Greenleighton Moor walk

North East

A rocky crag on the moorland — Look out for rare fossils in Greenleighton Quarry on this walk | © National Trust/Rebecca Hetherington

Enjoy this 8.5km circular walk across moorland, woodland and limestone grassland habitats. Follow the route through Greenleighton Farm; a traditional hill farm with hardy cattle and Blackface sheep whose grazing creates a varied landscape, ideal for many species of flora and fauna. Walk along the edge of the picturesque Fontburn Reservoir, owned and managed by Northumbrian Water, before returning across the moor to the SSSI designated Greenleighton quarry. In spring and summer this geologically significant limestone habitat features a beautiful array of wildflowers.

Near to

Wallington

Start point

Greenleighton Quarry car park, grid ref: NZ035915

Trail information

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Difficulty*

Accessibility**

Full trail

DistanceMiles: 6 (km: 9.6)

Duration2 hours to 3 hours

Dog friendly***

*Varied terrain with uneven ground which can become muddy in places. For further details, please see Terrain section.
**Paths are predominantly earth and grass, so can get muddy in places. Some fields are accessed via gates and livestock may be present throughout the walk. Please close the gates. For further details, please see section marked Access.
***Dogs must be on leads due to livestock and ground nesting birds.

Address
Greenleighton Quarry car park, 6 miles (9.6km) north-east of Wallington, Northumberland
Directions via Google Maps
By road
Walk starts from the Greenleighton Quarry car park 6 miles (9.6km) north-east of Wallington. It is off the B6342 on a minor road signposted to Greenleighton and Dyke Head. Alternatively you can start from the car park at Fontburn Reservoir (5 miles (8km) south of Rothbury on the B6342).
Total stages: 6
Total stages: 6
Start point
Greenleighton Quarry car park, grid ref: NZ035915
Stage 1
Go out of the car park through the kissing gate (to the left of the map board) and turn right. Follow the path up the hill, with the quarry on your right. Pass through a gate and continue straight ahead. At the top, do not go through the field gate, turn left and follow the wall (which will be on your right) towards the farmhouses. At the end of the field, turn right and go through the gates. Turn left immediately and walk between the two blocks of trees.
Quarry SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest)
The limestone quarry is split into two sections: The older section was quarried as early as 1777 and used into the 1800s. The newer section was quarried as recently as 1982 and in total yielded 2 million tonnes of limestone. This quarry is now classified as a geological SSSI as it exhibits a section of limestone rock containing rare fossils of marine shell faunas, formed 330 million years ago.
Stage 2
Go through the gate and continue straight ahead, keeping the farm buildings to your left. Halfway along the fence line on your left is a field gate. Go through this and turn right, following the fence line until you reach the corner of the wood. Bear right around this corner and cross the field, heading for the gap between two woodland blocks. At the end of the track between the blocks, use the left hand gate and use the yellow-capped posts to direct you across the moorland. Please note: the path does not follow the fence away from the gate, it is slightly over to the left.
Stage 3
Use the stile to cross over the dry-stone wall and continue across the moor. You will be able to see Fontburn Reservoir in front of you. Follow the way markers, heading towards the edge of the tree line to the south (right) of the reservoir. Cross over the little stream, turn left at the holly tree and walk towards the large boulder.
Fallowlees burial site
Once you reach the western edge of Fontburn Reservoir you will see a large mound of earth and stone, which is a 3,000 year-old Bronze Age burial site. The large slab of stone at the centre of the mound is probably the original cover to the 'cist' (pronounced 'sist') or burial chamber, which has long since disappeared. The large boulder you walk past has cup and ring markings. It is thought that these Bronze Age motifs may be symbolic to the people who were buried at the Fallowlees burial site.
Stage 4
Walk along the fence on the southern edge of the reservoir. This section has some ups and downs and can get wet and muddy in the ditches. You will reach a kissing gate, which takes you through the fence towards the reservoir. Once through the gate, turn right and follow the path along the southern edge.
Fontburn Reservoir (owned and managed by Northumbrian Water)
This part of the walk passes through mixed conifer woodland and ancient semi-natural woodland. Fontburn boasts an array of wildlife including visiting ospreys (May–September), great crested newts, adders and otters. The reservoir is also a popular trout fishery with permits available from the fishing lodge on site. There are toilets, car parks, picnic facilities and a circular walk around the reservoir.
Stage 5
Before you reach the dam of the reservoir, turn right through a kissing gate and, again, follow the yellow-capped waymarked posts in a southerly then south-westerly direction across the moor. You should cross over a small wooden bridge and then, a while later, pass through a field gate with the quarry fence to your left.
Stage 6
Before you reach the next field gate, turn left through the kissing gate and walk along the top of the quarry, with the fence line to your right. Continue along the quarry top, passing through a kissing gate, until you reach the end. Drop down to the bottom of the quarry and go through the field gate, bringing you back to the car park.
Quarry SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest)
Walking along the top of the quarry allows you to see down into the quarry but also reveals magnificent views of the open countryside. You can also see a trig point from here. Trig points, or triangulation pillars, were first installed in 1936 to accurately map Great Britain. They are no longer used for this now as technology has moved on, with the use of satellites, drones and other aerial images. In spring and summer, the quarry features a beautiful display of wildflowers, including marsh orchids, tormentil, heath bedstraw and cuckoo flowers.
End point
Greenleighton Quarry car park, grid ref: NZ035915
Trail map
Greenleighton Moor Walk at Wallington - trail map | © ONS
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