River Allen

The River Allen flows through Northumberland, rising in the Northern Pennines where its two headwaters, the East and West Allen, join near Water Meetings. It winds five miles south to meet the River South Tyne, itself a tributary of the Tyne, creating a quiet valley landscape of gorges and wooded slopes. The river once suffered from mining pollution but has since been cleaned up, allowing wildlife to return. The Allen supports otters, water voles and salmon, with conservation groups working to improve fish stocks and remove old weirs. In 2017 voles were reintroduced to the upper reaches, and after Storm Desmond’s floods in 2015 the riverside woodland was closed, letting wildlife such as red squirrels and roe deer reclaim the banks. Remains of Allen Smelt Mill on the East Allen show how industry once shaped the valley. Visitors walk through Allen Banks and Staward Gorge, where ice-age streams carved limestone cliffs visible today. The riverside paths lead past broadleaved woods and steep valley walls that make the Allen prone to sudden flooding. Tributaries like Hood’s Burn and Kingswood Burn add to the network of burns and burnsides that frame the valley’s quiet, rural character.