With Christmas shopping on the agenda this walk won hands down!

Starting out at the lovely Waterside Inn, it loops under the Tyne Valley railway before heading through woods to the impossibly quaint Quality Cottages a mile westward. The path rises up steeply after that and gives good views down the valley to Warden village.

After a short woodland section we climbed steadily up to the site of Warden hill fort for lunch. This is a great spot with excellent views and is worth seeking out.

This short day walk continues downhill to High Warden,  a hamlet of half a dozen stone cottages reached by a single track road. After descending to Warden village itself – also very pretty and well heeled, we explored the Saxon tower of the local church before heading off to our cars.