Walk · Northumberland

Allen Banks and Morralee Wood

Hexham · NE47 7BP
N 440 YD © OpenStreetMap contributors
3.5MILES
2hON FOOT
195mCLIMB
CircularSHAPE
The route A-road B-road Lane Track Path Water Woodland
Off-road 94% 6% shares tarmac with cars
Field & moor path 76%Lane & track 18%Road with traffic 6%

Our drawing of the route, over road and path data from OpenStreetMap. It shows where the walk goes and what it goes through. It is not a survey and not a navigation aid — carry OS Explorer on the hill. Off-lead information here is what walkers reported or what signage allows — never our advice. Whether and when a dog is off the lead is the owner’s decision and legal responsibility; keep dogs under control near livestock and follow signs on the day.

Starts at
National Trust car park at Ridley Hall, Allen Banks NE47 7BP
Parking
National Trust car park, free to members and charged otherwise, around 80 spaces; the lane in is single track and the car park fills on fine Sundays
Directions to the start →

Three and a half miles and 195 metres of climbing in about two hours through the largest area of ancient semi-natural woodland in Northumberland, up one bank of the River Allen and back over Morralee Tarn. Start at the National Trust car park at Ridley Hall, signposted from the A69 between Haydon Bridge and Bardon Mill; it is charged for non-members and holds about 80 cars. This is a genuinely good off-lead wood with the Allen alongside the whole way for a drink and a swim, but the gorge paths run along steep drops above the river, the suspension bridge bounces and some dogs baulk at it, and red squirrels are a reason to keep a recall close.

House rules, decoded

Off-lead allowed
REGION · NORTHUMBERLAND
GRID · 54.9578, -2.3062
SOURCE · HTTPS://EXPLORENORTHPENNINES.ORG.UK/SITES/DEFAULT/FILES/ACTIVITY/DOWNLOADS/ENP071.PDF
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