Many forest access routes in this forest are currently closed due to the damage caused by Storm Arwen. - See latest information & plan your visit
Visitor information
Opening hours
How to find us
Parking & prices
Contact details

Opening hours

Harwood offers 24 hour access, 365 days a year.

How to find us

How to find us
Harwood, Northumberland
Sat Nav Postcode: NE19 1BX
By Car

From the north, you can park in Simonside car park (reached from the B6342 from Rothbury) and walk approximately 2km on forest road to the start of Harwood at the foot of Simonside Crags. There is no parking on the south side of the forest at Harwood village.

OS Grid Ref
NZ037995

55.291501013353, -1.9432339075457

Parking and prices

There are no parking charges at Harwood.

Additional information

Number of accessible parking spaces: 0

There are no designated accessible parking spaces at this forest, have you seen our Easy Access trails page?

Contact details

Stunning views, open trails and red squirrels - visit Harwood for your next forest adventure!

Harwood is a large conifer forest located to the south of Simonside Hills in Rothubury. Lying within the Northumberland National Park, it provides visitors with access to a network of public footpaths, ranging from popular open paths to quiet trails through the forest. 

Harwood is also one of the red squirrel reserves in the north of England, so keep your eyes peeled for this rare species!

The nearest car park is located at Simonside, which is 2km north of the forest. 

At a glance

This forest access routes in this forest are currently closed due to the damage caused by Storm Arwen. See latest information here.

  • Walking trails

Things to do

Walking in the forest is the perfect way to get some fresh air and explore Northumberland's most beautiful landscapes.

Explore Harwood on foot and discover its popular paths that run over the Simonside Hills and peaceful trails through the forest.

 

Nearby forests

Forests of Rothbury, Simonside

The Simonside Hills lie within Northumberland National Park on the northern-most edge of Harwood forest and have beckoned walkers for years because of their wild and rugged beauty. The range dominates the skyline forming a dramatic southern backdrop to the middle reaches of the River Coquet.

The climb up the hills to the top (430m) is rewarded with the whole panorama of the Cheviots to the north and from the top of Simonside itself, the whole Northumbrian coastline is revealed.

Forests of Rothbury, Simonside Crag

From the distinctive table-top profile of Simonside in the south, to Wooler Common adjacent to Wooler town in the north of the area, the Forests of Rothbury are not short of stunning views in some of the most iconic Northumberland landscapes.

Holystone Woods, Rothbury

Holystone is tucked away in a quiet corner of Coquetdale. The peace and tranquillity of the area attracted a religious order that built a nunnery here in the twelfth century, around which Holystone village grew.

The nunnery has long gone, but the tranquil surroundings remain, offering beautiful walks.

There are waterfalls, crags and plenty of aged broadleaved woodlands which are a delight to walk in at any time of year.

Forests of Rothbury,  view from top of Simonside

Thrunton Wood is planted on and around two steep escarpments of sandstone – Thrunton Crag in the north, and Long Crag /Coe Crag to the south. These lofty crags provide spectacular viewpoints from which to admire the Northumbrian scenery.

Two exhilarating walks allow you to explore the miles of trails as they wind through the maturing forest and across open moorland.

Mountain biking and horse riding are welcome in this wood.

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