An unconscious and accidental collision of the number 9 for this walk. We have walked in Tynedale many, many times over the years and revelled in its gentle beauty. However, our forays into the Allendale area, just up the road have been few and far between.

This walk was inspired by our current walk theme of Tea & Cakes and follows part of the route of the excellent Isaac’s Tea Trail. We started in the barely-there hamlet of Ninebanks, taking in the atmospheric local church and then following the country road out into the nearby hills. Pretty soon we found ourselves atop windy hills and with breathtaking wide open vistas opening up around us.

Lunch was taken at the foot of a steep valley, scoured out by the Mohope Burn, in the ruins of Mohope Chapel. A truly haunting place with echoes of the bustling mining past still to be heard amongst the stones and trees. After lunch we climbed out of the valley and headed back towards Ninebanks, rejoining the Tea Trail close to the village.