Pennine Way: Steel Rigg to Stonehaugh

This section of the Pennine Way starts with an amazing walk beside Hadrian’s Wall. Snaking its way along the wildly undulating ridge formed by the Great Whin Sill, the position and enduring grandeur of this magnificent monument are a fitting memorial to the hardy men who built it all those centuries ago. Leaving the wall just before it reaches the impressive fort at Housesteads – well worth the detour if you have time – the Pennine Way then heads north into the sparsely inhabited country to the north. Just one or two scattered farmsteads are all you’ll encounter as you make your way across open moorland and through dense, lonely forests.

From the car park, a path heads back on to the Pennine Way, rejoining it on the north side of Hadrian’s Wall. There is then a sequence of gaps and crags, rising eventually to Highshield Crags above Crag Lough. The wall, and its associated turrets and milecastle, are in good condition on this most famous stretch of the monument. Further on, the route climbs again quite steeply past Hotbank farm. From Hotbank Crags, four loughs are visible and ahead lies the familiar picture-postcard view of Cuddy’s Crags.

The Pennine Way leaves Hadrian’s Wall at Rapishaw Gap, just before Housesteads (Vercovicium) Roman Fort. The excavated ruins, almost too neat and tidy, are worth a special visit as, of course, are the other forts and features on Hadrian’s Wall. The route turns north and heads out over marshy pasture inhabited by black Galloway cattle, then follows an indistinct path through rolling heather country with the air full of the cries of curlews and the songs of skylarks. To the left is Greenlee
Lough, bought by the National Park as a wildlife refuge. To the right, in the distance, are King’s Crags. Ahead lies the forest. The path rises to the right of Stonefolds, then drops down to meet a track.

Turn right here to enter Wark Forest. This is Forestry Commission land, part of the Kielder Forest Park. The paths and rides are more open, there are wider views, and deciduous trees have been planted along the watercourses. The Pennine Way stays on the main track for a while, then turns off to the right along a path.

A wide sweep of moorland comes as a refreshing change as the path leaves the forest and clips the corner of Haughton Common. It makes for an isolated sheepfold, in which stand a few stunted pines and birches. The views south and east, over miles of purple moor-grass, are memorable for anyone who had hoped to get away from civilization. However, this is just an interlude and the path is soon back in forest, descending to a road at Ladyhill.

Go right for 280 yards (256 metres) and then follow the signposted Pennine Way north again. If you like visit Stonehaugh, turn left along the next road to leave the Pennine Way.