Northumberland is full of incredibly beautiful hills and rolling countryside. And with that comes incredible rivers and surprise waterfalls. One of the best ones is Linhope Spout which is located in the valley behind The Cheviot itself.

This hike is one I would consider moderate difficulty for the averagely fit person and worth the effort for the views!

If you enjoy this kind of post then drop your email address below to be notified of any and all new posts as I have a lot of great blogs planned over the next few weeks!

Parking at Linhope Spout

You will turn off the main road and onto a country lane which you then follow for near 10 miles. Along this road, you will pass through the village in Ingram. While driving down, you will pass a couple of car parks which have many walking routes off them. This whole area is a hikers dream as there are so many possibilities!

Towards the end of the road, you will come to a point where there is clear parking on the left side of the road. This is the furthest you can go down this road before it becomes a private parking only area.

If you are wanting to visit then the postcode you will need is below:

Postcode: NE66 4LZ

Walking Trail to Linhope Spout

Once you’ve parked up, then you just follow the road along. The path to the falls is very well signposted so you can’t really get lost!

The photo above features Ritto Hill which is a great little hill to climb up if you want some spectacular views over Northumberland and the Cheviot Hills.

If you keep following this path you will then come to this house which is a stunning little place. Imagine living somewhere like this!!

Once you pass this then you take a left turn into a field and then cling to the right side of it up to a gate that takes you back onto a proper path. This little stretch is the steepest bit if you are walking straight to the falls and back.

Once you get onto the top you will come to a gate. For those wanting to add to their walk and include a climb up Ritto Hill, the path up to it is just before this gate! That same path is the Pennine Way path and if you continue on it instead of turning right up Ritto Hill you will reach the Summit of The Cheviot which, you will see through the valley.

That hill is an absolute bastard because of how muddy and wet it was when we climbed it in November 2020. Although it is a great climb and one I do recommend (in dry months!!). If I have piqued your interest, have a look at that blog post!

This path will lead you straight over to the Waterfall which is of course the main reason for this post.

There is a rocky path down to it which is wet too so be careful in this area because you really could slip and fall. And of course, there was absolutely no phone signal so it would be a long way to hobble back to the car to get help!

Even with a fallen tree in the way of the falls, it is still a very beautiful spot! It feels very magical and quite unexpected in this landscape. People have been known to swim in the pool beneath the falls which I bet is really refreshing, but FUCKING COLD!!

There is a great flat area here so if you wanted to have a picnic, this could be a really pretty place to do so, but picnic blankets would be essential as the grass was pretty wet!

From here you could go back up the rocky path to the side of the falls, or follow the river downstream and create a small loop back to the gate you came through earlier. Although if you do this, there is a small stretch which is very steep so if you aren’t the best hiker or don’t have the right shoes on, I wouldn’t recommend this way.

This walk alone I don’t think is very long although if you’re having a dip or a picnic then it would make the day a little longer. This is why at this point we decided to climb Ritto Hill and the views were incredible!

Ritto Hill from Linhope Spout

Just before the gate to the falls, there is a path up the hill, signposted as a public footpath which is a different terrain to the main path. This is the one to follow to head up Ritto.

After a short which you will come to a gate with a stile. Cross this, go through the gate to your left and turn right up a faint path alongside the fence. This hill is a bit deceiving because it’s one of those that doesn’t look very high but is pretty steep. This bit is maybe for more advanced hikers or just someone up for a little challenge. But TRUST ME, the view is worth it!!

The top of the hill maybe took 20 minutes to get to because we kept stopping to catch our breath. We were facing the wind head-on which was bitterly cold and kept taking our breath away.

While we were on the top, the wind was crazy strong so be careful when you’re up here because the weather can change so quickly!

The best way to get down is to either go the same way you came or follow the path over the hill and down then when you join a path turn left which will take you back to the gate and the stile you just crossed over.

This whole walk was around 4.5 miles and took up 2 and a half hours including a lunch stop where the photo above was taken (because it was out of the wind!)

The views over the valley and up the hills were absolutely incredible. And even though we were only at the waterfall for a short period of time, it was completely overshadowed by this incredible landscape!

We will absolutely be back to Ingram Valley to explore more of the other walks on offer here and feel like we have stumbled upon a real hidden gem in Northumberland.

Thank you for reading and I hope I have inspired you to explore this remote area within the Northumberland Countryside! If you have enjoyed this post and want to see more then do drop your email address below to be notified of any and all my upcoming posts. Or feel free to follow me on my other socials which are linked below!

Stay Safe and Happy Adventuring!

Want to feature on Mackemlife? Whether it be here on my blog, Facebook Page or Instagram, I am always looking for new businesses to work with. If you are interested, make sure to have a look at my Work With Me page and get in contact with me!