Chollerton to Chollerford Walk – River Tyne Trail

This Chollerton to Chollerford Walk is a short 1.9 mile (one-way) section of the Daft As A Brush trail.

I made this a short walk because the weather was poor, the trail alongside the Tyne was muddy and about half of the route was along the A6079 with no pavements.

Please note I am not providing detailed maps or instructions of the route. You will find all that in Daft As A Brush’s book. You can buy a copy here with proceeds going to support the charity’s good works.

Start Point

I did the walk in reverse order starting at Chesters Roman Fort and Museum near Chollerford, leaving my car in their car park, walking to Chollerton then back again (total 3.8 miles).

End Point

Chollerton, St Giles Church.

Highlights

George Hotel, Chollerford is a pleasant ivy-covered riverfront hotel for a meal, drink or overnight stay. Distinguished guests have included W H Auden, John Steinbeck and Lord Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts, who stayed here while writing Scouting for Boys, published in 1908.

Chollerford Bridge was built in 1785 by Robert Mylne, replacing a medieval bridge which was damaged in the great floods of 1771. It is a Grade II listed stone bridge with 5 semi-circular arches and a total span of 90 metres. Pedestrians on the bridge can get good views of the river and weir. The abutments of a Roman bridge can be found a short walk away at Chesters.

After crossing the bridge the trail runs alongside the south bank of the River North Tyne. It was muddy in places but a short stretch of boardwalk helped cross the soggiest parts.

The path merges with the A6079 and the remainder of the walk is along the road which thankfully has light traffic. Approaching Chollerton the road passes underneath a beautifully engineered railway viaduct of the defunct Border Counties Railway which closed down in 1963.

At Chollerton, opposite the war memorial, stands the parish church of St. Giles which has Roman pillars (probably borrowed from the nearby Roman fort at Chesters) supporting the nave roof and a Roman altar re-used as a font. There are Commonwealth War Graves in the churchyard. The low building in the foreground was the stable and hearse house which now serves as a mini-museum displaying interesting information boards on the history of the parish, the church, village life, the school, local industry, the railway, the ferry and farming.

Nearby Attractions

Chesters Roman Fort and Museum
Chesters Bridge Abutment
Brunton Turret, Hadrian’s Wall