News Archive
The Lindisfarne Gospels, return to North East
The Lindisfarne Gospels are set to return to the North East, their spiritual home, for a three-month visit next year from the 7th July to the 30th September 2013.The British Library agreed to the loan late last week and the timing will coincide with Durham's bid to be named the U...
Choosing a GPS (Global positioning system) unit
Choosing a GPS (Global positioning system) unitHow many times do I get asked the question at Shepherds Walks – What is the best handheld GPS unit of what is the best GPS unit for walking?We also get people who come on our Shepherds Walks GPS training courses who frankly hav...
Health Benefits of Walking
The health benefits of walking are widely known. What better way to keep fit than to get out in the area you live in or alternatively a drive out to the countryside. As it is low impact exercise what better way to get and keep fit.Regular walkers have less incidence of cancer, he...
Heading into the countryside, what do I need?
One of the most common questions we get asked is what equipment do I need to get out walking in the countryside?Clothing and Equipment for countryside walksDress for the conditions and please be prepared for rain, it is Northumberland after all. A quick check of the local w...
My interview on Radio Newcastle - how to move sheep
On Thursday 5th April I was live on Radio Newcastle talking about moving sheep, team building and the stunning countryside we have in Northumberland. ...
Bird's eye view of Northumberland
Last week I was lucky enough to be taken for a bird’s eye view of Northumberland by a good friend in his small plane.We took off from Eshott, flew up the Northumberland Coast and then came over to Rothbury.It was a lovely clear evening and I got some great shots.I have put them o...
Red Squirrels Northern England
Red squirrels in the UK are under threat from the introduced grey squirrel. Numbers in the UK have fallen from a onetime high thought to be around 3.5 million, to a current estimated population of around 120,000.The population in England is thought to be as low as 15,000. The mos...
What makes Shepherds Walks so unique?
We understand the landscape you are walking throughAs Shepherds Walks is run by people who live, work and in the past have shepherded in the countryside we have a special relationship and understanding with the landscape you are walking through. You would not get a coal min...
St Cuthberts House B & B Challenge Walk offer
Shepherds Walks have teamed up with St Cuthbert’s House, the North East B & B of the year, to give you a truly special Northumberland Coastal Challenge Walk in 2012.St Cuthbert’s House, which is located on the outskirts of Seahouses, is a lovely historic building which has be...
Garmin Basecamp - help videos
As Garmin Basecamp is becoming more and more popular we are getting more questions about how to use this totally free software. I think with the advent of the new eTrex range coming out where you have to download the mapping, rather than getting it on a memory card it has tested ...
Walking on the Northumberland Coast
The stunning Northumberland Coast is renowned for its quality walks not just on the coast itself but also a little way inland. There is so much variety, with not just the picture postcard scenes but also the remote beauty for which the county is famous and for those ‘hidden gems’...
The Northumberland Coast, my favourite section
My all time favourite section on the Northumberland Coast is ‘Sugar Sands Bay’ south of Craster and Howick.If you are walking south down the Northumberland Coast you have just passed along the busiest section of the coastal path (Dunstanburgh Castle to Craster) then 15 minu...
Rothbury Walking Festival 2012
Thank you to everybody who has already booked onto this year’s Rothbury Walking Festival, we have had a great response to this year’s programme with one of the walks already fully booked!So please do take a minute to look through the walks programme and book onto the walks....
Get yourself challenged in 2012
After everybody’s over indulgence over Christmas now is the time to get into training for one of the many Challenge Walks in the region.Over recent years the popularity of Challenge Walks has grown massively. These are organised walks (which some people run) where participants ma...
What's in store for 2012?
I very much hope you had a good Christmas and New Year.It would be great if you could join Shepherds Walks again in 2012.I personally think we have the best possible plans for the year ahead, with something for everybody. The following is a summary of what we have to offer....
Shepherds Walks Holidays
What's so great about Shepherds Walks Holidays?Watch the YouTube film and I very much hope you can join us in 2012. ...
The year that was 2011, on YouTube
A look back over the past 12 months with Shepherds Walks.Watch and enjoy!Have a great Christmas and New Year. ...
Christmas and New Year Opening Times 2011
Christmas Opening times for 2011. Shepherds Walks will be open the following hours over the festive period – Monday 19th to Friday 24th Dec – 10.00 – 17.00Saturday 24th Dec (Christmas Eve) – ClosedSunday 25th Dec (Christmas Day) – ClosedMonday 26th D...
Shepherds Walks on BBC Ramblings
A little while ago Clare Balding walked the length of St Oswald's Way in Northumberland, with a number of different ‘guests’.On the fourth leg of the route I walked one of my favourite sections of St Oswald’s Way from Weldon Bridge to Rothbury.St Oswald's Way is a 97-mile route, ...
Real Northumberland Clothes for Real Northumberland Walkers
A traditional Northumberland Mill has moved into the 21st century by opening their first online store, Otterburn Life.The store sells a mixture of their own-brand clothing Otterburn Classics and other specialist outdoor attire from many of the UK’s leading brands. Otterburn Life ...
Outdoor Leisure Show 2012 cancelled
Ocean Media were due to host the second Outdoor Leisure Show between 21-26 February 2011 at the NEC in Birmingham. The firm has also been forced to cancel the Outdoor Leisure Show, which made its debut earlier this year alongside the established Boat and Caravan brand, which has ...
Garmin BaseCamp
One of the key issues in the world of digital maps has always been that GPS owners have had to purchase their OS maps & license twice; once for the PC for Route Planning and then again for their GPS to see an OS map on screen.Garmin have resolved this issue with a uniqu...
Rothbury Walking Festival 2012
The programme for the fourth Rothbury Walking Festival was announced yesterday. Even in 24 hours the feedback (which has already turned into bookings) has been very positive.Jon Monks, from the Rothbury Walking Festival said ‘This year we thought we would try a number of differen...
No more doom and gloom
With lots of gloom in the press at the moment it is great to see one rural business in Northumberland going from strength to strength.Shepherds Walks, now based at Kirkharle Courtyard, has certainly grown since its humble beginnings 11 years ago. Jon Monks, then a hill shepherd, ...
Shepherds Walks - the story
My life of walking is not quite as simple as people first think, but I am certainly not complaining. Back in 1999, when I was a hill shepherd in Northumberland I had a strange idea. I was fed up of following poorly written walking guides so as someone who lived and worked in the ...
Free Nordic Walking taster sessions
Nordic Walking has really increased in popularity of recent years as many people have enjoyed trying and learning the technique.On Sunday 4th September 2011 Shepherds Walks, who are based at Kirkharle Courtyard, are offering free taster sessions so people can see what all the fus...
Photo competition
For the month of July we are running a photo competition. As you follow one of our self led walking guides, attend one of guided walks, attend one of our courses or come on one of our challenge walks I am sure many of you will snap away with you camera.If you have ta...
Rothbury Walking Festival
Thanks to everybody who came to last week’s walking festival in Rothbury.We had a great 8 days and with some varied weather everybody went away with a real smile on their faces. The week started with some very popular walks looking at the Drover Roads of the Cheviots, a walk alon...
Coastal Challenge Walk 2011
On Monday 2nd May over 200 walkers set out to complete the first ever 26 miles Coastal Challenge Walk. Whilst the rest of the world were enjoying a well earned bank holiday lie-in the hardy bunch of walkers checked in at Alnmouth at 7.30 a.m. before being bussed up north of Bambu...
YouTube guide - How to download GPS Co-ord from Shepherds Walks
I have put together a short run through of how to downlaod the GPS co-ordinates from the Shepherds Walks web site. ...
Shepherds Diary - May
What a lambing time! nobody could have asked for better weather.This is truly the hardest time in the shepherd's year which normally is made harder by the presence of rain, wind and cold days/nights.But not 2011, we have had day after day of sun, dry fields, lots of grass and to ...
New - Download GPS waypoints
New – we have just updated the web site so you can now download GPS waypoints for many of our walks. More will follow over coming months but we are starting with some of our Northumberland walks.How does it work?Just add the GPS waypoints to your shopping cart as normal a...
Shepherds Diary - April
Lambing is here! You sit and wait and nature does what it does best. No point trying to rush things or being over anxious, nature will do everything in its own time.This is fundamentally the most important time in the shepherd's year. You are creating your work (and hopefull...
13 mile Cragside Challenge Walk.
Shepherds Walks has teamed up with the National Trust to put on the first ever 13 mile Cragside Challenge walk/ run. This will be a fitting conclusion to the 2011 Rothbury and Coquetdale Walking Festival.Starting at Cragside (free entry included in entry fee), the former home of ...
Berwick School children do it the Nordic way.
Holy Trinity First School in Berwick have just finished six months of Nordic Walking being taught not only to the children, but also to the parents during after school clubs.Nordic Walking originates from cross country skiers in Finland who started to use poles in their off-...
Rothbury and Coquetdale Walking festival 2011
Northumberland National Park has again teamed up with Shepherds Walks to bring together the 3rd Rothbury and Coquetdale Walking festival in June.Building on the success of the past two years with visitors coming from as far afield as the Isle of Wight, especially for the week of ...
Outdoor Leisure Show 2011
The 2011 Outdoor Leisure Show takes place in Hall 9 at the Natioanl Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham from 25th - 27th February 2011. If you enjoy spending your time rambling, fell walking, mountaineering, camping, bird watching, cycling, kayaking or exploring places of natural...
Hadrians Wall, series of day walks.
The Hadrians Wall National Trail is surely one of the most famous National Trails and visitors from all over the world flock to this 84 mile trail every year.Stretching across northern England, Hadrian's Wall is the most important monument of Roman Britain, and the best-known fro...
Nordic walking
What is Nordic Walking? Nordic walking is an enhancement of ordinary walking it makes something we can all do twice as effective It uses poles to add two major benefits to walking upper body muscles are used as well as the legs the poles help to propel the walker along which ...