We have been going to Alston since 2009 and always in the same direction from Lambley. We went there in March 2020 as the last walk before the first Covid lockdown and the last time was in April 2024.

Each time we go we tend to walk from Lambley in the north, following the River South Tyne. The are a number of different routes that head in the same direction. The South Tyne Trail follows the line of the old railway and stays on the west side of the river. Two other routes on the west side of the river are the Pennine Way and Isaac’s Tea Trail. The Romans also walked this way and left behind sections of their route which is now called the Maiden Way.