Allen Banks

A beautiful riverside walk in the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, through mixed woodland and traditional pasture with plenty of wildlife to be glimpsed and heard. Chesters Walled Garden, with its unique herb collections and nursery, is just a short drive away as is Housesteads Roman Fort, the most impressive fort on Hadrian’s Wall.

START/PARKING

National Trust car park in the former walled garden of Ridley Hall.
OS Map Grid Reference NY798640

RECOMMENDED ROUTE

1. Follow the footpath from the car park, with the river on your left. Ignore the first suspension bridge and carry on where the path rises steadily, with sandstone cliffs across the river. Soon you pass below Raven Crag. Go on through Briarwood Banks and onto a second suspension bridge, beyond which lies Plankey Mill, which once harnessed the power of the river. Go over the bridge and turn right.
2. Press on along the permissive way through pastures, alongside the alders that line the river, now on your right. Climb a stile to go further into the gorge and then up steps to rise above the river. After descending, cross a footbridge ignoring the right turn to the riverside. At the way-marked Y-junction, take a steeply climbing stepped path, left, passing first through conifers and then out into pleasing oak woodland. Soon the wall of Staward Peel lies ahead. Wind left round the wall and into a grassy clearing.
3. Follow the wide path passing the remains of the medieval gatehouse and then along the tree-covered ridge. On either side, slopes drop almost sheer to the River Allen on the right and its tributary on the left. Pause at the viewpoints and then go on under oaks and Scots pine, the way edged with heather, then bracken. At the Y-junction, go left to a stile into pasture. Follow the grassy path to where the wall ends on the left, and take another stile into more woodland. Descend the steepish, rough path to cross a bridge over a narrow ghyll. Climb up beyond to a stile into another pasture - there may be a bull here.
4. Go ahead with the hedge on your left, climb the ladder stile onto an access track, turn right and a short distance along take another on the left. Walk up beside the wall on your left to a stile in the wall corner. Beyond, turn right to climb a stile over the fence. Turn left and continue to a sturdy step stile ahead. Go on to take the path between a stone and wooden barn. Turn right and opposite the Sillywrea Farmhouse go through double gates on the left into a walled ‘outrake’. Beyond the next gate, proceed ahead parallel with the wall on the right, then a fence to join a narrow road.
5. Descend left, where the road bears left, take the continuing cart track and wind left at its foot. A stile on your right gives access to a delightful path. With the River Allen to your left, stroll along the stiled way, keeping to the riverside whenever there is a choice. Come to the suspension bridge you ignored early on the walk, cross and turn right back to the car park.