Explore Northumberland: New 250-mile route launched to rival the NC500

A pair of Northumberland residents have created the Northumberland 250 – a route set to rival the North Coast 500.

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The 250-mile loop stretches from the North Pennines to Berwick-upon-Tweed taking in Northumberland National Park and the Northumberland coast. The route features 50 points of interest including castles and waterfalls.

The journey is split into four sections; Coast, Borderlands, Dark Skies and Country. The Coast section is a 36-mile route from Alnwick to Berwick-upon-Tweed taking in the Northumberland coastline, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

From Berwick the route cuts inland for 68 miles along the Scottish border taking in crumbling castles and the UK’s most sparsely populated National Park. Next, the Dark Skies section takes you past the Hadrian’s Wall Unesco World Heritage Site and on through the Kielder Water and Forest Park.

Finally, the 48-mile Country section winds through the open countryside of the Northumberland National Park with ample views in all directions. The pair behind the route, David Cook and partner Ella, have also included a list of places to eat and drink, plus places to stay if you want to split your trip up.

The route is available as a free digital download or as a printed map for £7.50 from the Northumberland 250 website.