Gadgie Walks

Monday, 17 March 2025

Going Green Again March 16th

A number of gadgies are joining a number of Greens again for a short walk from The Tyne Riverside Country Park.

Head west from Newcastle on the famous Scotswood Road to Newburn, turn down to the left for the car park near the Keelman Pub. A choice of car parks, one before the pub and one after. The walk is covered by OS Explorer 316 Newcastle upon Tyne.

This car park is a few yards closer to the country park.

We crossed the road behind the above car park and followed the nearby finger post that proclaims "Public Footpath". The path crossed a muddy looking stream and continued through woodland, passing, (about mile 1 )a grubby pond that had little jetties round it for fishermen. Nobody fishing though.

Not so much as a little boy fishing off a wooden pier..........

Not far beyond the pond the path crosses a field and reaches the hill.

The start of the hill which is about one mile long.

Once at the top we were in Heddon on the Wall, a village quite literally built on a section of Hadrian's frontier marker.

WE chatted to a lady, fresh from church, (Cof E) who told us she had worked on a radio station in Denver for a number of years, talking to famous folk and the occasional president. Had she not had bad hips she might have joined us.

Walking west through the village we spotted a large playground, complete with swings and roundabouts and a picnic bench so we called a Herbie. No sharing yet with the Greens.

Herbie time. The children's rides have a base of soft chippings, not so much as a grazed knee when you fall off.

Back on the road after lunch we were led through a gate into a wood. The path wound down and through the trees, making up for the long march up to Heddon.

Eventually we reached a track at Close House, a golf club.(mile 4)

We crossed the golf course, taking care to avoid flying balls as usual and came to the old railway track that now serves walkers, cyclists and horses.

Wylam at the top, birthplace of the Stephensons and railways..

Rather than having to evade cyclists or horses we took the footpath on the river bank. It is a section of the Hadrian's Wall Path, long distance trek from Bowness on Solway to Wallsend on Tyne. Narrow and a bit tricky in places but nobody slipped into the water. Near the country park the path joined the track and we were back at the cars. Most went to the Keelman Pub, I hurried home to get ready to watch Newcastle play Liverpool in the Carabao Cup. (Newcastle 2 Liverpool 1)