13k Run Alwinton: Scenic Loop Through Northumberland National Park

Route Overview & Local Insights

This 12.6km loop from Alwinton offers a quintessential Northumberland National Park experience, blending moderate climbs with technical grassy descents. Classified as a "Short Local" (SL) fell run, the route challenges you with 369m of ascent, featuring a particularly steep, lung-busting climb through the bracken after crossing the Usway Burn footbridge. While the initial sections provide a mix of paved surfaces and riverside flats, once you hit the moors, the terrain becomes rugged; expect heavy going underfoot if it’s been raining, making aggressive trail shoes a must for the fast finish down the historic Clennell Street track.

Alwinton sits at the gateway to the remote Coquetdale, a landscape steeped in Border Reivers history. As you navigate the high ridges of Clennell Street, you are actually running along an ancient "drove road" once used to herd cattle and sheep between Scotland and England. This area remains one of the least populated parts of England, offering runners a rare sense of solitude and vast, unhindered views of the Cheviot Hills. After finishing your loop, it's a local tradition to refuel at the Rose and Thistle, a historic pub that has welcomed tired travelers and hill walkers for centuries.