The Greens go to Bolam

 The Greens go to Bolam. July 21

An extra walk with the Green walking group.  Not a political organisation, they are named for the gym they go to, and they have an organised walk every other Sunday.

We met at the main car park at Bolam Lake. From Newcastle head through Ponteland to Belsay, just beyond the village take the right and follow signs for Bolam Lake. Pass the first car park and turn into the second, which has a visitor centre, cafe and toilets. The cafe does a five star bacon sandwich and there are plenty of benches outside. The charge to park for a whole day is £4.50 which compares favourably with Craster Quarries £9 and Housesteads £10. And as for airports.....

The map to use is OS Explorer325 Morpeth and Blyth.

                    A contender for the calendar?

                      Cafe and shop at Bolam Lake

We took the footpath behind the toilets and walked through woodlands lit by a hot July sun. The path follows the perimeter of the park, passing areas that were cut down by storm Arwen. When we reached the road we turned right and avoided traffic for a short distance to Bolam West Houses.

                             Follow the finger post.

The track from Bolam West eventually becomes one laid with old concrete railway sleeper. At a small parking area we followed the wall on the right across fields until we reached Salters Nick.

          Salters Nick on an old drove road.

Once through we turned left and followed a boggy track, passing Shaftoe Grange, close to Shaftoe Crags and eventually made it to the Piper's Chair.

               The Piper's Chair. Tradition has it it was the site of a Shaftoe wedding, the bowl on top of the chair supposedly filled with wine. For us it made a good Herbie although Greens to not take part in exchanging goodies. But Mrs A had savoury and sweet offerings. And John had Bourbon creams.

Lunch in the sun over, although dark clouds were approaching we past  the hardly visible ancient fort and went on to East Shaftoe Hall.

                                                               East Shaftoe Hall.

Turning south we crossed fields. Still unable to pick out the line of the Devil's Causeway, a Roman road that cuts diagonally across the fields.

Turning left we followed a good track to Sandyford, the symmetrical farm.

                             Symmetrical Sandyford.

Just beyond the farm there is an unmarked footpath on the left which took us to the farm at Shortflatt Tower.

                Shortflatt Tower, an old pele  on the right

Through a gate near the new holiday homes, across fields and at the White Gate we were back at Bolam Lake. There is a car park at this point and a choice of paths. We took the one passing the wooden chairs and going round the north side of the lake back to the visitor centre.

                             Not the most comfortable seats.

On the way home we stopped at the Blackbird in Ponteland for a well earned rehydration. It had been a warm day.

               The Blackbird where it all began!

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The walk is just under 7 miles, easy going with a few boggy bits, even in summer.