Despite having delayed our start as long as we could when we set off from the car park the Simonside Hills were still lost in the low cloud.

Looking behind us towards Garleigh Hill we were pretty confident the cloud was about to lift.

Thankfully the path was easy to follow as our visibility on the first part of the walk was rather limited.

As we were, yet again, following part of St Oswald's Way we didn't have to worry too much about navigation in the low cloud.

As we crossed Caudhole Moss the cloud finally started to lift and all of a sudden looking behind us we could see blue sky.

Within a few minutes of the previous photo we had clear views all around us.

Now instead of a wall of grey the trees and moors that lay ahead of us were starting to be visible.

Looking back we could now see The Beacon on the Simonside Hills.

All around us features were starting to appear out of the mist.

Ahead of us we could now make out the copse of trees at Spylaw.

Now that we had good visibility we could see how the path on the ground deviates from the one on the map so as that we end up following the fenceline for longer than it shows on the map.

Approaching Spylaw and the ground shows signs of all the recent ran.

Entering the woods at Spylaw.

Having passed the building at Spylaw our route ahead became more obvious, first we would head towards the trees at Whelp Law then we would head for the trees on the skyline.

Now that the cloud has lifted completely we get our first clear look at Simonside.

We are soon approaching the ford at Whelp Law, where we meet the first people we have seen since leaving the car park.

We are still heading away from Simonside.

Looking back to Spylaw as we start to head for the Coquet Cairn.

As we approach the Bronze Age burial mound Coquet Cairn we look back towards the Simonside Hills.

It turned out that we could have saved ourselves a bit of walking from the Coquet Cairn and just followed this fenceline as we would enter this moorland where the new trees meet the older ones.

This section of the forest has clearly been replanted recently so we did at least have some views as we walked through it.

Just after we had left Harwood Forest and started heading across the moor we passed this tree apparently ready for Christmas.

We followed a clear path across the moor which would take us to Selby's Cove.

The track across to Selby's Cove was rather damp with plenty of bog-hopping, a really good test for my new boots, which passed with flying colours.

By now we were more than ready for a lunch break and were very grateful to spot the pile of rocks ahead of us.

Our lunchtime view included Spylaw and Whelp Law and the soundtrack was one of gun or tank fire.

Looking in the direction of Coquet Cairn and Harwood Forest we couldn't help but notice that clouds were starting to roll in.

Lunch over we met the only other person we would see on the moors as he headed up the path next to the fence just as we moved after our lunch break.

Once we crossed the gate in the previous image we found ourselves in a wooded area that has been cleared but was incredibly difficult to make our way through. Although we kept finding the signs telling us we were on the path we eventually reached a section where we needed to cross a stream, but thanks to a fallen tree we couldn't see a way across. A change of plan was required, so we carefully picked our way towards the open hillside and instead of following the path to Bob Pyle's Studdie we headed onto the open hillside where we could make out a path next to the fenceline.

The path next to the fenceline appeared to take us towards Croppy's Hole, but we wanted to be heading to the cairn on Simonside, so we picked our way across and uphill following vague paths and sheep tracks.

Without too much effort we soon reached the cairn on the summit of Simonside.

Looking down to the path we should have been taking up to the top of Simonside we can see emergency vehicles below us. On the summit there are also quite a few emergency service personnel about.

Looking below us we can see a nice clear path through the forest, if we come this way again we will stick to the forest tracks in order to avoid the area around Selby's Cove.

Looking across towards Rothbury and the one thing that is becoming quite obvious is that the light is starting to fade so we need to get a move on.

Heading across to Old Stell Crag we are grateful, given the falling light, that the path is slabbed.

Looking back to the cairn on Simonside's summit from Old Stell Crag.

No time to hang around and admire the view as we need to head to Dove Crag, the next outcrop on the ridge.

Looking out towards Cragside we can see the emergency vehicles are on the move.

Looking back to Old Stell Crag as we make our way to Dove Crag.

Having made it to Dove Crag we pause to look back along the ridge to Old Stell Crag and Simonside.

Ahead of us is The Beacon and then all we have to do is head downhill to the car park.

By the time we reach The Beacon the light is almost gone, but we do at least know we will make it down without needing to drag our headtorches out of our rucksacks.

When we get back to the car park we are treated to a great sunset, which I just about managed to capture despite not having my tripod available. The emergency vehicles and crew we had seen earlier were now parked up next to us, talking to them revealed they had been out on a training exercise and not an actual emergency.

 

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