We’ve had a great weekend of city life in Newcastle with Andy, Jonelle and Cece. Spring was in the air on Saturday – we sat outside at pubs and cafes and there were crocus in bloom across the city and parks.

This morning (Monday), we headed south, but having never really spent any time in the North Pennines, decided to not rush home and instead take a hike up on to the moors as the weather had taken a turn for the better.

Near Derwent Reservoir, we started off from the old village estate of Blanchland.

Up on the tops there were lapwing, curlews and loads of red grouse, nesting low in the heather.

We made a circular hike up and across the moors and saw only one other couple all day over the 14km travelled.

We followed the river back to the village on a small path which was a bit muddy in places, but got us back to the car before the sun got too low.

It had been nice to see some new views and have a gentle pace to chat and make plans – even if a field of bulls almost marred the final few kilometres!

The drive over to Stanhope was an exciting one as the road went high over the tops. Plenty of views and thankfully not too much traffic!

We stayed the night at a little house/cabin near Barnard Castle, where an early night after the excitement of the weekend was all we needed!