Walk over the Simonside Hills

The walk over the Simonside Hills is one of the most popular in Northumberland. It is easy walking to/from and along the ridge itself, picking your way between the sandstone exposed rocks. You can start the walk from Rothbury or closer to the ridge making it very straightforward.

The Walk

The Simonside Hills are a chain of undulating sandstone outcrops dominating the Coquet Valley near Rothbury. The walk described start and finishes in the village of Rothbury but it is perfectly possible to reduce the length of the walk by starting at the car park directly under the Simonside ridge. This is marked on the sketch map and easy to achieve. From here the walk is easy and straightforward. However the walk from Rothbury adds much more to the day. The Coquet Valley is lovely, a splash of farmland, isolated villages, some forestry and framed by the ridge itself.

My dad used to bring us up to the Simonside ridge when we were young, I remember scrambling around the boulder outcrops near the summit. The ridge itself has 3 distinctive ‘lumps’ . The eastern one is known as Beacon Hill, a large cairn adorning the summit, a legacy from the past. It is the western outcrop where the summit of Simonside is located. Here the views of the Coquet Valley and onwards to the Cheviot hills are excellent, a vast panorama.

This is one of the most important areas of deep peat in Britain. Even though this is Access Land it is advised to stick to the paths. Frankly there is no desire to leave them!

Recommend

For those interested the highest part of the ridge lies to the west of Simonside. This is Tosson Hill. It is a Marilyn, one of only six in Northumberland and marked by a trig point. The track to it from Simonside is easy but can be muddy after rains. After climbing it return to the col that separates Tosson with Simonside. The GPX does not include Tosson Hill.

Navigation Tips on the Simonside Hills walk

This is a popular walk so the paths are well developed. In fact the main path from the higher car park to the summit of Simonside is paved with large slabs of stone. However the challenges are increased on the route from Rothbury. In particular the descent from the col between Tosson and Simonside needs care through the forest.