Alwinton

If you’re serious about walking or genuinely want to “get away from it all”  then a holiday in & around Alwinton will be ideal for you. The village is located at the head of the Coquet Valley on the edge of the Northumberland National Park and the Cheviot Hills, probably the last largely unexplored area of England.

Alwinton is the intersection of a number of ancient drovers roads which linked England and Scotland and is the last village in Upper Coquetdale,  surrounded by rolling hills and is a great starting point for walks or cycling in the Border country.

Ideal for horse riding and mountain biking too, Alwinton is situated just 10 miles from the Scottish Border and 19 miles west of the historic market town of Alnwick, and the village itself is situated on Cycle Route 68 which is the North Pennine Cycle Way.

Make a date for to visit Alwinton on the second Saturday of October when the Annual Border Shepherds Show takes place to mark the end of the farming year, this is a very popular show, well supported by locals and visitors alike.

Having no shop itself, Alwinton’s social life centres on the village inn, The Rose and Thistle a thriving country inn, serving cask ales and good food, just out of the village itself and still within walking distance you will discover Clennel Hall, a country hotel also providing bar and restaurant facilities.

The road continues past Alwinton into the Cheviots where it terminates at the ancient Roman Settlement of Chew Green, of significant historic importance the settlement is thought do date back to somewhere between 45-400AD.

Alwinton and the surrounding countryside is fast building a reputation as a great base for star gazing as its car park is a designated Dark Sky Discovery site. The Northumberland National Park itself has been awarded Dark Sky Park status largely due to the lack of light pollution and together with the Kielder Observatory 40 minutes drive away, it is the largest DSP in Europe.

The historic church of St. Michael and All Angels stands just outside the village and holds regular Church of England services.