Longtown: old railway line walk.
Distance
Approx 3-5 miles, dependent on which route is taken.
Why we love this walk
A lovely walk with fantastic views of Longtown and the surrounding areas, starting and ending close to the town of Longtown.
This 3 mile linear route is a great opportunity to explore more of the history of Longtown. There are wonderful views, woodland paths, an incredible suspension bridge and the beautiful church of Kirkandrews Upon Esk to visit.
Please note: this walk is not pram accessible; following a public footpath through country fields, crossing streams and climbing over stiles. The terrain is a mixture of woodland paths and countryside fields.
Parking
You could begin this walk from St Andrews Church, Kirkandrews Upon Esk. Nearest postcode: CA6 5NF. Alternatively you could begin in Longtown and take a longer walk out to the start of this walk, nearest postcode CA6 5LY (close to WM Armstrong Haulage). Please note when starting from Longtown the start of the walk can be tricky to find, follow the public footpath signs.
Woodland path
Coop House
St Andrews Church
The suspension bridge!
The Route:
Having parked just close to the start of the public foothpath, we went through the gate and joined the public footpath (close to WM Armstrong Haulage, postcode CA6 5LY) . This is clearly marked with a public footpath sign, begin your walk with the river staying on your right hand side. Follow this public footpath until you head over a stile and into a woodland area , following the woodland path (image 1).
You follow this woodland path for quite some time, passing a small red sandstone bridge on your left hand side and the historical Coop House on your right, on the other side of the River Esk (image 2).
Continue following the public footpath signs, out of the wood, onto an open countryside path. Please be careful here as the River Esk will be close to your right hand side and can be very fast flowing. You will soon see the church of Kirkandrew Upon Esk up ahead (image 3).
Make your way towards the church, being respectful at all times. Go through the churchyard where you will soon come to a black gate, here is where you will see the famous 1877 suspension bridge (image 4). You could continue your walk along this bridge if you had more time. This is where we turned round and headed back the way we came.
Don’t forget to scroll down and view our Strava map for the full, detailed route (please note the Strava map missed off the first section of this walk which leads from WM Armstrong Haulage, along the public footpath close to the river.)
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