GUIDE TO CHIRDON BURN
(Seven Linns section)
NAME OF RIVER: Chirdon Burn.
WHERE IS IT?: The middle of nowhere, actually in the middle of Kielder Forest in the North of England. It is a tributary of the North Tyne.
PUT-INS/ TAKE-OUTS: From the minor road that follows the West shore of Kielder Water, take a forestry track (number 3 or 4?) heading west which is about 3 miles south of Leapish Waterside park. Follow this track for 5 miles taking a right turn after 4.5 miles. The first ditch you cross after the right turn is Chirdon Burn. Walk a few hundred yards downstream until the burn enters a gorge section, this the get-in. The take out is where the gorge ends.
It is best to locate the burn on an OS map before you go looking for it! The section you are looking for is called The Seven Linns and is marked as such on OS maps (NY688802). It may help to know that Chirdon Burn is a tributary of the North Tyne entering a few miles downstream of Kielder water. The Seven Linns are located in the upper reaches of the burn.
APPROX LENGTH: 500 metres.
TIME NEEDED: Not long once you find it.
ACCESS HASSLES: It's on forestry land, accessed via 5 miles of tracks, but as long as the gate is open there are probably no issues. I understand it is regularly used for gorge walking in low water.
WATER LEVEL INDICATORS: Needs a bit of rain, probably the more the better. Where the track crosses river it needs to be fairly full, although it is flat at this point and looks totally unpromising.
GRADING: Slides and drops are an easy grade 3 other than at higher water, where the first slide may reach 4+.
MAJOR HAZARDS/ FALLS: It's all small slides and falls.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: There are two small falls, approx. 3 metres, and two slides which follow in quick succession. In high water the last three run together. The first slide is the longest and steepest and terminates with a cushion wave/ hole against the gorge wall. The second fall is shallow, best to boof.
OTHER NOTES: While this is a fun little section, it is miles from anywhere and not highly recommended for this reason. However it may be worth exploring the rest of the burn in high water, the section below the Seven Linns would make for fun technical grade 3 ditch boating in high flows and there are at least two other sections of falls marked on the OS map before it joins the Tyne.
CONTRIBUTED BY: Bob Evans.
