Cragside - Armstrong Trail

Armstrong Trail… 1½ miles (2.4 km)
Cragside, Northumberland
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/walks
Discover the world of Lord Armstrong on a walk around the beautiful
Cragside estate.
Start: Visitor Centre
Grid ref: NU073022
Tumbleton Lake (direction 2).
When the Debdon Burn dam,
created to form the lake, burst in
1946, the valley flooded and filled
the Pump House with silt. When
the dam was repaired, the stepped
spillway was built. Now, when the
lake is full, the floodwater runs
safely over the spillway and into
the burn.
Map: OS Landranger 81; Explorer 316
How to get here and local facilities
By bike: View local cycle route on the National Cycle Network website at
www.sustrans.org.uk .
By bus: Arriva 508 Newcastle to Rothbury (passes Morpeth ), Sundays
only, June to October. Go North East 144 Morpeth to Thropton with
connections from Newcastle
By car: 13 miles south-west of Alnwick (B6341) and 15 miles north-west of
Morpeth on Wooler road (A697), turn left on to B6341 at Moorhouse
Crossroads, entrance 1 mile north of Rothbury
Lord Armstrong’s Pinetum
(direction 7) holds a fine collection
of conifers, mainly from North
America. There are several
Douglas Firs in the Pinetum,
including the tallest in England,
which is over 65m (213ft) tall.
Nine free car parks, including mobility parking in main car park; locally
sourced food and drink served in our Stables restaurant; baby-changing
facilities, front-carrying baby slings and hip-carrying infant seats for loan;
children’s adventure play area
Look out for…
t Woodland Estate (Direction 4) Lord Armstrong had a team of about 150
gardeners and estate workers who planted over 7 million trees and bushes
at Cragside to create the huge woodland estate you see today.
Cragside’s second power station
(direction 10). Cragside's first
Power House was built in 1878 to
the north of Tumbleton Lake. By
1895, demand for electricity had
increased so much that a gaspowered engine was installed.
Mains electricity came to Cragside
in 1945.
t Iron Bridge (Direction 6) Newly restored and re-opened, the bridge offers
fantastic views of the house, rock garden and Debdon valley.
t Waterwheel (Direction 8) Manufactured by Lord Armstrong, the wheel was
used to pump drinking water on the farm, where it was stored in large water
tanks. After falling into disuse, the wheel was restored by volunteers. It was
installed here in 1997 to supply water to the Formal Garden.
t Netherton Turbine (Direction 9) Volunteers restored this turbine and it is
now used to demonstrate the generation of hydroelectricity to school
groups and visitors on guided walks.
Contact us
Telephone: 01669 620333 Email: [email protected]
Website: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-cragsidehousegardenandestate
All images on this page © Andrew Sawyer
Distance, terrain and accessibility
Allow 1 hour 30 minutes for this 1½ mile (2.4km) walk. Strenuous walk with
very steep terrain in places. Stout footwear recommended. Not suitable for
wheelchairs or pushchairs. Dogs welcome on leads at all times.
Directions and Route Map
1. Start at the Stables Visitor Centre. This is the ideal place to start
the walk. In the Information Room, there is a topographical model
of Cragside estate, which may help you get your bearings before
you start.
2. As you leave the centre, turn right along the path. Alongside you
is the Tumbleton Lake. The lake was created in 1865 by damming
the Debdon Burn. The 10.7m (35ft) head of water was used to
power a hydraulic pump which was installed in the Pump House
3. Follow the path round towards the Pump House, crossing over the
footbridge. The pump sent spring water from the black tank on the
roof of the building to the Basin Tank reservoir 60m (200ft) above
the house. The water then flowed by gravity into the house where
it was used for drinking and to power the hydraulic lift and the spit
in the kitchen.
4. After crossing the bridge, you’ll spot the Douglas fir in the centre of
the path. The tree was named after the famous plant hunter David
Douglas, who died aged only 35 whilst on an expedition in Hawaii.
He fell into a pit dug by the islanders to trap wild cattle and was
gored to death by a wild bull that had also fallen in. Follow the
path, bearing left, and cross the bridge. Continue to follow the
path as it goes to the right.
5. After walking through the shade of the fir trees, bear right, crossing
over the Rustic Bridge. This bridge is a copy of the original, built
by Lord Armstrong in the 1870s. There is a magnificent view of the
house from here.
6. Following along the path, take a look up to admire the Iron Bridge.
This dramatic footbridge made of wrought iron was built in the late
1860s to carry the path between the house and the formal garden.
7. As you cross over a footbridge, to your left is the Pinetum, a
collection of pine or conifer trees, regarded as a symbol of wealth
and status in Victorian times.
8. Keeping to the path, cross over another couple of footbridges. As
you approach the Power House up ahead, to your left is the
Waterwheel, originally used at Warton Farm, near Thropton, one
of Armstrong’s many farms in the Coquet Valley.
9. Keep to the path straight ahead. The Netherton Turbine to your left was used to
power machinery on another of Armstrong's farms in the Coquet Valley.
10. This leg of the route culminates at the Power House: Cragside’s second hydroelectric power station, built in 1886 to cope with the increased demand for electricity
in the house. Nelly's Moss lakes, situated at the top of the estate, were built to
provide the high-pressure water supply needed by the turbine. From here, turn round
and take the path going off to the right at the waterwheel.
11. Continue along this route. At the top of the path on the right, is a section of cable in
its wooden trough.
12. From here, the walk returns via the estate drive or main car park to the Visitor Centre.
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so that everyone can enjoy the beauty of the outdoors for generations to come
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