Eglingham, Blawearie, Cateran

 Eglingham, Blawearie, Cateran August 8th

(All around the blooming heather)

We've  not done a walk in this area for a while. Eglingham is a small village north of Newcastle, the church is dedicated to St. Maurice. A remodelled 14th century building, possibly built on the site of an 8th century one.

A1, A697 And turn right near Wooperton. Park on the roadside.

The map to use is OS explorer 332, Alnwick and Amble

We had breakfast in the Running Fox at Longframlington. Well worth a visit but booking is advised.

                   Street parking in Eglingham

Once ready we set off, passing the lane that goes to the church and then turning right to follow a long, but not winding, road uphill to Eglingham Moor.

St Maurice Church Eglingham. 13th century origins, bashed about by the Scots in the 16th century and restored. St Maurice is the patron saint of dancers.

Once the metalled road had become a track, at about 1.5 miles we turned off to wade through the heather to Hare Crag and Cateran Hill. Heather is pretty this time of year, in b;loom, but it can trip you up, especially on narrow footpaths. 

                       Heathery moorland, hard work.

At mile 3 we left the track, quite a good one by now and turned off to the right to see the famous Cateran Hole.

            The Cateran Hole entrance. It's about 30 yards long, is a natural cleft in the Gritstone and was possibly used by whiskey smugglers. You can walk the length but take a torch. Caterans were armed Scottish warriors in the almost endless border wars.

Back on the track we turned left at the bottom of the hill and walked in relative comfort to Blawearie. The old farmstead was last inhabited in the 1950s and has fallen in ruin but it makes a fine Herbie Spot.

It is nearly the Glorious Twelfth, the local shooters have built a shelter which we made full use of, kept us out of the wind. Apple pies, scones, shortbread caramel chocolate heaven, cookies, ginger biscuits and Mrs A's sweet and savoury. We walk it off, we claim.

After a heavy lunch we continued on the track heading South West before turning sharply near Old Bewick and heading uphill towards a game bird breeding and feeding area, a trivallate hill fort and some cup and ring markings.

                            Cup and ring markings are found all over Europe. In the UK there are 1046. Lots of theories but nobody really knows what they are for.

Following a good track with a short steep descent, hard on the knees we eventually reached Harehope Farm.

                     Near Harehope.

The path goes Infront of a row of farm cottages, crosses several several fields and a burn before turning south east on a very straight track. At mile 9 we reached the road we had started on and were soon back in Eglingham.

Needing to rehydrate we went to the Tankerville Arms in the village, a proper pub, several hand pumped beers and a friendly welcome.

The Tankerville Arms, Eglingham

Contains OS data, copyright. Crown copyright and database right 2025.

The walk is 9.5 miles, mostly easy going with some gentle ascents, but beware the heather.

 

To Gibraltar and Beyond

 To Gibraltar and Beyond. August 1st

A new walk, almost. Today's wander starts at the village of Hunstanworth near Blanchland. Huntstanworth is in County Durham, just. A69 west, A68 south  and watch out for signs for Blanchland. Morning coffee in the White Monk cafe in Blanchland and a couple of miles on to Hunstanworth. Park on the roadside by the church.

Two OS maps for the walk:OS Explorer 307 Consett and OS OL 43 Hadrian's Wall

Hunstanworth first gets a mention in 1183. The village is an estate village created in 1862.

The church however is older. Built in 1781 on the site of a medieval church it was rebuilt in 1862. Next to it are the remains of a peel tower.

The village is one of the Thankful Villages, it suffered no casualties in WW1.

Parking near St James the Less in Hunstanworth

St James the Less, Huntstanworth

Walking away from the church, going west, we crossed a couple of fields, going downhill to the Nookton Burn. The first stile of the day took us into a wood. The path was hard to find as it wandered uphill through high bracken and trailing brambles which had a nasty habit of catching feet.

                    The first stile of the day.

Out of the wood we passed Gibraltar, not that there was anything to see (mile 1) and continued on our way across fields to Nookden (mile 2). Crossing Nookden Fell we came to a shooting Cabin and although only 3.5 miles into the walk it made a comfortable Herbie Spot.

The shooting Cabin

                 Fine dining in the cabin: apple pies, shortbread and caramel, scones, buns, cookies and ginger biscuits.

Full we walked on, turning north west to Heatheryburn, an isolated farm  at mile 4.

                            Heatheryburn farm and geese.

Beyond the farm we continued by track to the junction near Riddlehamhope, turned left and at a fingerpost headed  across fields to mile 5 where we took a bracken high and hard to follow footpath downhill. (mile 5) Hard going through the bracken but on Hope Fell it was difficult to find a path through the heather. Some stayed lower down and some climbed to admire the trig point before finding the Carriers Way, a metalled track at last.

                                       The trig point on Newbiggin Fell.

                        The second shooters cabin, more substantial than the first.

A choice of routes here, we decided on the one going south east. At mile 7 we entered a small wood. The path down and through the trees was very steep and quite difficult, hard on the knees. But once out and over a field we crossed the Nookden Burn again and a field later were back at the cars.

On the way home we enjoyed some well earned TTL or Wainwrights in the Fox and Hounds at Wylam.

Contains OS data, copyright. Crown copyright and database right 2025

The walk is a little over 8 miles but quite hard going crossing heather covered moorland and there are a couple of steep descents.

You picked a fine time to leave me, Loose Heel

You picked a fine time to leave me Loose Heel. July25th

Last week we walked north from Corbridege. This week south from Riding Mill, a village in the Tyne Valley. West on A69, south on the A68 and turn off for Riding Mill at the roundabout. Parking on the second road on the left, Whiteside. Street parking but free.

OS Explorer  316 Newcastle upon Tyne  and OS Explorer 307 Consett cover the walk

We had breakfast at the Coffee Tree in Wylam

                                 Needs cropping, I know

We walked up Whiteside before turning into Church Lane passing the !9th Century St James church and Broomhaugh School before turning north and following a finger post uphill through a field to High Plains. Watch out for the stile on the right, it takes walkers to High Plains Riding Centre and not a hint of Clint Eastwood. A young lady seemed to be collecting horse muck, it reminded me of the childhood joke about a man in a home for people with special educational needs who knew to put custard on rhubarb.

                           High Plains laid out for eventing.

Beyond the buildings we entered the first wood of the day and left it at mile 2. A footpath through the trees.

                           A plantation really, not a natural forest.

Leaving the wood we crossed a field to take on woodland numbeer two on a path that led downhill to the March Burn then uphill to a road.

                                        Designed to trip

                               Another use for old railway sleepers.

Once out of the wood we walked a short distance on the road, passing the entrance to Todburn Steel before crossing a field to woodland number three, Dipton Wood. At some point in the wood Brian realised the heel of his boot was slowly but surely starting to detach itself, hence the wacky title.

And about the same time we called a Herbie, sitting on a felled trunk that had room for five. (Apple pies, cookies, cup cakes (BUNS) and sweet and savoury from Mrs A.

Lunch over we followed the road for a time, alongside the wood before turning right then left near West Farm. Having crossed a field we came to wood number four which took us to High Town. After a little more road work and another short stretch of woodland  we reached Prospect Hill, named possibly named for the view over the Tyne Valley.

One more stretch of woodland  to the road (mile 9), followed by a steep climb across a field and uphill to Beauclerc.  From here we followed the road, downhill and back to Riding Mill.

Contains OS data, copyright. Crown copyright and database right 2025

The walk is a little over 10 miles, several woods and several stiles and a few climbs.

Just in case: Lucille by Kenny Rogers includes the line

" You took a fine time to leave me Lucille.

With four hungry children and a crop in the field"