The Anglo-Saxon gatherings that took place 14 centuries ago below Yeavering Bell’s steep slopes helped govern one of the era’s most powerful kingdoms, yet few physical traces of the Northumbrian royal court are evident today.
In spring 2023 a new visitor attraction in Wooler, four miles away, Ad Gefrin, will provide significant insight into the site’s historic importance.
The footpath that rises to Yeavering Bell’s 1,158ft (361m) summit is accessible by parking in a layby by the B6351. A semi-circular wall of honey-coloured stone bears a plaque announcing the site as the location of a royal township during Anglo-Saxon times. It also mentions the 36 days of baptisms by, written a little over a century later. Manuscripts such as the and the were also penned in Northumbrian monasteries.
