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Northumberland-Walks.co.uk - photographic walks in Northumberland.West Woodburn - East Woodburn Circular WalkIntroduction This walk in the valley of the River Rede takes in the villages of West and East Woodburn. The river is crossed twice - once over the bridge that carries the busy A68 trunk road and then over a very fine old stone bridge further upstream. Distance - Under 4 miles, depending on where you park. Parking - Extremely limited, we parked along the road to Bellingham, some distance from the A68. Toilets - None - nearest in Otterburn or Bellingham.
Walk 1) We started this walk from the road to Bellingham and walked east towards the A68 and West Woodburn.
2) On reaching West Woodburn at the Bay Horse Inn we turned right onto the A68 road, crossing to the footpath on the east side.
3) A short distance up the hill we reached the bridge over the River Rede. We stopped here to take some photos of the fine views along the river in both directions.
4) From the bridge we walked uphill alongside the busy road which many think is the most picturesque route to Scotland. After a short distance we reached the minor road on our left which leads east to East Woodburn.
5) This is a nice country road with no footpath and fine views all round.
6) We soon reached the small All Saints Church on the roadside. Unfortunately we couldn't visit the church as loose roof tiles were causing a danger and it was closed.
7) The road continues alongside the River Rede on the left past a farm, before approaching East Woodburn.
8) In the village we turned left towards Chairford Bridge which crosses Lisles Burn.
9) After crossing the bridge we followed the road uphill until we reached a small crossroads.
10) We turned left along a narrow tarmac road with superb views over the valley on our left.
11) The road passes some farm buildings before becoming a track where it starts to drop down to the River Rede. At this point a sign warned of cows protecting their calves.
12) The track follows the course of the river along the valley, a sun trap on warm days, like the one when we visited.
13) After awhile we reached a bridge across the River Rede. The bridge is quite high above the river and provides fine views in each direction.
14) After crossing the bridge we took some time to stop and take photos of it. The bridge is a particularly fine looking structure and at some point in time must have been an important river crossing point, although we could find very little information about it.
15) From the bridge we followed the track uphill which soon reaches an open hillside.
16) At this point we stopped again to enjoy the superb views up the valley of the River Rede and the surrounding hills.
17) We soon reached a gate where the track joined a road which leads down from the A68. At this point we turned left towards West Woodburn.
18) Following the road downhill we reached a junction where we turned right into West Woodburn. From here we walked through the village, reaching the A68 again and followed the Bellingham road back to our car.
Notes
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