The Heart of the Northern Pennines

Alston nestled in the Northern Pennine hills was the centre of Lead Mining in the area and is a pleasant place to stop, eat and view the local crafts in the shops in the cobbled streets. The disused Victorian Rail Station has been brought back to life by the South Tynedale Railway, who run Steam Trains down the valley.

Also in the area are the Nenthead Mines Heritage Centre and Kilhope Lead Mining Centre at the head of the Wear Valley, which gives a feel for the hard life endured by the miners who worked in the hills and down the Weardale Valley.

Other stops on this scenic route are the Langley Hotel for Castle Accommodation, the Elk's Head in Whitfield for a bar lunch on the east side, or the Shepherd's Inn at Melmerby where the Village Bakery  has a superb Tea Shop.

The Pennine's are a high ridge of moorland which run down the centre of England. The Pennine Way is a picturesque footpath which winds its way down the country from Kirk Yetholm near Wooler in the Northumberland Borders to Edale near Sheffield to the south.

Visit the "Northumbrian Tent Camping Associations" web site to read the tale of two walkers who walked its entire length in one stretch, sleeping rough under the stars without a tent.