From the Tyne to the Roman Wall
Although the Burn is filled with lush woodland and has become a haven for wildlife, it was not always so. The power of the stream was harnessed from Roman times to drive the machinery of corn and woollen mills. The rich rocks of the burn gorge were exploited for building stone, lime, coal and clay. The enigmatic remains of three woollen mills and three pits can be located whilst the large brickworks, which occupied both banks in the 1860s, has vanished with scarcely a trace.
Find out about Haltwhistle Burn
Rising in the high moorland beside Hadrian’s Wall, Haltwhistle Burm is one of the hidden treasures of Northumberland National Park. I t can vary from babbling brook to rushing torrent depending on the season but it has its own special charm no matter what the weather.
The upland part of the valley runs through wild moorland but south of General Wade’s Military Road (the B6318 - the longest B road in the country!) its character changes, first to meander through herb rich meadow and then to tumble its way through a dramatic gorge and luxuriant woodland until it joins the River South Tyne below the town of Haltwhistle.
The rocks exposed in the cliffs of the Burn Gorge date from the Carboniferous Period, some 300 million years ago - a period when the land that was to become Northumberland lay close to the equator and was subject to many changes of condition, from tropical seas to great river deltas and lush forests. The rocks that were laid down at that time have been cut through by the waters of the burn to leave dramatic exposures which have been exploited by the people of Haltwhistle for hundreds of years.
Meet some of the fascinating characters
who earned their living on the banks of the Burn.
Take a virtual walk down the Burn Gorge - photographs by Sandra Myers
Explore the dramatic rocks of Haltwhistle Burn
Discover the fascinating history of the industries and people that flourished along the banks of the Haltwhistle Burn
Experience tranquility and beauty on the banks of The Burn