WolsIngham in Weardale

Wolsingham in Weardale August 29th

We have not walked from Wolsingham for several years so it's  a welcome return . From Newcastle take the A69 west, near Corbridge take A68 south and at High Stoop take the B6296 to the village.

An old town with a 13th century church, the name may come from Waelsingas,a Germanic family.

Breakfast at Number 10, Cosy little café.

.As you enter the town there is a car park on the right that charges, but we carried on over the river to the station where parking is free. The station is is on the Weardale Heritage line. Trains do not run every day and the season is from May to October..

The walk is covered by OS OL 31 North Pennines and OS Explorer 305 Bishop Auckland.

                 Station car park and friendly dog.

Once ready we left the station and headed back towards the bridge. We didn't cross it but turned left and climbed the first short hill of the day and the first marker of the day that sent us across sloping fields fields  to High Wiserly and onwards, contouring past Wigside and Crowsfield to a heathery patch.

At this point we took a short diversion to admire the trig point on Knitsley Fell.

              Admiring the trig point. (Old fashioned mapping point)

Back on the track we entered Black Bank Plantation and joined the Weardale Way, a well marked walking trail. We followed the trai through the timber, left it and at the corner of Bracken Hill Plantation and at a distance of almost four miles we called a Herbie, sitting near a dilapidated, circular brick construction. No purpose was evident.

          Cake with berrie (two varieties, apple pies, flapjacks and sweet and savoury from Mrs A0

                           The lone diner, probably on his phone.

After lunch we headed downhill across fields to a footbridge across the River Wear.

                        The Wear, the Wear, the Wear and the railway.

WE passed close to a noisy gravel pit and walked up to the farm at Low Harperley. From the farm we took the metalled road, crossed the A689 and found the footpath crossing fields (uphill) to the village of Thornley.

St Bartholemews Church, Thornley. Mid 19th century. 

Leaving the village we followed hthe road, which became a track heading west. At Heartwell  Plantation the footpath heading down to Wolsingham is a bit difficult to spot and the footpath through the wood is a bit difficult to follow, foot grasping brambles, steep sections too but eventually we made it. Footpaths through housing estates took us to the town centre and soon we were back at the station.

On the way home we called in at the Fox and Hounds for a well earned TTL or Guinness.

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

The walk is about 11 miles with some steady climbs. Great views over Weardale. And there are a lot of stiles in different styles.

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A walk from the centre of the universe

 A walk from the centre of the universe, almost. August 22nd

Haltwhistle claims to be the geographical centre of Great Britain. Great Britain is the largest of the British Isles, comprising England, Scotland and wales.

The town is in the Tyne Valley, west of Newcastle on tha A69. Free parking is available on the roadside above Sainsbury's supermarket.

  I know, I know, I should have cropped the lamp post out                                                                                      Today's walk is covered by OS OL 43 Hadrian's Wall.

The Newcastle to Carlisle railway runs through the town but Haltwhistle has nothing to do with trains. It's  Old English for " The hill where the two rivers meet." (one being the Tyne the other the Haltwhistle Burn)

We had breakfast in The Pillar Box Cafe, small and very friendly. In line to be cafe of the year. Hope they win.

Haltwhistle claims to be the geographical centre of Great Britain, that is to remind you, the island composed of England, Scotland and Wales. The town also suffered from marauding Scots  but they put the bunting out for us.

Walking east from the parked cars we found the sign leading us past the Burn Football Ground and down steps into the Haltwhistle Burn.

  The burn climbs quite slowly, passing evidence of old mining operations until it reaches the B6318, usually called the Military Road. It was built to allow troops to move quickly from Newcastle to Carlisle after the 1745. Some of it on top of the wall!

Turning right on the road we walked a few hundred yards  to a signpost just beyond a house. A footpath took us across fields to Hadrian's Wall at Cawfields.

Cawfields near the wall, once another mining area but now a picnic spot.

For the next three miles we walked alongside the remains of Hadrian's Wall. On this section it is very uppy and downy with short steep climbs, often with stone steps but also a couple of short scrambles. hard on the knees.

  A mile castl, a section of wall and a turret. A Roman Imperial Mile was 0.92 of a British Imperial mile. As the name say there was one every mile on the wall and there were two turrets in between. 

This section of the walk is part of the Pennine Journey, not to be confused with thje Pennine Way. A good number of walkers out, British, American, Australian and two Dutch men searching for the famous tree.

Reaching Steel Rigg, a popular car park with easy access to the wall we turned south to Once Brewed/Twice Brewed and the Sill restaurant, exhibition centre, shop and YHA. Picnic benches in the grounds made a good Herbie Spot.

 A blurry Herbie: Apple pies with a strange green streak on the pastry, ginger cake made without any ginger, cookies and sweet and savoury from Mrs A. A  blurry Margaret hugging the trunk of the famous Sycamore Gap tree. It was at this p;oint I realised there was a finger mark on the lens.

A clear view of treehugging Margaret, courtesy of Algarphotos Ltd

After a tour of the exhibition, well worth a visit, we headed down the road that takes visitors to Vindolanda, but we didn't. A little further on we turned right and walked along a very straight metalled road which turned into a grassy track before reaching a minor road. 

Turning right we went downhill, passing Hill Top Farm and then taking the signed footpath on the left.

                 Hill Top Farm and .horses. I had cleaned the lens with a clean handkerchief.

The path took us across moorland to a minor road where we turned left and then followed the finger post for a footpath back to the Haltwhistle Burn , the Burn Football Ground and the cars.

On the way home we stopped at the Fox and Hounds in Wylam for TTL and alcohol free Guinness.

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The walk is 10 miles with some steep bits on the wall but worth it for the views

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.