared.
The area is relatively flat. Look out for red squirrels,
white water burns, the flora and forna and The Reivers
Trail.
Distance: 1.5Km (0.9 miles).
Route plan
Total Elevation: 35m (115ft).
Difficulty: Easy
OS Map Reference: NY 776 890
GB Grid. Explorer
Map OL42, Landranger
Map 80
Parking: Free parking at the
car park next to house and picnic site.
Toilet Facilities: None
Refreshments Facilities: None at site, Pub in Greenhaugh
Accessibility: For the most part good for pushchairs
and wheelchair users as many, but not all, of the
trails are prepared.
The Walk
Follow the red trail markers
by first heading up the access road. You will soon
come to the first red way marker. Turn left off
the road and follow the prepared path round. The
route is very accessible at this stage. You will
come to a small gorge called Sidwood Cleugh with
a pretty flowing stream at the bottom. There is
a bench to your left.
The path is unprepared from this point and may
be harder pass when the ground is wet. Follow the
Sidwood Cleugh, crossing back over the road until
the stream and the Tarset Burn converge. At this
point the trail converges with the Tarset Burn.
The Burn is a great sight in spate with fast flowing
white water. It is now simply a matter of following
the trail back into the woods. There is finally
a small hill climb of back to the car park.
Be sure to try the other trails to make a great
day out. There are picnic benches on site or try
the pub at Greenhaugh.
Places of interest close by are Bellingham, Otterburn,
Kielder Forest and Kielder Water. Also the Black
Middens Bastle is close by and is one of the best
preserved examples of this type of Northumbrian
fortified farm house.
Ordinance Survey Maps
A map is essentially a safety item and essential for
many of these walks. Northumberland is remote with many
of the areas unreachable by mobile. I've provided track
diagrams produced from my handheld GPS which I then add
detail later. These are for illustrative purposes only
and should not be used as a definitive route map.
I've provided details of suitable OS maps for each walk.
I recommend the "Explorer" range maps
for walkers. At 4 cm to 1 Km (2.5 inches to 1 mile),
these maps provide much better footpath detail than
the usual "Landranger" range (2 cm to
1Km or 1.25 inches to 1 mile). The "explorer"
range are often double sided, which can be a pain,
but the extra detail is worth it.
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