Gadgie Walks: Belsay, Bolam and Beans

Belsay, Bolam and Beans. August 30th.

Eight of us out today, almost a record. Me, Brian, Margaret, Ian, Harry, Dave, John H. and John C. Out for a new stroll from Belsay a few miles beyond Ponteland. Belsay has a hall, a castle and a beautiful quarry garden. The village is an estate village, an interesting row of cottages and a primary school.

The walk is covered by OS Explorer 325 Morpeth and Blyth and 316 Newcastle upon Tyne and are recommended.

Breakfast in the Blacksmiths cafe, close to the entrance to the hall. Off road parking close by.

Parking near the Blacksmiths.

The Blacksmiths cafe, be careful how you queue! The parking is for customers not walkers.

Having had some breakfast off we went, back through the village of Belsay to the three way junction. Taking the road to Bolam Country Park we, almost immediately, went through a gate and headed north on the edges of fields. One field was being ploughed, another had a large combine, not exactly bringing in the sheeves but getting in the grain. This section is well marked, easy to follow and heads almost directly north, . Eventually we arrived at a minor road, turned left, then right and came to St Andrew's Church in Bolam.

I like this little church. The tower is Saxon, much of the interior is Norman. The small window is where a WW2 bomb pierced the wall but failed to explode. Many years later the pilot came and apologised for hitting the church, he was jettisoning his load, not aiming for it.

In summer it is a battle to fight through the churchyard to the fields for the next section of the walk. High nettles and assorted weeds and grasses sting or manage to undo your laces but eventually we all found the gate and headed north across fields passing Angerton Steads which has a tennis court, and reaching the dismantled railway.

A lady exercising a fine looking horse told us the railway was a right of way but be creful, there were several holes in the ground, not all too easy to see. She was right too, we decided they had been dug out by badgers.

Very nice lady and beautiful horse.

We walked the railway line for the best part of two miles, stopping at one point for a Herbie. Sitting on a grassy bank we shared cherry tarts, cookies and sweet and savoury from Mrs A.

Break over we continued on the line to a road, turned right then left then right then left and we were at Penny Hill farm.

Penny Hill is in my mind (sorry)

There were, as far as we could see, no markers at the farm and only after a lengthy discussion did we agree on the right way. After crossing fields, with nettles and long grass we came to the road into the village of Whalton.

Somehow at this point we managed to get divided into two groups of four. Harry, Ian, JohnC and I followed the road south from Whalton. At a corner we saw that the next stretch was through a field of broad beans. Not wishing to trample beans or walk the field edges we continued along the road. At a right-angled bend we left the road and continued on a rough farm track, with nettles for about half a mile. Turning left we were back on the same track we had started out on from Belsay and soon we were back at the cars. The cafe was closed, shame, the others had not arrived. After a short wait the others joined us. Braver than us they had battled the beans to the Ogle Belsay road and headed back to the Blacksmiths.

On the way home we stopped for refreshment at the Blackbird of happy memories in Ponteland