Herding Hill Farm
+ what’s nearby
Tel:01434 320175
Email: bookings@herdinghillfarm.co.uk
Located in Northumberland, 1 mile from Hadrian’s Wall, Herding Hill Farm offers stylish camping and glamping in Northumberland’s heartland. A dog-friendly campsite with luxury lodges, wigwam cabins, BBQ huts and if you fancy pitching up your own tent or caravan, the campsite includes wide open spaces of breath-taking views. Herding Hill Farm is located just 1 mile from Hadrian’s Wall and boasts wonderful wildlife, luxury amenities and nearby attractions to ensure you have a memorable experience. Whether you’re looking to relax or explore the wonders of the countryside, this is the perfect getaway to enjoy with friends and family.
Tents, Motorhomes, Caravan, Wigwam Cabins &
Luxury Self-Catering Holiday Lodge with Hot Tub
- 13 large (9m x 9m) hard standing pitches with 16amp electric (3 of which are fully serviced with electric, waste and fresh water).
- 5 (8m x 6m) grass pitches to accommodate larger tents. These all have 10amp electric.
- 5 smaller grass pitches (6m x 6m) available, which also have 10amp electric.
- Underfloor heated amenities building.
- Family bathroom with bath tub and baby change
- Free hot power showers and toilets
- 2 bath tubs in the ladies’ facilities
- 8-person unisex sauna
- Washing up area
- Laundry room
- Small drying area for wet clothes and boots
- Dog walking area and no extra charge for your dog
- BBQ Hut
- Children’s Play area
- Petting Farm
- Site Wi Fi
- Shop
Haltwhistle is known as the town that is geographically at the centre of the United Kingdome. The campsite is located about 1 mile outside Haltwhistle via a quiet B-road – Shield Hill.
The A69 is the closest main road and goes east to west from Newcastle upon Tyne to Carlisle.
Coming from the east. About 36 miles from Newcastle upon Tyne, take the B6322 toward Haltwhistle. Just as you enter the town’s outskirts, look out for the B- road Shield Hill on your right. It is signposted. The campsite is about 1 mile on your left along this road.
Coming from the west. About 23 miles from Carlisle, take the B6322 toward Haltwhistle. Just as you enter the town’s outskirts, look out for the B- road Shield Hill on your right. It is signposted. The campsite is about 1 mile on your left along this road.
The town of Haltwhistle is about 1 mile from the campsite, via a quiet road – Shield Hill. We have family that stay in Haltwhistle and have a short blog with some basic information, created some time ago but here’s a more informative list of visitor attractions: –
Northumberland Honey Co. Northumberland Honey keep around 150 colonies of bees in the Tyne Valley producing honey, both in the comb and jars, and have recently diversified into producing mead. All production is on site at the meadery, with a focus on sustainable production, whilst benefiting the bees of Northumberland.
Lambley Viaduct is just under 6 miles from the campsite and is well worth a visit. It can be reached via the cycle route 68 from Haltwhistle town centre (Mentioned in more detail below in the ‘Read about our trop’ section) or there is access to carparks closer the viaduct. Either way, you won’t be disappointed by this impressive structure. Opened in 1852, this stone bridge across the River South Tyne at Lambley remains open to pedestrians but one end of the viaduct has been fenced off.
Featherstone Castle. On your way to the Viaduct, if you take the cycle path, then about 3 miles from Haltwhistle, you will cross a country road called Hall Bank. If you want to go to Featherstone Castle then turn right onto the road, leaving the cycle path and after about 1 mile along this road, you will reach the castle. A Grade I listed building, is a large Gothic style country mansion situated on the bank of the River South Tyne.
Cawfields Roman Wall is one of the best-preserved and most scenic stretches of Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland. The wall at Cawfields stretches across a steeply sloped site and terminates abruptly in high cliffs, where the land has been cut away by quarrying. On this stretch of the Wall is a large milecastle, easily accessed on foot.
The Sycamore Gap Tree or Robin Hood Tree is a sycamore tree standing next to Hadrian’s Wall near Crag Lough in Northumberland, England. It is located in a dramatic dip in the landscape and is a popular photographic subject, described as one of the most photographed trees in the country.
THE HALTWHISTLE PARTNERSHIP has created a fantastic resource for walking information and routes around Haltwhistle. Well worth checking out.
Cycling. The campsite’s webpage has some excellent information regards Local Cycling Routes
Herding Hill Farm would be first camping trip since the relaxation of the Covid 19 lockdown, enjoyable but different would be the best way to frame it.
We were also crossing the border from Scotland to England. Each country with its slightly different lockdown timetable, which meant that we had to wait until both had synchronized enough to make it both safe and legal to travel from Glasgow to Haltwhistle.
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On arrival at the campsite, we were impressed with all the procedures put in place and the friendly owner was very welcoming and helpful. There was a clear set of guidelines when using the communal areas, regular sanitizing and the clever use of a bulldog clip, attached to our pitch post, meant that we could attach all the laminated information that we had received and it could be reused, once sanitized.
The campsite sits just off a reasonably quiet B-road, with the reception to your right as you enter. The arrival area is also spacious, giving plenty of opportunity to maneuver and park up. All this space and a large grassy area, taken up by their Petting Farm, creates a nice buffer from the road and by the time you drive through the security barrier and reach your pitch, you will be far enough away from the road that it won’t be an issue. The site is cleverly thought out as it appeared, from our pitch, to be quite small but actually stretches well beyond the toilet block, where you can find wigwams and a luxury lodge. The owner also has future plans to add increased service points to the hard standing pitched and maybe even a hot tub!
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Our trip agenda was straight forward enough. Day 1 arrive, chill out and relax. Day 2 cycle from the campsite to the Lambley Viaduct, then back to the campsite. After a quick change, we were then going to walk back into Haltwhistle and meet up with a family member, socially distant in the garden, then back to the campsite for the night and home the next day.
Everything went as planned and we had a great couple of days. Here are some highlights: –
The cycle from the campsite into Haltwhistle is via the road that goes passed the campsite, known as Shield Hill. The Hill reference is the clue as this road is pretty steep and includes a couple of tight bends. The good news is that it is quiet and you will reach Haltwhistle in no time at all! Once you reach the junction at the end of the road, turn left towards the town centre and keep going through the town until you pass the Haltwhistle War Memorial Hospital on your right. At this point, don’t do what Aileen and I did and get lost by following a sign for route 68 cycle path as the sign points to a lane on your left but is a dead end. Instead stay on the road as it veers left. Then take a left onto West Road and you will see a sign on your right for the cycle path. After that, it’s an easy to follow route to the Viaduct. You are mostly on quiet paths and short road crossings. The route is reasonably flat and has an air of pleasant tranquility as you cycle under or at times close to the busy A69. Route 68 follows an old railway line which would have went over the Lambley Viaduct but is now stopped in it’s tracks at the far end of the Viaduct by a fence which is now the boundary to a property.
We really enjoyed this cycle, which is only about 12 miles round trip from the campsite. There is an eye-catching structure, created by an old railway sleeper, about a mile or so from the Viaduct which is clearly a tribute to a bygone era.
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The Viaduct, itself is worth the trip and you can’t help but be impressed by the engineering and style, yet at the same time saddened that its purpose has been lost, especially when you reach the far side and the journey comes to an abrupt end. There is a consolation prize, though. If you travel to the other side, you will discover a staircase that takes you down to a large signpost with different walking option and one directs you to a footbridge across the South Tyne river, which flows below the Viaduct. We would recommend this path as it takes you over a narrow footpath and down to the riverside, where you will be able to get some great photos of the Viaduct.
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Our journey back to the campsite was without incident but it has to be noted that our cycle back up Shield Hill road was tough and required at least one stop. There is another way back, which we later discovered. It is 1 mile longer but less severe and more enjoyable.
As planned, we quickly got changed and walked back down Shield Hill road then headed for a family meetup that afternoon. Luckily the weather was kind to us and we had a great time catching up. We described our tough cycle up Shield Hill, which generated a conversation regards an alternative and as it turned out, there is one. Which, now that we know about it, we would recommend.
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Here are the directions from Haltwhistle back to the campsite. From your starting point within Haltwhistle, make your way to Willia Road. This road runs parallel to the Haltwhistle Burn. Take the footpath that follows the burn. Follow this footpath, looking out for an old coal mining Fell Chimney, until you reach a sty which you climb over. You have now reached the B6318. Turn right and walk a short distance until you then turn right onto Shield Hill Road. The campsite is only a short walk away, on your right! One mile longer than coming up Shield Hill Road but much more pleasant.
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If you are considering a trip to this part of the country, then you should consider staying at Herding Hill Farm.
