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I'd often seen the RAF radome atop Cloudy Crags, usually when passing through Alnwick en route to the Cheviot hills, but had never got up-close. Since I was staying at Alnmouth for the bank holiday weekend, I decided to pop up to Alnwick Moor and take a look.
From Bailiffgate in Alnwick, we followed the path alongside Hulne Park, which was rougher than I expected for a walk that rises immediately from a town centre. A few muddy sections, and some overgrown, nettle-strewn stretches made for a slow ramble, but before long we emerged on Alnwick Moor. A short marshy/boggy area gave us wet feet and muddy legs, but then it was almost Roman-road-straight all the way up to the summit of Cloudy Crags, a nice little 250m hill. I was disappointed that the high estate wall didn't let up the whole way, so getting close to the golf ball was impossible, and it was hard to to take photos. Hopes of touching the trig point evaporated, too, when I realised it is inside the MOD compound.
Still, it was a pleasant walk, and the views from Cloudy Crags across toward the Cheviots were good.
Brizlee Wood by
Christopher Watson, on Flickr
Brizlee Wood by
Christopher Watson, on Flickr
Rather than retrace our steps, we walked down the MOD track to the minor road, where we hoped to use the right of way across farmland to avoid the busier B6341, but a couple of encounters with menacing bulls, angry cows, and frisky bullocks encouraged us to backtrack and walk along the road backing Alnwick, instead. A pleasant, short walk, all told - just a shame about hilltop access.
Brizlee Wood by
Christopher Watson, on Flickr