Corbridge Historic Fortifications Trail

Overview

On Sunday, 6th of April 2025 – a day of unbroken sunshine, warm but with a cool breeze – we drove a few miles north to Corbridge, on the River Tyne, to hike its Historic Fortifications Trail (which I’ll refer to henceforth as the ‘HFT’). The route is a hilly, multi-surface circuit between Corbridge and the ‘Military Road’ (B6318) that visits a number of ancient, fortified structures, one of which, unsurprisingly, is the Roman wall or, more accurately, its ‘vallum’. Although highlighted as the HFT on Plotaroute (which was what caught my attention) it’s promoted as one of three Corbridge Heritage Trails. These are waymarked with a metal cross inscribed ‘CHT’ – a fact lost on me when we did our walk. More information on the Corbridge Heritage Trails is available here.

Think of the HFT as a triangle: clockwise, the outward leg is almost entirely uphill; it then slopes gently downhill alongside the military road before turning more steeply downhill, back to Corbridge. Despite the long, initial climb, we didn’t find it too taxing and can recommend it wholeheartedly. Note that if you’re not wearing reasonably waterproof footwear (unless there’s been a lengthy dry spell) you’re likely to get wet feet when crossing Stagshawbank Burn. There’s more about this in the description.

Stats at a Glance

Distance 15 km/9.5 miles | Elevation Gain  296 m/971 ft | Maximum Elevation 247 m/810 ft (farm at Portgate) | Going Generally firm with at least one potentially very wet/boggy section; road, trail, farmland and woodland | Exposure Very exposed around the highest point (Farm at Portgate) | Navigation No specific waymarking with the exception of Hadrian’s Wall Path (map (OS OL43 & 316) or other navigational aid advised)| Supplies & Hospitality Corbridge (All); Port Gate (Ca) | Start & Finish Corbridge (car park S of the River Tyne) NY 988640 (What3Words: cashew.kiosk.renovated) | Grade Moderate | GPS Route File

Description

Approaching Corbridge (which the Romans called ‘Corstopitum’) from the south, via Riding Mill, we decided to park on the south side of the River Tyne and walk into town. The car park – as we expected on a Sunday lunchtime – was full so we parked half-on/half-off the wide pavement nearby from where it’s a short walk over the impressive c17th bridge into the busy town.

Turning left onto Middle St, after crossing the bridge, took us into the bustling market place, dominated by St Andrew’s Church, the tower of which dates to the Anglo-Saxon period. The first of the fortifications on the HFT – a well-preserved vicar’s pele tower – is impossible to miss on the edge of the churchyard, being stoutly built for the mortal protection of the clergy during medieval times, which were particularly troubling for shires on both sides of the Anglo-Scottish border.

Leaving the market place, the trail threads quickly out of town, resolving eventually to a continuous footpath (Hippingstones Lane). It begins to rise gently uphill, past expanding housing developments, some of which have encroached on a medieval common that – as the sign tells you – came to be known as ‘Hippingstones Field’. After a short distance running parallel to the noisy A69 trunk road, the footpath meets a quiet, minor road (Leazes Lane). Turning left on the lane, and under the A69, brings you face-to-face with the Cor Burn where there’s both a footbridge and a ford. Here, also, begins the steepest part of the ascent, which remains the dominant characteristic of the northward leg of the route.

After about a mile or so on the lane, the route bears left, onto a stony, and potentially muddy, track – still heading upwards – past a row of cottages at Low Houses, to the A68 at Stagshaw Bank. There’s no footpath on this busy road, which must be crossed, but it’s only a short distance before the route bears left to a stile alongside an access road. This leads onto Stagshaw Bank Common which, for hundreds of years, was the site of an important fair – possibly dating to Anglo-Saxon times and described by an c18th cartographer as hosting “two of the greatest fairs in England”. Given that the A68 generally follows the line of the Roman supply road of Dere Street – an important communications route long after the Romans had gone – I suppose it’s no surprise.

It was at this point, by slavishly following the access road, we lost contact with the trail. Although it wasn’t a problem, as I was using a GPS device (for which we’ve provided a GPX file), it’s probably the most likely point on the route where lack of waymarking might create issues. However, by walking in the direction indicated by the fingerpost at the stile, through a wide gap in the gorse, then heading for the distinctive farm on the hill at Portgate, the navigation is actually quite straightforward though crossing the common itself remains exposed, tussocky and potentially boggy. If I’ve missed an obvious waymark here, or anywhere else, feel free to leave a comment.

Out of sight, on the other side of the low ridge – still heading towards the farm – you’ll eventually see a gate in the wall. This is your objective. I was somewhat surprised to find that the gate opened onto an even boggier area, fed constantly by the Stagshawbank Burn. Although there are stone slabs to assist, my boots were submerged up to the laces while, happily, my feet remained dry. In persistently wet weather I guess that it could be considerably deeper, so bear that in mind. I’ve included some photographs in the gallery (linked below the Description) that will, hopefully, help illustrate this section.

Up the hill, and after passing through the farm, you join an access road – at the highest point on the trail – heading directly towards the busy military road a short distance away. Just before reaching it there’s a tall stile on the right, the first of many on this section of the trail that facilitate the extensively waymarked Hadrian’s Wall Path (HWP). Top tip: alongside the stile there’s an easy-to-open gate which I failed to notice until I was on the other side! The large ditch on the right is an important linear earthwork known as the ‘Vallum’. While it runs almost the entire length of the wall, its purpose, apparently defensive, still isn’t fully understood.

From here the route is almost constantly descending and the carpet-like, grassy trail quickly returns you to the A68 at the Port Gate roundabout. In Roman times, the ‘Port Gate’ allowed Dere Street to pass through the wall. Today you’ll no doubt be delighted to find the Errington Arms Coffee House on the site, ideally placed for refreshments. Although it looks like it could get quite busy, it was quiet when we were there.

Leaving the coffee house, the route bears left across the A68 towards a fingerpost indicating the HWP which runs alongside the main road before returning to the fields via a waymarked stile. A bit further on, you’ll reach the somewhat incongruous but imposing gates belonging to Halton Castle which lies out of sight, further down the hill. They stand on the unexcavated site of Halton Chesters Roman fort. So much has been written about the fort and vicus (civilian settlement) of the Onnum/Halton Chesters/Port Gate complex that there’s not enough space here to do it justice and I’d probably get it wrong anyway.

Beyond the gates, just before reaching the scattered lumps and bumps of the abandoned sandstone quarry at Downhill, the HFT parts company with the HWP, turning southwards across the field, following the wall on the right. Again, there’s no HFT waymarking, so be alert (generic waymarker posts stand in the field further downhill).

After less than a mile of descending back towards the River Tyne, deep in the valley, you come to Halton Castle which is actually a c14th fortified manor house. Impressively foreboding, it stands next to a slightly more uplifting c16th chapel dedicated, somewhat over-generously, to St Oswald, St Cuthbert and King Alfwald. While the castle is private, the chapel is very much open to visitors, being attached to St Andrew’s in Corbridge (check out the topiary ‘Halton Pig’ next to the south door).

Less than a mile down the metalled lane, is the last of the trail’s fortifications – another fortified manor house known as Aydon Castle which was built in the c13th and is much more extensive than Halton. Administered by English Heritage it’s only opened for tours and special events, which seems a shame. We visited a few years ago but I don’t remember having to apply – it was well worth it though. The route passes directly in front of the gates before descending steeply into the wooded gorge where you, once again, encounter the Cor Burn. If you take time to look back at the castle, you’ll appreciate how difficult it would have been to attack it from that direction at least.

After crossing the burn via a footbridge, there’s a short, steep, rugged and potentially slippery climb out of the gorge with the possibility (as it was for us) of having to negotiate wind-fallen trees lying across the path. The wood ends at a gate leading onto a well-trodden and sheep-cropped path that descends through fields back to the increasingly intrusive A69.

While a bridge here would make the route at least a half-mile shorter, it’s necessary to turn east for a quarter-mile to the actual bridge on the Aydon Road, cross the A69 and return in the opposite direction on the other side of the A69. Or, you could, as a shorter alternative, head downhill, directly into town, following the road. The suggested route is much nicer though, on what eventually becomes Deadridge Lane. As you begin to descend towards town you might notice – across the fields to your right – large, cone-shaped structures that were once functioning kilns belonging to the former Walker’s Yard pottery works.

At the bottom of the lane, when you finally rejoin the Aydon Road, all you need to do is turn right and walk directly back to the town centre where a selection of welcoming hostelries await (we went for The Black Bull on Middle Street – highly recommended)

Many more photographs of the trail – including some that will hopefully help navigation across Stagshaw Bank common – are available in our linked Google Gallery