Six autumn walks worth trying in the glorious countryside of the north

For those of you who like walking on the beach in any weather, there are few lovelier stretches than that between Bamburgh and Craster, via Dunstanburgh.

Walking in autumn and winter means wrapping up warm, wearing stout walking shoes and packing a waterproof (the weather can be very changeable!).

Give yourself time to visit historic Bamburgh Castle with magnificent coastal views over Lindisfarne and the Farne Islands, then wend your way along the sandy beach and cliff top, stopping at Dunstanburgh Golf Club for a warming cuppa, before setting off again for Craster – the home of the famous kipper – passing the dramatic ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle.

Roseberry Topping

It starts off looking like an easy ascent, but don’t be fooled. While it’s not the west face of the Eiger, Roseberry topping doesn’t want to be rushed. Take your time – and maybe a flask of tea and a snack – and meander up this picturesque part of the Cleveland Way, nicknamed “Middlesbrough's Mountain”.

The peculiar shape of the summit - which has led to many comparisons with the much higher Matterhorn in Switzerland – offers magnificent views across the Cleveland plain as far as the Pennines on a clear day, some 40 to 50 miles (60 to 80 km) away.

Holy Island

Check the tide tables (the island is cut off twice-daily from the rest of the world by fast-moving tides) and make your way over to the birth place of the famous Lindisfarne Gospels.

Taking a walk around the Holy Island of Lindisfarne reveals an exciting array of wildlife with the island’s status protecting tidal mudflats, saltmarshes and dunes which together form the Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve.

Rare plants and an abundance of food supplies attract visiting birds from thousands of miles. Autumn is the best time to look out for internationally important species of wildfowl and wading birds that overwinter on the reserve.

Leyburn – Harmby Waterfall

Try the popular five-mile circular walk starting and finishing in the market town of Leyburn, and be surprised by ‘a hidden gem’ in the thriving village of Harmby.

Located off the main thoroughfare via a residential road near the top of Harmby Bank, the Harmby Waterfall is easy to miss but well worth hunting out. During your visit why not recharge your batteries at the Pheasant Inn opposite.

The walking leaflet for the Harmby Waterfall route is available from Leyburn Tourist Information Centre at The Dales Haven, along with a series of local walking leaflets, written and produced by two local walking enthusiasts whose aim is to encourage visitors to discover and enjoy the countryside around Leyburn.

Reeth Round

A walk in the fresh air, taking in the beautiful North-East scenery is not only good for you, it’s also good for your dog.

Reeth offers magnificent views of the dales, and this is a fairly short walk at three-and-a-half miles, with just a few climbs as long as you and your dog don’t mind hoping over dry stone walls.

The walk includes easy access to a stream for paddling (you and the dog), and plenty of open space in the green fields for a romp around.

The beautiful village of Reeth is situated at the junction of Arkengarthdale and Swaledale and is well worth a visit after your walk.

If you’ve forgotten how beautiful the Dales can be, this walk will remind you.

Allen Banks

Autumn is the best time to take a woodland walk, to experience the changing colours of the leaves as the trees prepare for winter.

Allen Banks is the largest area of ancient woodland in Northumberland and has been in existence since at least medieval times.

This long history has helped make it a fantastic home for flora and fauna, and is one of the best places in the north-east for fungi – especially in the autumn - with 181 species recorded here.

Deathcap, destroying angel and panthercap fungi are deadly poisonous with no known antidote and can be found in the woodland here.

Take your time to explore the woods, follow the flow of the River Allen and discover the wildlife oasis that is Morralee Tarn, originally dug out as a boating lake for the Victorians.