The four busketeers

 The Four Busketeers. August 2nd

A few weeks ago our planned walk from Beadnell to Seahouses Farm was scrapped. Either we were too late for the bus or it didn't  turn up. Today we are trying again. Park at Seahouses Farm, a couple of miles south of Craster, walk a quarter of a mile to Howick hamlet and hope the 418 arrives.

The maps for the walk are: OS Explorer  340 Holy Island and OS Explorer 332  Alnwick but as most of the journey is on the Charles III Coast Path/England Coast Path they are not necessary.

The four busketeeers are Brian, harry, John H and me, first all male walk for some time.

          Not a winner. Parking at Seahouses, not even the start of the walk. Two large camper vans, full of French people escaping the Olympics.

                     The 418 arrived on time. Several other walkers on board.

The bus took us to Beadnell, we stopped outside St. Ebba's church and went straight to the cafe opposite for breakfast. (Saltwater cafe, highly recommended.)

                      St Ebba's. She was an abbess at St. Abbs in Scotland and had a place at Ebchester in Northumberland too. The church is 18th century.

And then we were off, walking through houses behind the cafe to the caravan park and onto the beach, missing to my disappointment the wonderful Lime Kilns.

                                    Beadnell Lime Kilns.

We walked along the beach, busy with holiday makers enjoying the sun. At Long Nanny we left the beach and crossed the stream by the footbridge before going back on the sand.

                       Long Nanny and footbridge.

Back on the beach ,noting that the terns that breed on the beach near there had flown, we continued sand trotting to a point where the sand was replaced by ankle breaking small boulders.  (mile 3). Up on the dunes we walked round Football Hole, so called because of the 19th century tradition of a soccer match between High and Low Newton played every Good Friday, unless the tide was in. Continuing round Newton Point we reached Low Newton by the Sea and called a Herbie, sitting on a bench on the green which has cottages on three sides.

            Low Newton, ideal Herbie spot. (Apple pies, cookies and sweet and savoury from Mrs A who had sent them.

Back on the beach we walked along Embleton Bay for a while, took the path round the golf course  and reached Dunstan Steads (mile 6).

                  Beadnell Bay

From Dunstan Steads we took the footpath to the right, not the concrete road, walked through fields of barley, a stretch of woodland and more fields  to Proctors Stead. (mile 8).

From here we took the road to Craster and paused for tea at the Piper's Pitch next to the closed visitor centre.

              Dunstanburgh from Dunstan Steads.

From Craster we walked along the coast path to Seahouses Farm, passing, as usual, the bathing house.

                  The bathing house, what a changing room.

On the way home we called in at the Ridley Arms in Stannington. Black Sheep and zero alcohol Guinness.

  Contains OS data, copyright. Crown copyright and database right 2024.

The walk is just over 10 miles, easy going too.

A walk on a summer's day.

A walk on a summer's day. July 28th.

For years we have breakfasted at Brockbushes Farm Shop and cafe on the Corbridge roundabout on the A69.

It has been demolished and rebuilt. We missed the grand opening on Saturday but have come along on Sunday morning to fuel up with bacon before a walk on what we are told is going to be a hot day. Five out today, me, Brian  Margaret,  John H. and Janice.

 Much larger, the farm shop has the look of an upmarket branch of Waitrose, the cafe area is inside a high building. The service is a little slow, teething troubles I expect.

Today's  walk starts from the Tyne Green Park in Hexham? Plenty of space, next to the river, and free. 

The walk is covered by OS OL 43 Hadrian's Wall

                       Parking at Tyne Green

Leaving the car park we walked towards the town, up the short steep hill to the square.

                  Hexham Abbey. The first Saxon church was built in 674 AD. Burned to the ground by Danish raiders the Abbey was rebuilt in the 12th century. 

We walked down the narrow shopping street to the main road, crossed over and headed up the hill next to the Victorian Tap pub. Climbing steadily we took the right fork, pointing to Juniper and after a few hundred nyards went through the gate on the left for Dipton Mill.

                             This way

The footpath crosses fields, clinbing steadily to a road, crosses it and then descends steadily to an overgrown path through a wood, eventually emerging at the Dipton Burn. More fields and a short stretch of road brought us to Newbiggin and after another short stretch of road on the Pennine Journey we went through the farm at Newbiggin Hall and walked through a wheat field. Finding some shade under a row of trees we called a Herbie (mile 4): Titans, cookies and , of course, sweet and savoury from Mrs A.

Turning north and crossing more fields we passsed Dotland Park and then, on a muddy farm track we made our way to the pub at Dipton Mill, It was a very hot day, cold drinks would have been welcome but, sadly, the pub had just closed for the day. 

After a short walk on the road we turned into Dipton Woods. Probably the muddiest woods in England, even in a dry summer, but eventually we reached the end, close to the Hexham Racecourse.

             Hexham Racecourse. Next meeting in October.

From here the road went downhill but as we approached the houses on the outskirts of Hexham we turned right at a finger post, walked through less muddy woods to the road leading back to Hexham and the car park.

On the way home we stopped in Wylam at the Fox and Hounds, Timothy Taylor's, tea and cold water.

Contains OS data, copyright. Crown copyright and database right 2024.

The walk is just over 10 miles, some climbing, some mud, some views.

                              The new Brockbushes

A walk in Weardale

 Walking from Westgate in Weardale. July 26th.

It's quite some time since the gadgies hit Weardale. Today a team of six plan a walk from Westgate to Rookhope. Westgate was the western boundary of the Bishop of Durham's hunting forest. Nearer home for him was the Eastgate boundary. And nearer home he had a hunting lodge, " Beau Repair", the ruin is called Bearpark. He was allowed his own army too.

Team: me, Brian  Margaret  John x2 and Harry

The area was exploited for minerals, much evidence remains.                                                     The walk is covered by OS Explorer 307 Consett and Derwent Reservoir.

There is a carpark in the village, the signpost difficult to see, hidden by foliage. We parked in a lay by.

A bit of a disappointment after last week's effort, but tell it as it is

Booted and gaiters we headed back east on the village street, turned first left and a short distance up the hill found the footpath on the left for Middlehope  Burn.A wooded valley with a stream tumbling down it is the prettiest part of the walk. A fairly gentle climb too.

                              The falls of Middlehope.

At the top of the wood we passed several reminders of the days of lead mining., mostly 19th century.

                  Mining remains. Mostly for lead.

Out of the valley we turned north east on a not very well marked footpath, crossing fields with unseen potholes and streams to Scarsike Head, a road junction.

                     Belted Galloway.

Again the path was difficult to find. Instead of heading to Wolf Cleugh as we couldn't spot a crossing we followed a barbed wire fence line, partially struggling through long grass until we reached a cut field and a fence to climb. Eventually having disturbed an assorted herd we got to the road alongside the Rookhope Burn. 

At the next road junction we turned right, crossed the burn and settled in the shelter of the bridge for a Herbie. (Apple pies, cookies and, of course, sweet and savoury from Mrs A)

              Another mining reminder. A bridge no longer going anywhere.

                            Rookhope Burn.

After a short walk on the road we struggled to find the paths through Lintzgarth, it's not well marked. Eventually we found a good track which is the Weardale Way, at least we found one of the alternatives near Rookhope.

Near Lintzgarth we came across these mobile homes waiting for a site.

Once on the Weardale Way we found the going quite easy, much of it appears to be on an old, very dismantled railway line, again probably left from mining times.

At Crow Cleugh we left the Weardale Way, and our planned route, to follow a Pennine Journey (Not the Pennine Way) across several fields, one with a rather large bull guarding his girls, until we came to Heights Quarry.

                    Heights Quarry, run by Aggregate Industries.

Fortunately the company have left a fenced footpath round the southern edge of the quarry. We followed it and then a signed footpath across several fields before taking the farm track down past Chester House to the Valley road.

Turning right we walked back to the cars, changed and headed for the Fox and Hounds in Wylam, arriving just as the Timothy Taylor's was running out and the last can of Zero alcohol Guinness was sold.

Contains OS data, copyright. Crown copyright and database right 2024

Our version is just over 10 miles, the original plan is just under 10 miles. Some climbs but generally easy going.