Roughting Linn Waterfall

The walk up to Roughting Linn is deceptive. It looks modest on the map - just a waterfall near Belford - but the gorge it falls into is genuinely dramatic, especially after decent rainfall when the water really thunders down the rocks. You'll need proper boots and a good half-hour to get there from the car park, following the burn upstream through woodland that gets increasingly steep and mossy.

Once you're standing at the base looking up at the cascade, you understand why people make the trip. It's not Niagara, but for Northumberland it's the real deal - proper wild in a way that many tourist attractions aren't. The rocks are slippery and the sides are tight, so it's not one for very small children or anyone unsteady on their feet. Teenagers and able-bodied walkers will find it worthwhile though.

Walkers heading this way from Riverside Wooler Holiday Park or Highburn House Caravan Park should allow a full morning - the journey's half the appeal, and the woodland on the way down is lovely when you're not exhausted. Go when there's been rain in the previous day or two. Summer droughts turn it into a trickle, and frankly it's not worth the effort then.

Free to visit, no facilities at the site itself. Belford is close enough for a coffee run beforehand. If you're basing yourself at one of the local parks, this slots perfectly into a day of proper outdoors activity rather than the mowed-grass-and-ice-cream variety.