Falstone Burn

A lovely walk suitable for most abilities following Falstone Burn and into the forest.

Grade: Moderate
Length: 2.5 miles (4 km)

Points of Interest

Local History

The name Falstone is believed to derive from 'fallow stone' a dull coloured or yellowish stone. St Peters Church was built in 1824 by John Green, but had to be remodelled in 1892 after a fire, when the porch and chancel were added and tracery inserted in the windows.

Falstone remained a rural backwater until the opening of the Border Counties Railway in 1862 which contributed to the development of local coal mines at Lewis Burn and Plashetts.The Plashetts Mine closed in the 1930's and the railway line in 1958. Steam trains served the villages from Hexham to Riccarton over the Scottish border carrying passengers, coal from the local mines and freight until 1958.

Wildlife

Kestrel hover in the sky looking for voles, beetles and worms and often roost on top of telegraph poles by the roadside. Circling overhead high in the sky buzzard can often be seen. On the moors from April onwards the curlew, with its distinct downward curving bill can be seen.

Birds to look out for by the Burn and River North Tyne include heron, dipper and wagtail.

Red squirrel live in both native broadleaved woods and the planted conifer blocks. Look out for nibbled fir cones, a sign that they are nearby. Roe deer can often be seen in these woodlands too.

Local Facilities

Falstone Old School Tea Rooms are housed in the old Victorian schoolhouse. Pupils rode into school from the outlying farms and left their ponies in the school stables - now the kitchen! Northumberland National Park Authority worked with the local community to renovate the building in 2004, incorporating many innovative renewable energy features.

Food is available at the Old School Tea Rooms and The Blackcock Inn at Falstone as well as The Pheasant Inn at nearby Stannersburn.

The tiny village of Falstone lies at the foot of the Kielder Dam, the largest man-made reservoir in Europe. Like many settlements in the North Tyne valley, Falstone may have developed from a shieling.Many farmers lived in Bastles, or fortified farm houses, as defence against fellow Border Reivers.The Border Reivers were lawless local families who robbed each other and their peaceful neighbours during the 16th and 17th centuries.

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