Equinox week. Walk a quiet valley while the light lasts, save Friday for Alnwick.
The autumn equinox falls in the early hours of Wednesday 23 September, so from here the evenings shorten quickly and a walk that finished in daylight last month might not now. Late September in the Cheviots can be mild and still in the valleys and properly cold and windy on the tops, and the ground gets muddier as the month goes on. On the coast, sea fret and a stiff onshore wind are what cancel boat trips. Check the Met Office forecast before you set off.
Sunset 7.03pm in Alnwick on Wednesday. Full forecast (Met Office)
Archive edition. We wrote this one for the website to cover the week of Sunday 20 September 2026, so it lists what was on then and says nothing about the weather that week. The emails proper started on Tuesday 29 September 2026.
The school holidays are a memory, the coast car parks have space again and the Farne boats are into their last week of landings. Here's a week of quieter things, most of them indoors if the weather turns.
Start: Hethpool car park, College Valley, near Kirknewton NE71 6TW
A short loop from the free car park just beyond Hethpool, along the College Burn to Hethpool Linn, a run of little waterfalls and rapids in a wooded gorge, then back on a stretch of St Cuthbert's Way with views west to the Scottish border, about three miles off. The feral Cheviot goats live on the lower slopes of the tors above the path, so take binoculars and look up. A weekday is the time to do it: the College Valley is a private working estate and only 12 vehicle permits a day are sold for driving further up, so it stays quiet.
There are several stiles and gates, the path to the waterfall is patchy and the St Cuthbert's Way return is boggy in places and muddy in autumn, so boots rather than trainers. There's no public transport within about a mile, and no driving past the car park without a College Valley vehicle permit. Dogs on leads where there's livestock, and check for ticks afterwards.
Chillingham Wild Cattle Park, Chillingham £12 adults, £10 concessions (65 and over, students), Grown-ups
A warden takes up to 20 people out to the herd of wild white cattle, first by trailer through the woods, then on foot. The park says the trailer is not well sprung and is not recommended for the very elderly or anyone injured, and no open sandals because of the disinfectant at the gate. Details and booking
Any day, dawn to dusk (the drive is open May to December)
Kielder Castle, Kielder, to the A68 near Byrness £5 per vehicle, card only, at the machine, Grown-ups
Twelve miles of unsealed forest road at 15mph, climbing past 1,500 feet at Blakehope Nick, one of the highest roads in England. There's no phone signal, and the café and information point at Kielder Castle were closed ahead of reopening, so take a flask and fill up the tank first. Details and booking
Local baking, produce and crafts along the main street. It runs in all but the worst weather, though the number of stalls drops when it's wild. Details and booking
Wed 23 to Fri 25 Sep (open Wednesday to Sunday), 10am to 4pm
Hexham Old Gaol, Hexham £8 adults, £7 concessions (includes a £1 optional donation); ticket works as a 12-month pass, Grown-ups
It bills itself as England's oldest gaol, and there's a dungeon to prove it. A glass lift reaches every floor, the dungeon included, and it's about an eight-minute walk from Hexham station, with the Stagecoach 685 from Newcastle too. Details and booking
Wed 23 to Fri 25 Sep (open Wednesday to Sunday), 10am to 4pm
Woodhorn Museum, Ashington £11 adults, £10 concessions (60 and over), each including an optional £1 donation; free parking, Grown-ups
The old colliery and the home of the Pitmen Painters' work. The Arriva X21 from Newcastle, X20 from Alnwick and 35 from Morpeth all get you to Ashington, and a valid bus ticket gets you 25% off entry. Details and booking
Daily; trains leave Heatherslaw at 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2.30pm and 3.30pm
Heatherslaw, near Ford and Etal Return £12.50 adults, £12 over 60s; dogs free, Grown-ups
A gentle ride along the River Till to Etal and back, with coaches that carry wheelchairs. Tickets are sold on the day at the Heatherslaw ticket office only. Details and booking
Daily, weather permitting, to the end of September
Seahouses harbour, Seahouses Landing trip £32 plus the National Trust landing fee (£13 adults off-peak; members land free); seal cruise from £22, Grown-ups
Landings on Inner Farne stop at the end of September, so this is the last chance until spring. The seabirds have mostly gone, but the grey seals are there in numbers and the 90-minute seal cruise carries on all year. Details and booking
Daily; entrance 10am to 4pm, house 11am to 4pm, gardens to 5pm
Cragside, Rothbury £27 adults (without Gift Aid); members free; free parking with entry, Grown-ups
Lord Armstrong's house, billed as Britain's original smart home, run on hydroelectric and hydraulic power, with a carriage drive through the estate. Toilets are at the visitor centre, the house and the Crozier car park, and dogs on leads are welcome outdoors. Details and booking
Venues across Berwick-upon-Tweed, plus Ad Gefrin in Wooler Most talks £10, premium talks £15, workshops £25, Grown-ups
Over 55 events on the theme How We Find Our Way, with Joanne Harris, Louis de Bernières and Vince Cable among the speakers. Book through The Maltings online, on 01289 330999 or at the Maltings Cinema box office; the festival says all its venues are wheelchair accessible. Details and booking
Alnwick Castle, Alnwick £14, or £38 with a copy of the book, Grown-ups
The historian talks about his book Castles: A Fortified History of the World, with items from the castle archives on show. Entry is via the Iron Railings on Castle Square, with free council car parks nearby. Details and booking
Evening
Book ahead
Tip. Tickets at Hexham Old Gaol and Woodhorn work as 12-month passes, so keep the receipt, and at Woodhorn a valid bus ticket gets you 25% off.