It was a bright, sunny Friday evening as women arrived from all over the country at the Queen's Head Hotel in Rothbury, our accommodation for this Coquetdale break.

The forecast was not so good for Saturday but that didn't quell our spirits as we started getting to know each other over dinner at the Queen's Head.

After a huge breakfast we drove a few miles west to Hepple to start our walk to Holystone and Lady's Well.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take any photos until we were about 2.5 miles into the walk!

Although the sky was overcast, the weather proved to be much better than forecast.

We headed north and strode out across the fields with the River Coquet meandering ahead, and then alongside us.

We saw a great variety of birds including oystercatchers, lapwings, martins and a solitary buzzard. We also caught sight of a hare running off in the distance.

We had a short break by the river before crossing the bridge.

The grass verges by the road were scattered with primroses and the occasional violet.

We passed through the small village of Holystone, once a thriving community and home to a priory of Augustinian nuns.

Regretfully, the Salmon Inn has now closed its doors to the public, but those in need of refreshment can pause at nearby St Mungo's Well!

Going briefly into Holystone Forest we then crossed a field to Lady's Well, which still provides water for the village.

It is said St Paulinus baptised 3000 people here. It is a beautiful, tranquil spot - just the right setting for lunch.

Making our way across the fields we got up close and personal with a small herd of Alpaca!

The friendly farmer and his wife told us they breed them only for their wool which is beautifully soft and used to make expensive knitwear.

As we headed down the road to Sharperton we came across a few more in a field.

These tiny lambs looked very young but they weren't phased by our attention.

Heading south across the fields we got more of a bird's eye view of the Coquet.

Passing through Low Farnham we paused to admire this gate which allows quad bikes to pass over it and springs back into place.

After a short water stop we headed back down to our cars and into Rothbury in time for lovely tea and cakes at the Elm Tree café.

Today we headed north out of Rothbury to the pealing of the church bells, turning west through Addycombe woods.

We were not so lucky with the weather today - the sun tried to get out but rain persisted throughout the day.

We crossed moorland where some of the heather had been burnt off to promote new growth.

We heard a cuckoo who seemed to be following us along the way.

We had a short water stop after passing Primrose Cottage, then skirted the woods for a while along Crocky's Heugh, then the ruins of Cartington Castle came into view in the distance.

Turning south through the woods we came out onto the Rothbury terraces and sheltered behind a wall to have our lunch.

The group had to take Pam's word for it that on a good day there were fabulous views to be had of the Cheviot Hills ahead.

We followed an old bridle path down to the road into Thropton.

We were glad we weren't going through the field with this beefy bruiser!

We visited the Cross keys pub for a well-earned drink and a break from the rain.

Much refreshed, we headed up Physic Lane arriving back on the Rothbury terraces - carriage drives used by the Armstrong family from Cragside in years gone by.

Following the contour around Ship Crag we descended through the heather back down into Rothbury.

Back at the hotel we hosed off our boots and filled the drying area with our wet gear.

On Sunday evening we had dinner at the Three Wheat Heads in Thropton, with great views of the area we were going to walk the next day.

What different weather today! The sun was shining brightly as we paused for a group photo outside the Queen's Head.

We walked west along the river which we crossed via Lady's Bridge - built to enable women to keep their skirts dry as they crossed to the woollen mills beyond.

We passed through the hamlet of Great Tosson with its fabulous views to the north.

Here we paused to look at the remains of the peel tower, built to defend the locals from Scottish raiders.

Climbing steadily through the fields we made a detour to have a short break and take in the 360 degree views from the site of an Iron Age hill fort at Burgh Hill.

From here we followed the trail through the forest, surfacing near the base of Simonside, the steepest ascent of our holiday.

We made short work of this climb and enjpyed our lunch taking in the views and basking in the glorious sunshine.

After lunch we made our way along the ridge, starting off on a path laid with huge stone slabs, recycled from the Lancashire cotton mills.

We passed Dove crag on our left, with its wonderful pancake - like rock formations.

Dropping down to Lordenshaw we went to investigate the mysterious cup and ring marks carved into the rock, thought to date back to the Bronze Age.

We paused at the remains of another Iron Age hill fort...

...then again at some lovely smooth rocks for a welcome break looking over to Garleigh Hill beyond.

We had great views of Rothbury as we made our way down to Witton, passing Sharp's Folly en route.

This tower was built as a poor relief project and used as an observatory.

We arrived back in Rothbury too late for the local food fair.

However Theresa from the Queen's Head had kindly bought us some muffins and served us tea and coffee in the resident's lounge.

As this was our last night we had booked a table at the Italian restaurant in the Coquetvale Hotel where we had a really good meal.

Last day - alas! One woman had to leave very early, and another just after breakfast - so we were a reduced group that set off on todays shorter last walk.

The sun was even hotter today. We headed out along Wagtail Road, a very quiet lane.

We passed through farmland by the river, where we attracted an escort of horses, no doubt after our apples!

We went through deciduous woodland , following the boggy trail which led us away from the river.

Passing through sunny pastures occupied by sheep and lambs, it felt quite idyllic.

We crossed over the old railway which is now a cycle route and headed up through the fields.

We were serenaded by skylarks as we had a short break.

Crossing a stretch of moorland we saw where we had walked yesterday along Simonside ridge.

We reached the road and made our way back into Rothbury to have lunch by the river in the blazing sunshine. Then, all to soon, it was time to say our goodbyes and go our separate ways.