Acton Moor, Dryburn Moor, Chimneys and Smelting Flues, Allendale, Northumberland
[12.9 km] Wed 28 May 2014

OS Grid Ref: NY 8113 5318
Lat/Long: +54.873035, -02.295536

The bad weather forecast was mostly right. I drove north along the M6 to Penrith in gloomy weather then over Hartside Pass in mist and rain. By the time I’d gone through Nenthead and on to minor road over Dryburn Moor the mist was very thick with constant drizzle. The road was narrow and fenced but I was able to find a wide area of verge where vehicles had parked before.

I set off east in full waterproofs to a bend in the road. I took a gate to the right which took me into the abandoned Flakeburn Quarries. The access track had been recently stone surfaced but I couldn’t see any obvious uses for the quarry area. I climbed out and up on to the featureless moor. I headed for a long wall to the east and followed along its west side. The ground was terribly wet with areas of thick reeds. I crossed the wall at a gate to find better ground but it didn’t last long. Eventually and thankfully I reached the track to the north of Hagg Plantation.

I followed it west though thick mist and rain until the two shooting huts appeared though the mist. They were substantial and in good condition but unfortunately securely locked. The track continued for a while up to some shooting butts. They were sunken timber framed butts in very good condition. My route was over the featureless Acton Moor so I left the easy track and was back on rough moor. With no wall or fence to follow navigation was difficult so I just kept heading upwards till I reached what I considered the summit. I continued over the top and descended back to the road.

I followed to the right and took a signposted path off to the left which is called Carrier’s Way on my map. I continued to my next objective of a stone chimney that I’d seen from a distance last week. With thick mist I couldn’t get a decent photo but the double flue entrance was interesting. It is the highest of two chimneys and was fed by a stone tunnel flue that ran from a Lead Smelting Mill near Allendale Town. The flue was partly collapsed and had a rough track next to it.

At Fell House I joined a surfaced road to Frolar Meadows Farm. On the left was an access door way into the flue. At the next road there was another access as the flue passed under the road. The continuing flue didn’t have a public path shown on the map but I still followed it through the fields.

Most of it was in good condition and I was able to get into one collapse to photograph its interior. I reached a bridleway where another flue headed back up onto the moor. It would have been difficult to follow through the fields so I continued on the track to walk back along the road to Fell House then through some old working to join the second flue across the moor.

There was a path along most of its length and I soon reached the second chimney which was smaller in diameter than the first but much taller. I continued up to the higher chimney which is the first one I visited. The weather continued wet and misty as I retraced my steps back to the road and my car.