Harbottle Wood trail to mystical Drake Stone reopens after storm damage

The wood was badly affected by Storm Arwen in November 2021.

Together with adjoining Holystone Wood, the fierce northerly gale flattened or badly damaged a third of the beauty spots’ combined 862 hectares (2130 acres), leaving the woodland in a dangerous state and entirely off limits to the public.

Since then harvesting teams have cleared paths, tackled hanging trees and lifted much of the fallen timber.

The work, expedited as the result of a close collaboration with Northumberland National Park and the Ministry of Defence (MOD), means that a five mile circular walk to the famous and mystical Drake Stone has been fully reinstated.

The lofty 2,000 tonne landmark – deposited by a glacier after the last Ice Age - offers stunning views all around and is also known as the Dragon's Stone or Druid's Stone.

Alex Maclennan, Forestry England’s recreation and public affairs manager for Northumberland, explained: “It’s great to have the trail fully reopened and it means that people can reach the Drake Stone via the West Wood car park.

"The scale of the recovery operation required after Storm Arwen has been staggering and across Northumberland it will go on for some time yet.

"The fact that we are at this stage in Harbottle is a credit to the excellent partnership we have with the MOD and National Park. It’s also really good news for local businesses who rely on visitors to this wonderful part of the region.”

Forest teams are now working hard to reopen other paths in the rest of Harbottle and Holystone.

Tony Gates, chief executive at Northumberland National Park Authority, added: “Storm Arwen effectively closed 23% of the National Park’s 1,100km Public Rights of Way network due to fallen or dangerous trees.

"Seventeen months on and I am delighted to see the progress which has been made with the help of our partners at Forestry England and the MOD.

"Our rights of way are the primary means through which local people and visitors access and enjoy the special qualities of the National Park for their health and well-being.

"As such, the network is vital to those local businesses who generate their income from visitor spend in the local economy. Ahead of what will be a busy visitor season in Northumberland, it is wonderful to know that popular walking routes such as the Drake Stone will be open and enjoyed once more.”

Karen Wilkinson, who runs the Star Inn in Harbottle, added: “The storm caused a lot of distress for local people. Hundreds of trees came down with many residents saying they’d never seen anything like it.

"Not only did we lose power, water, phones and broadband for several days, but we also lost many of the local walks enjoyed by people, including the Drake Stone route.

"As a family pub it was a really tough time, especially as it was so soon after Covid. So I talked with Forestry England and the National Park and together with the MOD they’ve prioritised work to made the wood safe and accessible again. That's great news and I can’t thank them enough for their help.”