1. Raby Castle
Meeting Point: Raby Castle
We begin the Big Smile in the magnificent grounds of Raby Castle. We follow a broad path through the grassy landscape where Red and Fallow Deer herds live wild. We pass the impressively maintained medieval castle, built between 1367 and 1390 by John Neville, the 3rd Baron Neville de Raby.
We wander through Ladywood and then up towards Raby Home Farm and then Shotton enjoying the beautiful countryside home to some superb flora and fauna.
Eventually, we leave the Raby estate and find ourselves heading over Cockfield fell, common land pock marked with evidence of human habitation including flint arrowheads dating back to 8000BC.
We skirt around Cockfield itself and back through the estate to finish back at Raby Castle in a wonderful start to the Big Smile Walks.
Distance: 20 km ( 12.47 miles)
Difficulty Rating: ★★★☆☆
Sponsored By: The Ramside Hall Hotel
1. Raby Castle
Meeting Point: Raby Castle
We begin the Big Smile in the magnificent grounds of Raby Castle. We follow a broad path through the grassy landscape where Red and Fallow Deer herds live wild. We pass the impressively maintained medieval castle, built between 1367 and 1390 by John Neville, the 3rd Baron Neville de Raby.
We wander through Ladywood and then up towards Raby Home Farm and then Shotton enjoying the beautiful countryside home to some superb flora and fauna.
Eventually, we leave the Raby estate and find ourselves heading over Cockfield fell, common land pock marked with evidence of human habitation including flint arrowheads dating back to 8000BC.
We skirt around Cockfield itself and back through the estate to finish back at Raby Castle in a wonderful start to the Big Smile Walks.
Distance: 20 km ( 12.47 miles)
Difficulty Rating: ★★★☆☆
Sponsored By: The Ramside Hall Hotel
6. Bamburgh and Seahouses
Date: 28/06/2021
Meeting Point: Car Park, Harbour Road, Seahouses, NE68 7SH
Starting at Seahouses on the North-East coast, we take a walk around the harbour - past Seahouses point - and along the coastline, before dropping down to Beadnell beach.
At Beadnell, we start back inland, picking up first the Northumberland Coastal Path, then St Oswald’s Way, before we set our sights on Bamburgh Castle in the distance.
On reaching Bamburgh, we cut down onto the expansive Bamburgh beach, giving us beautiful views of the iconic Bamburgh Castle.
We can see the Farne Islands far out to sea, home to thousands of nesting seabirds, seals, and famously, the site of Grace Darling’s heroic rescue of nine survivors from a shipwrecked paddlesteamer in 1838.
This scenic coastal walk offers a mostly flat route with little climbing, but with plenty of historic buildings, abundant wildlife, and some fantastic beaches.
Distance: 19.3 kms (11.9 miles)
Difficulty Rating: ★★☆☆☆