Isaac's Tea Trail

by: Roger Morris
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Isaac's Tea Trail is a 58 km (36 mile) circular walk through picturesque river valleys and over high heather moorlands in the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The route links Alston, England's highest town, with Allendale and includes romantic hamlets like Ninebanks and the old lead mining village of Nenthead. There is much to enjoy in the variety of wildlife and range of landscapes passed on the way and the hand of history, whether in the shape of chapels, farmsteads, field patterns or remnants of the lead mining industry are ever present.

The Trail commemorates the life of Isaac Holden who, in the 1830's was a travelling tea seller. He had a grocers shop in Allendale and became a familiar figure, dressing in black, selling tea door to door to farms and outlying hamlets. The guide describes the route in four stages, each of which it recommends as a day's walk. Detailed route finding instructions are provided together with clear, especially drawn sketch maps. However, in this terrain it is advisable to also carry OS Explorer maps for safety. (sheets OL31 and OL43). The guide also provides a fascinating insight into the life and times of Isaac Holden and the heritage of Nothumberland.

The Trail begins at Allendale and the four stages are:
Allendale to Nenthead - 11 miles
Nenthead to Alston - 6 miles
Alston to Ninebanks - 12 miles
Ninebanks to Allendale - 8 miles

ISBN 9780956012210 Pages 32 (2013) 145mm x 210mm spiral bound