The best walks and hikes around Harbottle

One of Nortumbria's most picturesque villages, Harbottle's street of pale sandstone buildings in a delight. The Star Inn is the heart beat of the village, serving as an information point and local shop as well as the usual. Local points of interest include Harbottle Castle, today a medieval ruin and the Drake Stone, which is said to have supernatural healing powers.

Here, you are afforded a fantastic view over the serene Harbottle Lake. Please be aware, though, the bog surrounding the lake is dangerous with very deep water underneath it, so make sure you do not stray from the footpath.

The Drake Stone is a large sandstone boulder that is said to have healing powers and is believed to have been used by druids in their rituals. The stone is about 20 feet tall and weighs 2,000 tonnes. It is said that children who touch the stone are cured of their ailments. The Drake Stone is also said to be haunted. According to legend, a voice once boomed from the stone, warning workers who were attempting to drain the lake nearby that the village would be flooded if they continued. Additionally, those who spend the night near the stone are said to be unable to leave in the morning.

"The lonely tarn is of considerable area; the water is always pure, there being a spring in the centre. No Diatomes could be detected in the Sphagnum. The depth of water is unknown. It used to be said that the water is so cold, that those who attempt to swim across, receive such a shock, that they are paralysed and sink. There is no recollection, however, of any who have tried the experiment, having been drowned, and several have accomplished the feat. Some will say that the water which has no visible outlet permeates the intermediate strata, and re-appears at Our Lady's Well at Holystone." History of the Berwickshire Naturalists' Club Vol.12 (1887-1889).

It was built in the 12th century as a wooden motte and bailey castle, but was later rebuilt in stone. The castle was captured by the Scots in 1173-4, before the stonework had even started. The stone castle was probably started soon after, and was captured by Robert the Bruce in 1318. In 1319, Bruce ordered the castle to be dismantled, but it was restored in 1336. Between 1541 and 1551, the western and northern sides of the keep were rebuilt in the present form. Further repairs were made in 1563 and 1585. There were no further repairs to the castle, and it was used as a quarry. It suffered particularly when the new house 'Harbottle Castle' was built in the 17th century.

A cairn about 2/3rds of the way up to the Drake stone.

Nice spot for a rest before tackling the rest of the climb to the Drake stone.

Felicity Lance, a pupil of Harbottle School, won a national writers' competition in 1997 with her poem "The Sad Castle." The poem was chosen by the late Ted Hughes, the former Poet Laureate. The castle has inspired many poems by Harbottle schoolchildren, and two of them, including Lance's and Robert Corley's, have been carved into the stone next to the car park by stonemason David Edwick. The poems capture the beauty and the sadness of the castle, which is a reminder of Harbottle's rich history. They also reflect the creativity and imagination of the schoolchildren who wrote them.