Churches Tourism Association

St. Oswald’s Way is a long-distance walking route exploring some of the finest landscapes and fascinating history of Northumberland. The route links some of the places associated with St. Oswald, the King of Northumbria in the early 7th Century, who played a major part in bringing Christianity to his people.

From Holy Island (Lindisfarne) in the north, St. Oswald’s Way follows the stunning Northumberland coast, before heading inland across beautiful countryside to Heavenfield and Hadrian’s Wall in the south, a distance of 97 miles (156 km). The route takes in castles, coastline, islands, scenic river valleys, hills, attractive villages, forest and farmland, and some very interesting historic churches.

The informative website includes descriptions of each of three main sections and links to tourist information centres to help plan accommodation en route.

Short Walks

For those who may not have the time though to tackle a whole section, or indeed the whole walk, there is also a series of short walks, including some ‘easy access’ walks to enable wider enjoyment of St. Oswald's Way.

Sites featured include:

• St Oswald, Heavenfield (battlefield site)
• St Aidan, Bamburgh (St Aidan and Grace Darling connections)
  
• St Mary, Holy Island (on part of the ancient monastic site of Lindisfarne)

Pilgrimage to Heavenfield

Not long after Oswald's death, monks from Hexham started the tradition of an annual Pilgrimage to Heavenfield, the site of a successful battle that led to the spread of Christianity in Northumbria. The pilgrimage is still carried out, on and around St Oswald's Day (5th August). This walk allows you to follow in the footsteps of pilgrims who have passed this way for centuries.

This part of Tyneside has some beautiful countryside, as well as many remains of the Roman occupation. Heavenfield is an important religious site, set in a lovely landscape next to Hadrian's Wall.

Distance: 4.5 miles (7.5 km)

This walk is available in its own folded leaflet in a set of eight which are waterproof and rip-proof, including maps, route instructions and information about the places and features found on the walks. They provide inexpensive and invaluable information to plan these great days out on St. Oswald's Way in Northumberland.