Translate

Saturday 16 March 2024

The originals

 The originals. March 15th

About twenty years ago Harry had retired and I had a dream teaching job, working three days a week. We decided that every Thursday we should go out for a walk, locally, in the Northumberland hills or the Lake District. As friends retired and joined us we became the gadgies, changed the day to Friday and carried on walking. Today, because of family commitments, holidays or other reasons, there's  just the two of us.

We are off on a familiar walk from Warkworth to Alnmouth and back. A coastal  walk, easy to follow but use OS Explorer 332 Alnwick and Amble if you must.

The town of Warkworth is close to the coast, take the Northumberland Coast Route. On reaching the the town square go left, pass the church and park on the river bank. Its  free.


                                    Car parking by the River Coquet in Warkworth.

                                      car park ducks, hoping for bread.

The footpath on the river bank passes St Lawrence's church.


              St Lawrence's.  According to Pevsner's Buildings of Northumberland an almost perfect Norman church, 12th century origins.

Continuing on the path we came to the Medieval bridge over the Coquet. Now for pedestrians and cyclists it was in use by road traffic until the 1960s. The modern road bridge runs parallel.



Once across the road we headed up the hill towards the car parks and caravan site. There is a newly tarmacced path in the field next to the road, good idea as there is no pavement up the hill.

Once we reached the dunes we turned south and walked a track to the north side of the river opposite Amble, turned north again and headed up the sandy beach. Recent storms had deposited flotsam on the beach, enough timber to keep fires going all winter.


                                 WW2 antilanding defences

                         The bottom layer is coal, plenty of pieces on the beach too, keep the fires going.

At Birling Carrs the rocks were covered with seaweed and as they were slippy and as the natural steps were too high for the knee  we left the beach, climbed up to the caravan site  and once through it hit the beach again.

Heavy, dark cloud promised rain as we approached the point opposite Alnmouth.

 This atmospheric photo was taken by Harry. Alnmouth in the background, sandy beach in the foreground, with a strip of coal dust.

Once round the point we climbed up to the cross and down to the small ruined chapel which made an open Herbie spot.

                   Once the site of the village church. In 1806 a storm caused the river to change course, cutting off the hill that held the church. The church, St Waleric's was 12th century.

            Although it looks very very old the chapel dates to Victorian times. Used as a Mortuary chapel.

The clouds may have looked heavy but the rain was light as we headed south on either St. Oswald's Way, The Northumberland Coast Path or, as it is now known the King Charles III Coast Path.


                    Alnmouth was once a thriving port and ship building town. The area was, and is, a producer of grain. This ruin is the Guano shed, built away from the village to store imported smelly fertiliser. After the storm of 1806 it was on the wrong side of the river.

Regardless of name it heads through the dunes to the caravan site and then on to  the Warkworth Golf Course. At one point we left the course, went under a footbridge and were back on the beach.


                   Don't want to be hit by flying golf balls!

After about a mile of sand walking we turned off the beach and headed back up the track to the car. Then home!


Distant view of Warkworth Castle. The foundation stone was laid  in 1139 by the son of a Scottish king. He then became Duke of Northumberland. This Percy stronghold is looked after by English Heritage and is well worth a visit. Lots of activities in summer especially.


Contains OS data, copyright. Crown copyright and database right 2024.

The walk is just over 9 miles, easy going.




              Medieval bridge, Warkworth





Saturday 9 March 2024

THREE GO OFF TO INGRAM

 Three go off to Ingram  March 8th

MUDDY

Reduced to a trio, Harry,  John C and I are off for a walk from Ingram in the Breamish Valley, one of several that drain the Cheviot Hills.

Ingram is a tiny village reached by driving north on the A1, turning off on to the A697 at Morpeth and a mile or so beyond Powburn turning left at the signpost. Four miles or so into the valley, cross the bridge, turn left, pass the church and park at the old information centre, cafe, museum. Parking is free.

Two maps cover the walk: OS OL 16 Cheviots and OS Explorer 332 Alnwick and Amble

But first the car park;



A quiet day at the visitor centre Ingram. There is a cafe and a small museum of valley life in the centre.

Leaving the car park we walked back up the lane, passing the church, turned right and headed up the valley road.


St. Michael's, Ingram.  11th century origins but mostly 19th century renovation.

Not far alongb the road we passed the farm which had at least four peacocks strutting the yard, sadly none with full display but it was a cold day.

                                                        One of the Ingram peacocks.
We turned off at the first track beyond the farm and began a steady uphill plod on Ewe Hill. At one point we went a little off piste and followed what were little more than sheep tracks until we rejoined the planned route at mile 2.  From this point we followed a footpath down the steep hillside to the footbridge crossing Chester Burn.
                   Footbridge over Chester Burn.
Once over we walked through the muddy wood and then across fields to the farm house at Chesters.

                  Chesters at the back. It seemed deserted and seems very isolated.
From the farm we followed well made farm tracks across open moorland, passing a line of logs left from a clearing operation until we reached Northfieldhead Hill.
                          Possibly destined for woodchip kitchen tops!
At Northfieldhead our route took us on a hard surface to the farm at Prendwick. The farm has several holiday huts to let:


Two of the holiday huts at Prendwick. Must have appeared in one of those newspaper lists of places to stay in the UK.
Not far from the farm we turned left into fields, spotted some suitable stones and paused for a Herbie. No sharing today, it's not the same without Mrs A!

If only Wordsworth had spotted these, but a host of snowdrops doesn't seem quite the same. Hard to rhyme too.
From the Herbie spot we followed the very muddy farm track for two miles back to Ingram. Well worn by farm vehicles the track along the side of Wether Hill added several pounds of mud to my boots.
No pub today either.

Contains OS data, copyright. Crown copyright and database right 2024
The walk is a bit less than 10 miles, some uphill bits but generally easy going. Fine views.

It was a cold, grey, windy day.












Saturday 24 February 2024

FOUR GO TO RIDING MILL

 Four go to Riding Mill. February 23rd.

Mud warning

Brian, Margaret, John C and I are off for a walk from Riding Mill. a village in the Tyne Valley, easily reached by following the A69 west to the Corbridge roundabout and following signs. There is limited parking next to the railway station, free.

Riding Mill does not have a lot to offer, a station on the Newcastle Carlisle line, a pub, no shop as far as I know, the original mill is now a private residence. Mainly a commuter village for Tyneside.

Two maps cover the walk: OS Explorer 316 Newcastle upon Tyne & OS Explorer 307 Consett. Could be useful.

Breakfast at Brockbushes which is being expanded, opening new premises later this year. It will be much bigger. And it does a great bacon sandwich.


                Not the most inspiring of car parks, but free.

Once booted and coated, (it was cold) we crossed the railway line, using the footbridge of course, and followed a footpath close to some old cottages, crossed the village road, walked up East View lane, over the railway again  and off into open land. 

After crossing a field we crossed the A68, a busy road, and followed a footpath through a small wood.


Excluding roads, this is probably the least muddy part of the walk.

Just outside the wood we passed this solid looking building. WW2 bunker?

 Once out of the wood (mile 1)  we crossed more fields  and a minor road. After a short stretch of dry road walking we reached Broomley (mile 2) and took the track to Old Ridley. (mile 3) A road heading roughly south west took us through the hamlet of Hindley, a collection of large houses, until we came to a crossroads. Going straight across we walked uphill on a muddy farm track, passing Wheelbirks which looked inviting.

                                           Wheelbirks ice cream and food.
At the top of the hill we came to the A68 and had to walk a short distance on the side of it, carefully watching the traffic. Turning right we came to  the farm at Lower Fotherley (mile 5) which seems to have the ruins of an old Peel Tower.

Could it be the ruins of a Peel Tower?
Across a field from the farm we settled down on some stones at the edge of a wood for today's Herbie, a quiet affair, apple pies, sweet and savoury from Mrs A. (mile 6).
Lunch over we walked the muddy woodland path, crossed a field and reached Healey, a small village with a small church.

Top: a nice bit of topiary. Bottom: St John's church, a Victorian chapel of ease.
After  walking through the village we turned left and at Burnt House took the muddy footpath through Broomleyfell plantation. Emerging on a minor road we turned left and on the corner spotted the finger post pointing back to Riding Mill. Across a couple of soggy field , adding more weight to boots already caked with mud and finally a road back into Riding Mill.
On the way home we called at the Fox and Hounds in Wylam which serves TTL and zero alcohol Guinness.

           Contains OS data, copyright. Crown copyright and database right 2024.
The walk is just over 9 miles, some climbs but generally easy going apart from the mud.










Saturday 17 February 2024

On the coast again.

 On the coast again. February 16th

(And the bus) (And a castle)

Four of us (Brian, Margaret,  Harry, me) out on a walk we have done several times but why not. Start by driving to High Newton by the Sea which has a fine, free facility for cars and taking the bus to Bamburgh. The bus, number 418, leaves High Newton at 10.48.


High Newton: A1 to Alnwick, turn off for Denwick and watch out for signposts. However we took the Northumberland Coast route and had breakfast in Bernard's cafe in Warkworth.

Held up on the drive from Warkworth to Bamburgh by a couple of slow moving cars driven by elderly people we " caught the bus in seconds flat" as Paul wrote. The bus takes about half an hour to reach Bamburgh. We got off next to the cricket ground just below the castle.

It is possible to follow the walk without a map but just in case it is covered by:

OS Explorer 340 Holy Island and OS Explorer 332 Alnwick and Amble

Car park for the day at High Newton. Not the start of the walk, we "ran" for the bus from here.

Once off the bus in Bamburgh we walked round the cricket pitch and took the footpath at the north end of the castle down onto the beach.

Bamburgh Castle. The site has been in use since the stone age. Fortifications built by Britons, Romans, Saxons and Normans.The castle has been used in several films, including a version of MacBeth when a clever bit of computer work put a large range of snowy mountains in the background.

Once on the beach we headed south. The sandy beach was busy with family groups, walking, playing (even a cricket match) and walking dogs. The Greenhill rocks were on the slippy side and tricky side so we climbed up to the road, crossed a stream and took to St Aidan's dunes  until  we were close to Seahouses. Back on the road we walked through the little holiday town, famous for fish and chips and trips out to  the Farne Islands.. Passing the back of the Olde Ship we headed for benches overlooking the harbour and settled down for a Herbie. (mile 4)

                A Herbie view of the harbour (apple pies, savoury and almond slice from Mrs A)

                         Looking back at Bamburgh Castle.

Lunch over  we walked carefully round the golf course to the road, crossed a stream  and headed back to the beach. After some more sand walking we climbed up to the road and strode on through Beadnell to the harbour. (mile 7)

                            The Lime Kilns of Beadnell
                                 Dunstanburgh Castle from Beadnell Harbour

                        A very quiet Beadnell Harbour

Back on the beach for a stretch of Beadnell Bay but the stream known as Long Nanny was a bit on the deep side so we headed for the footbridge.



                    Long Nanny footbridge and Long Nanny stream.

From the bridge we followed the England Coastal Path (Now called the King Charles Path) to Newton Links House where we encountered the only mud of the day. We left the path at Mile 10, turned right and headed on an unmarked trail to a stile, crossed a field and were back in High Newton.

Ridley Arms on the way home.Blonde Star or Black Sheep.

Contains OS data, copyright. Crown copyright and data base right 2024

The walk is 10.5 miles, easy going.