Walltown Quarry to Thirlwall Castle
Brampton, Cumbria
A picturesque circular route from Walltown Quarry Country Park, through stunning countryside to Thirlwall Castle and back.
Distance - 5km (3 miles)
Ascent - 123m
Duration - Approx 1 hour
Terrain - tarmac paths through the country park, grassy paths through fields which can get very muddy depending on the weather and some walking on the road.
Parking - We parked up at Walltown Quarry country park, where there is a small charge. View Parking Map
View Route On OS Map
We recently spent a few days near Haltwhistle and visited a few spots on Hadrian's Wall. For this walk we fancied a change of scenery, so we headed to Walltown Quarry Country Park.
We started the walk by heading through the woodland, which you can see from the parking area. Through the gate we followed the red route, which soon brought us to the peace labyrinth. I'm not sure how peaceful it was as I was getting frustrated at going round in circles, but we finally made it to the centre. This will probably look a bit more exciting when all of the plants are in full bloom.
Onwards we went up a hill and we got some fab views of crags and ponds.
When we returned to the car park via the Quarry Lake route, we headed back through the woodland, continued for a few minutes and took a left path which headed towards the road. We passed through a gate and saw a signpost for Thirlwall Castle.
We crossed the road and into the field and the first thing I spotted were the grazing cows. Thankfully they were far enough away for panic not to set in. After that we were treated to some beautiful scenery, with trees and fields for miles.
We kept heading down the path until we reached a gated wall. The sheep in this field were non-plussed by our presence.
We continued along the obvious path until we reached a ford with a footbridge over it. As we crossed it, Thirlwall Castle came into sight.
A very pretty spot here next to the Tipalt Burn, and we could hear a Kestrel calling in the trees above us. A very relaxing place, and you can read more about Thirlwall Castle on the website.
We had planned to head back the way we came, but the threat of cows spurred me on and we went for a circular route instead. We went through a gate close to the castle and continued along the Pennine Way, heading over the burn and turning left just before the railway track. We continued along next to the rail track and got some fairly scary, close up views of the trains passing through.
We reached Greenhead and stopped for a drink at Greenhead Tea Room and also spotted a decorative 'pant' in the village. Brucie Bonus.
Off we went again and the only way was up. We headed over the bridge, past a few buildings then walked up Cycle Route 72. This was relentlessly up for about 10 minutes and we saw the AD122 bus pass us. Had I known how steep this hill was I might have been tempted to jump on the bus... but that's cheating!
(On a side note, I loved that the bus was named after the year the construction of Hadrian's Wall started. Nice touch!)
The brown sign to Walltown Quarry was like an oasis in the desert when we saw it, and we turned left to follow it back to the car. Despite the pain, the views were absolutely beautiful here.
A great walk with lots to see and an added bonus, is that the walk looks like a dog on OS maps.
Where to Park For Walltown Quarry To Thirlwall Castle
Where To Park For Walltown Quarry To Thirlwall Castle?
What three words
We parked up at Walltown Quarry country park, where there is a small charge.
Contributed by Sandra Clemens
I love the great outdoors and have been a National Trust & English Heritage member for years. I also love going off the beaten track and finding places like Sharp's Folly or Rothley Castle which are hidden gems in Northumberland. My favourite recent hike was climbing Red Screes in the Lake District on a whim, not fully grasping how high 776m was. It was still an achievement to conquer a Wainwright walk and I hope to do more one day.
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