The view from Mitford Castle

LET’S walk to Mitford. For this, the fifth in our series of walks in the Morpeth area, I have chosen a journey that competes with that of Bothal in terms of variation and richness in habitat and history.

We start our trip at the aviary in Carlisle Park and head westwards up the side of the Postern Burn.

After the bridge, bear right on the path that slowly climbs up the hill.

The gatehouse of Morpeth Castle can be viewed on the skyline across the burn and through the trees. At the top, turn left and stay with this path until the steps at the end, turn left and climb to the top of the Curly Kews.

On this stretch of the walk through the park the usual blackbirds, thrushes, tits and pigeons could be heard and seen. The fungi that have been mentioned on earlier walks are still there, especially on the fallen tree trunks on the left hand side of the path.

Red squirrels have been seen in this area in the past but not on this occasion. Don’t forget to report your sightings of any grey or red squirrels in the Morpeth area. Tel. 0845 347 937 or www.saveoursquirrels.org.uk

We continued through the Kirkhill estate past the school, in front of the shops, behind the Wansbeck public house and then turning right passing houses and eventually coming to a cut grass area. A path leads to a swing gate and then runs with a fence on the right and trees on the left.

When you reach the open area take a good look at the view out across the River Wansbeck with the various colours of the woodland of Scotch Gill, to the right the ruins of Newminster Abbey (on private land) hidden amongst the scrub trees, and to the left open fields and the distant trees of Borough Woods.

It would be great and probably at reasonable cost, if the scrub could be cleared away from the Newminster Abbey area so its shape and outline could be fully realised.

Following the path, turn left at the finger post at the bottom of the hill and walk along the newly laid pathways, noting the smart new lay-by at the High House road.

The hedgerows along these pathways are a rich area for thrushes and blackbirds due to their food supply being in abundance on the Hawthorn bushes at the moment. Bullfinches, Robins and Hedge Sparrows were also seen, with Goldfinches feeding on seed heads in the fields.

After the last gate, bear left across the small field and through another gate and take the right hand track finger-posted Mitford alongside the river.
Keep an eye open for otters along this stretch of the river, a very suitable habitat for them.

The path eventually climbs up to the underside of the Morpeth by-pass. This is part of the walk that can be very wet and slippery underfoot, so take care.

Walk under the by-pass and up the steps and over a stile and come out to open fields. Turning right, the path is clearly marked. After a short distance, there is another good viewpoint, this time the village of Mitford, with its church spire visible through the trees, Spital Hill to the north, a 'pill-box’ from the last world war in the field below and, to the left, the ruins of the castle.

In Mitford it is worth spending some time having a good look at the castle and the Church of St Mary Magdalene, the bridges over the rivers Wansbeck and Font and the village itself. There is no regular bus service from Mitford to Morpeth so for those people who do not want to walk the return journey, ring for a taxi from the public telephone outside the Plough Inn.

We now return to Morpeth via the bridge over the River Font and along the footpaths at the side of the main road, noticing the abundance of ripe sloes in a private hedgerow on the right hand side. Further along a stone pillar with a plaque tells us of trees planted to mark the millennium.

Passing the water treatment works on the right, and over the Highford Bridge (a good spot at the right time of the year to watch fish jumping up the weir), on the left is a small paddock field with some sheep with unusual dark brown to black patches.
Walking the footpath with the river on your left hand side, keep a lookout for Grey Herons, Grey Wagtails, Dippers and a possible Kingfisher – you might get lucky.



Yellow berries on holly

Between the path and the river is one of our celebrated trees for this time of the year, the Holly, but this one has yellow berries presumably a cultivated variety escaped from nearby gardens or sown from bird droppings.

Another tree to notice here is the common alder with its dark red/purple flower and leaf buds ready for spring next year.

The walk continues to Lowford Bridge and, keeping on the same side of the river, through the open gate and back along Lady’s Walk, the High Stanners and the promenade ending at the aviary in Carlisle Park.

Suggested Reading: The Buildings of England-Northumberland, by Pevsner and Richmond. This book gives details of all the buildings mentioned above and more.




The route of the walk