Five miles off the route, Hexham is the biggest town since leaving Newcastle. There is a market, shops, pubs & hotels. There is also a Tyne Valley Railway Station. Hexham Abbey has a crypt dating back to 674. There is Hallgate, the fortified Moothall tower house, that dates back to the centuries of border wars caused by the border Reivers. Originally these were over cattle & land, but soon they turned to blood and clan fueds. There are excellent views of the Tyne from the lovely stone Hexham Bridge dating from 1793.