Sandwiched between Wooler and the Scottish border is the Ford and Etail estate. Linking them makes for a pleasant, mixed terrain walk full of historical interest. Any walk bookended by two castles has to be interesting!
I prefer to start the Ford & Etal historical walk at the northerly castle at Etal. Then head south. The ruins of Etal castle makes for a good start to the day (free to enter) and a pleasant spot. At this stage it is possible to hop on the mini gauge railway to Heathersage which is a good option as the 1 mile walk between Etal and Heathersage is alongside the road and will need to be used at the end of the day. The working Cornmill at Heathersage is worth visiting, supplying 10 tons of corn to this day. The complex array of machinery is amazing.
From Heathersage to Ford is the best part of the walk. Initially the path follows the River Till before disappearing in to the woods just north of Ford. The name ‘Ford’ originated from the river crossing, potentially as far back as the mid 6th century when the monks from Lindisfarne were seeking a river crossing. Ford has a striking main street and a fine castle (not open to the public), all in all an impressive heritage village. After exploring Ford the return to Etal is via some fields and the mini communities of Mill Farm and Smithy.
There is so much fascinating history to discover on the walk it is definitely worth visiting the Ford & Etal website which even has a timeline of event.
If the walk seems too long just miss out the Etal to Weathersage section. Therefore visit the castle at Etal first and the then drive to the parking at Weathersage and head off to Ford from there.
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