Harthope Linn feels like it’s straight out of a fairytale; a graceful waterfall flows into a steep sided gorge with mossy fern covered walls that shield it from sight of the popular walking trail above. On a sunny day light hits the ferns and sparkles in the water giving the grotto an ethereal feel.

Continuing further along the track will bring you to a second two-tiered waterfall which is also beautiful and great for an invigorating plunge.

The combination of the two falls plus some sublime views along the way make this one of the most special walks in the area. Here’s how to find the waterfalls.

The walk to Harthope Linn

The stats

Distance: 2.6 miles (4.2km) each way (including both waterfalls)
Elevation gain: 200m
Difficulty: Moderate
Trailhead: Layby near Langleeford, Cheviots

Summary: The walk to Harthope Linn is a tale of two parts. The first and longest leg of the trail is along a stony gravel road with a few ups and downs along the way (you can’t drive the road so it’s perfectly quiet).

The second leg has a mix of terrain including some muddy boggy sections, rocky patches and short eroded bits of trail.

Getting down to the first, and in my opinion best waterfall involves a scramble. The second waterfall is easier to access and we will cover both in detail in the notes below.

Before you set off

We bumped into a few people on the trail who had difficulty finding the waterfalls because neither are signposted and the walk was longer than they expected.

The first waterfall will take between 45 minutes and 1 hour to reach and the final waterfall is another 550m/0.3 miles further on (so another 10 minutes or so).

The first waterfall is pretty well hidden, so unless you know what to look for, you may easily miss it. We highly recommend downloading an offline map (Google Maps offers this for free, click this link to find out how) and using the co-ordinates we supply to find the exact location of the falls.

You can also screenshot our guide which includes step by step directions.

Starting the trail: along the road

Although this walk does begin on a road, this is one of the most scenic roads in the area and it’s not open to the public so you don’t need to worry about passing traffic.

The last possible parking point is marked by a sign (full parking details at the end of the post) and this is where you begin the walk. The road is paved and winds its way through some of the biggest hills in Northumberland. In August the heather is in full bloom making them especially picturesque.

You’ll follow the paved road for 640m and at this point you will reach a farm and bear right, through the gate and onto a gravel road. You’ll follow the gravel road which is either flat or gently ascending for around 800m.

There are a couple of slightly steeper bits and one minor descent, but also plenty of flat track to relax on. You’ll soon start to get some wonderful views of the Cheviot, Northumberland’s highest point at 815m and if you were feeling spritely you could continue up to the top of the Cheviot by continuing on past the waterfalls.

Leaving the road behind

As you continue up the road there is one notable steep section just over 2.3km into the walk, but it only lasts for 250m before you briefly descend and pass a house at the 2.75km mark.

And what a location to live in, the house is gorgeous, backed by huge hills and sitting right beside a stream. The road runs out at this point and the track now becomes less manicured.

The trail continues past the house, following the boardwalk over a bit of boggy ground and then left over the stile 150m later.

From here the track is more rustic as you walk between high bracken. Approximately 300m later, or 3.25km into the walk, you’re best off leaving the main trail and walking beside the river for a short distance (you’ll see where to re-join the main track).

Taking the lower route avoids some pretty muddy sections and we walked in dry conditions, I imagine in wet times it could be pretty bad. There is some unavoidable bog coming up, but at least you can miss this bit by sticking close to the river!

Some of the path is now quite narrow and though gravelled, minor sections are eroded. There is one notable eroded bit at the 3.5km mark where a very small section of track (just a couple of steps) is washed out just before you need to cross the stream (which has small stones you can use and water levels are very low anyway).

You then need to climb up about a metre of quite steep gravel track which looked very slippery, but was actually fine.

The path continues uphill for another 70m into a grassy area with bracken. There is some boggy terrain to cover here which is unavoidable unless you happen to visit when it’s been really dry and even then I feel some bog is likely inevitable.

It did flood my boots but it was only a very brief patch, nothing like some of the extended boggy bits you have to face in the Lake and Peak Districts.

After climbing uphill for around 70m you need to look for the beaten down path on the left. It’s surrounded by bracken, but it’s obvious when you know to look out for it.

The final descent to the falls

Though the final descent to the waterfall is only a very short distance, it’s the roughest part of the whole track. The path, though a touch overgrown at first, is quite easy until you get to the little ledge above the falls.

It’s downhill but not overly steep, and when dry, it’s not muddy or slippery and then there’s some rocky track with tree roots, but no scrambling involved.

The final metre or so is a scramble, most notably when you have to lower yourself down a large rock. If you’re not keen on that kind of terrain it may look intimidating at first but there are many excellent handholds in the form of sturdy tree roots.

These give you all the stability you need to get down quite easily, just make sure you test the tree root handholds before putting any weight on them. The very last bit involves walking down a little muddy track with a few stones which is easy.

It’s also worth noting that climbing up is very straightforward as you have no forwards momentum so you don’t have that same worry about slipping.

However, I say all of this based on dry conditions, I wouldn’t want to come down this last section if it was wet and slippery.

Swimming at Harthope Linn

Co-ordinates: 55.476039, -2.115973
What3Words: incisions.caravans.hurricane

The waterfall looks great from above but there’s nothing like seeing it from inside the pool itself. It really does have a fairytale like quality, with shimmering green water that catches the light and sparkles like diamonds, as well as luminous green gorge walls dripping in moss and ferns.

It’s a captivating scene and I couldn’t really get over the fact that no one else was there despite us visiting in the middle of the day in August.

The pool isn’t huge, has a current and suffers from a little debris at the back in the form of some branches from a fallen tree to be wary of, but none of that for one second made it any the less enchanting.

It’s one of my new favourite swim spots in England and as we have visited close to 100 at this point, I don’t say that lightly. It’s definitely one best saved for a sunny day if you can because that ethereal golden light really did add to the magic.

When it comes to entering the pool you can step down from the rocky verge into shallow water. There are rocks around the entry point and in the shallows, but they were covered in what felt like hairy moss and rather than it making them slippery, it actually made them feel grippier somehow, so entering and exiting the pool was easy.

After this it’s deep enough to swim off and though you can only really get a few strokes in, it’s a plunge pool to remember.

When it comes to temperature, I found it surprisingly warm, especially when compared to the sea that same week, but if you’re not used to swimming in England then you may find it cold!

Continuing to the second waterfall

From the turn-off to the first waterfall the trail continues along the main path leading uphill. The path will soon bear right.

There’s a little more grassy track with the odd muddy patch before you reach a narrow gravel path that winds its way around the hillside.

There’s a bit of a drop to the left, but the track is in good condition, so it doesn’t feel too precarious. The views are stunning and the heather is particularly beautiful along this next stretch.

Approximately 150m after the path branched off to the right you will see the second waterfall from the main track.

To reach it there are a few steps of steep trail to navigate. It’s a dirt path with large footholds worn into it which make it easier to get down.

You then need to cross the creek, which is easy as there are plenty of exposed stones to use. It’s then just a few metres to reach the entry point to the falls.

Swimming at the second falls

Co-ordinates: 55.473309, -2.122734
What3Words: crimson.users.kebabs

The second falls is not as good for swimming as the first waterfall, but it’s still a lovely plunge pool and much easier to access.

You need to climb over a few rocks to access the water and small rocks inside the shallow water as you enter the pool make this section a bit tedious, but it’s only a few steps before you can swim, albeit just a few strokes!

The pool is very pretty, underneath the beautiful two-tier waterfall, with deep green water and semi-enclosed walls.

It’s deep in the middle part of the pool and though there is some current, there is still room for a bit of a swim. The water felt quite cold, closer to sea temperature, but it’s guaranteed to make you feel alive!

We think there are more waterfalls further along the track, but it does get more eroded and was quite muddy on the narrow sections just past the second falls. Being a little pushed for time, we decided to save further adventures for another visit!

Keep them wild

Please remember to take all rubbish with you and keep these places wild and pristine - as with anywhere in the outdoors. It’s important to leave them exactly as you found them so they will remain beautiful for generations to come.

Litter tends to breed litter, so if you do spot any and are able to pick it up and dispose of it outside the area, it will go a long way to keeping the area clean.

Parking for Harthope Linn

The closest parking point for Harthope Linn is the lay-by on the way to Langleeford, postcode NE61 7RG, you can see it on Google maps here.

There is a much larger parking area a few metres back along the road if these spots are taken. The parking is free of charge and has no time limit.

The closest village to Harthope Linn is Wooler, approximately 15 minutes away. It’s about 45 minutes from Rothbury and 1 hour from Morpeth.

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