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A very steep climb out of Rothbury, but a rewarding one – that gets you quickly into the orange-brown bracken hills that are the epitome of Northumberland. Best to keep an eye on the map, as the path isn't always clear to the naked eye here, though it's hard to get completely lost as the road stays in clear sight. The next section covers a lot of farmland, including some fields where horses and sheep were resident, and as a result (in a rainy March) the mud was deep. We stopped at a pub in Longhorsley for a hearty lunch and then tackled a particularly muddy set of fields, which skirt you around the road. My advice if walking in winter is to take the road if traffic is minimal and you feel safe, as the thick mud was a bit of a slog! Likewise, on approaching Mitford, there is a section that cuts over a shallow stream, which had swelled in spring rain so is best skirted around unless walking in the dryer months. However there is a lovely woodland approach to Mitford, and from here the route to Morpeth is simple. This was a challenging one in the early spring, but I'm sure in drier conditions would be delightful.

Rothbury to Morpeth
- this route begins with a steady climb out of Rothbury, allowing lovely views. The path then takes you to the moorland and national park. The stretch along the B6342 isn't too long, and has relatively good verges. Walking over to Wingates is quite easy, however the footpath through the plantation was wet and muddy during our time walking which slows the pace.

Once east of Wingates, the footpath then cuts through some horse fields, which again were extremely muddy but the gates are relatively well maintained. When heading through the woodland at Beggar's Bush the path was hard going, and just needs a slow and steady pace.

After passing through Longhorsley, we weren't able to cross the footpath over the river ford (to the east of Smallburn Road and north of the farmyard) due to recent rain making the river too large to cross safely. We therefore diverted east of the farm before rejoining the route on the road to the south. The immediate field after this turning off was incredibly hard to cross due to wet weather and ground formation. Weather dependent you could cut to the road straight away and avoid this field.

The next section is following a long road, which is straightforward, but not that scenic. Crossing the steam north of Mitford was again made more dangerous by the recent rains, and this also meant the steep descents and ascents up and down very slippery. Tread with caution.

The descent into Mitford was equally muddy and slippery, but still manageable going at a steady pace. From Mitford, the route into central Morpeth makes good use of pavements. And to reach the centre of the town you can stay on the road rather than use the footpaths.

We walked this from Rothbury to Morpeth on a wet day.

A steady climb out of Rothbury quite quickly brings you onto moorland and the national park. The B6342 has decent verges and the stretch to be walked is not long. The remaining road over to Wingates is quieter and easy walking, although the footpath through the plantation was wet and muddy.

East of Wingates, the footpath passes through some horse fields with some muddy areas, although the gates and stiles are generally fine. Portions passing through woodland, such as at Beggar's Bush, were wetter and harder going, but not impassable. Longhorsley has a number of food or break options.

Beyond Longhorsley, a number of the arable fields are particularly muddy, and we found the footpath crossing the river ford, to the east of the Smallburn Road and north of the farmyard to be impassable because of recent rain - this should only be a seasonal issue. Instead we diverted east of the farm before rejoining the road to the south. The field immediately following the turn off this road was the most rutted thing I've ever had to cross..! If still the case, save yourself 20 mins of jumping to cut the corner and stay on the road.

The following long road segment is straightforward and good. We found again the stream crossings north of Mitford were made fast and reasonable deep by the recent rains, and the descents and ascents up and down to them are tricky and steep. The first can't be avoided but we skirted east of the second before rejoining the footpath. The descent into Mitford was muddy but manageable. From Mitford the route into central Morpeth makes good use of pavements and the town parks. To reach the centre of town it's possible to stay on the road rather than use the footpaths to the castle.

A good, navigable route with some interesting features, but not the most beautiful, especially on a grey day!.

I walked this route (in reverse direction) over two days this week, breaking at Longhorsley where the x14 (rothbury to Morpeth) returns to Morpeth on the hour. Slowways from Morpeth start at the Train Station rather than the bus station , which I feel would be more useful for anyone making Morpeth their base, but on this occasion the train station makes sense as the route heads west alongside the Castle and down into the dene before edging through Morpeth suburbs and picks up with the Wansbeck at the Weir and back to the Mitford road before climbing out of the Mitford Dene to West Benridge.then onto single track tarmac north to Harelaw (Beacon Hill) with its commanding views , before dropping down and across fields to SmallBurn Farm.and into Longhorsley

Observations from day one - the path from Morpeth Castle down into the Dene isn’t obvious from the Castle and drops steeply on slippery /muddy steps. The reward can be the tremendous birdlife as one advances through the dene.

The route lies through Borough Woods but only edges the reserve before cutting back from the weir to approach Mitford from the east. Better value can be achieved by turning into the woods and following the Wansbeck under the AI Morpeth bypass through to Mitford Castle, thus approaching Mitford from the West.

Then instead of climbing out of Mitford via Mitford Dene ( this was overgrown, full of windfall and became a gruelling struggle) I would suggest using st Leonard’s Lane, heading north to East (the West) Benridge farm. This tarmac lane allows for a speedy catch up to make up for the earlier recommended diversion through Borough Wood reserve. The reserve is ancient native woodland dating back to 11th Century whereas Mitford Dene beyond the first 200 riverside yards is simply overgrown , neglected and otherwise unremarkable. Mitford Castle, although a ruin has some serious history and riverside charm.

Once past west Benridge the route follows tarmac road but the climb up Pigdon bank, and via Netwitton and HesleyHurst up to Harelaw is generally pleasant with fall colours and farmland on either side. Once past the Telecoms Tower the route bears right across the fields as a shortcut to Smallburn Farm. If the ground is very soft (it was) I would perhaps recommend sticking to the tarmac into Longhorsley.

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