Park in or around the picturesque village of West Burton. There is usually some parking to be found at the village green as shown in the route map and GPX. Park with care, do not block access to houses, double park or park on the grass.
(S/E) From the parking make your way to point (1). If you have parked at the village green this means walking gently downhill, to a wooden signpost at the bottom right of the road. This is where the directions start.
(1) From the signpost take the track on the right past the old mill and towards a stone bridge and the waterfall.
(2) You can view the waterfall from paths on either side of the bridge, but to continue you will need to cross the bridge and take the path that slants up leftwards. This emerges beside a stone barn in the corner of a field. Take the obvious grassy path across the field to the corner of a wood (Barrack Wood)
(3) Enter the wood via a gate and turn right to take the path uphill. The path leaves the wood and continues steeply uphill passing through two stone walls. the steep part is over at the second wall and it is worth taking a look back over the village and countryside. Continue less steeply, passing a cairn to join a good 'green lane'.
(4) Turn left and follow the 'green lane' towards Morpeth Scar, you will have Castle Bolton ahead of you on the other side of the valley. Just before the straight track starts to bend left there is a stone step stile on the right leading into a field. In the corner is an old lime kiln. It is only a short detour to see it up close. Then continue along the 'green lane' and down to a good viewing point at a cairn. Descend the track more steeply to where it splits
(5) Take the right hand split in the track and follow it, passing a telephone mast on the left. Just after passing an obvious gated track on the right there is another obvious track on the left.
(6) Take the track on the left and walk downhill, passing some old quarries to your left. The tack will bend to the left and descend to a wood. Near the bottom, it makes a zig-zag, look out for the signpost on the left for Temple Farm. Follow the path which leads between two plantations to a gate and stone marker inscribed with a cross. Go through the gate and into the field, cross diagonally to the ruins of the Knights Templar Preceptory.
(7) The ruins are fenced off but there is a gate to gain access. This is a good place to eat your sandwiches. In the corner of the field, you will see a gate in the wall and a signpost. Go through and onto a track that leads to Temple Farm. Do not follow the track, instead, go straight over and through a second gate to follow a path along the edge of a field with woods on your right. Continue along the path grossing stiles or passing through gates to leave the woods behind. Then as you get to the corner of a field take the obvious path diagonally downwards, this leads to a gate and a track called Morpeth Gate.
(8) Turn right and follow Morpeth Gate downhill. Keep a lookout for a path on the left back into Barrack Wood. (It is easy to get carried away walking down Morpeth Gate and walk past the path into the wood so keep a careful lookout)
(9) Turn left and pass through the gate into the wood, follow the path which will lead you back to (3). Go through the gate into the field, turn right and descend to the barn and path back down the waterfall and then the village.
