Wooler

Wooler
Wooler Town Centre
Wooler
Location within Northumberland
Population1,983 (2011 census (including Earle))
OS grid referenceNT989280
Civil parish
  • Wooler
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townWOOLER
Postcode districtNE71
Dialling code01668
PoliceNorthumbria
FireNorthumberland
AmbulanceNorth East
UK Parliament

Wooler (/ˈwʊlə/ WUUL) is a town in Northumberland, England on the edge of the Northumberland National Park, near the Cheviot Hills. It is a popular base for walkers and is referred to as the "Gateway to the Cheviots". As well as shops and public houses, the town has a youth hostel, hotels and campsites. It lies on the St Cuthbert's Way long-distance footpath between Melrose Abbey and Lindisfarne.

The main A697 road links the town with Morpeth and Coldstream in the Scottish Borders. Wooler has two schools; Wooler First School (including Little Acorns Nursery) and Glendale Community Middle School. They share a single campus on Brewery Road providing education for children in the Glendale area from 2 years old to 13 years old.

Close by to the west is Yeavering Bell, crowned by an Iron Age fort, a stronghold of the Votadini. The remnants of many stone huts can be seen on its summit, which is surrounded by a collapsed stone wall. At the northern base of the hill is the site of Yeavering (Ad Gefrin in Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People), which was the summer residence of the early Anglo-Saxon kings of Northumbria.