We're going down to the woods today

 We're going down to the woods today! May 29th.

We have not walked in Thrunton Woods for a couple of years so off we go on what is promised to be a hot day, taking a stroll in the shade.

Take the A1 north, the A697 at Morpeth and turn off on the left for Thrunton Woods, not the village which is a bit further on.

The map to use is OS Explorer 332 Alnwick and Amble. 

There is a cafe as you approach the car park. 

Warning, there are tics in the area, do not wear shorts.

                                     Thrunton tearoom

                        Thrunton car park, free

Thrunton Wood is a Forestry Commission plantation. Many of the trees, conifers, are in lines. There is a network of tracks and paths, some metalled, some grassy and some very stony footpaths.

Just beyond the last car in the photo we went round the barrier and started walking gently uphill. But after a matter of yards we left the track and stumbled down a rocky footpath through the trees. At another reasonable track we walked for almost a mile in a south west direction before heading north, then west then south on stony footpaths as we approached Castle Hill. From this point we started to climb on more stony and sometime steep paths needing to scramble at times, until we reached Macartney's Cave.

Macartney's cave is small .Carved into the sandstone by a chaplain from nearby Callaly Castle as an oratory for his studies. 

Leaving the cave we stumbled on up a steep,  but thankfully short, incline. Finding a shady spot in the trees we settled down for a Herbie.

                      Herbie time: apple pies, cookies and from Mrs A. sweet and savoury.

Moving on we left the wood through a gate reminding us to protect the ponies by closing the gate.

Now out on moorland on a narrow stony path we passed a cairn.

A cairn, possibly once held a leader's remains. Dave would have known.

Leaving the cairn as it has been left for hundreds of years possibly we followed the narrow and very stony path downhill to the Coe Burn, also very narrow and easy to cross. But we now had to take the stony path uphill to Long Crag. One or two scrambles on this part of the path, and another cairn at the top.

Ian taps the trig point at 319metres on Long Crag.

we were back on a path in woodland (mile 6) which took us through Coe Wood, much of which lower down had been felled. After a short stretch on a good forest track we were back in the wood to a footbridge.

               Bridge on the Coe Burn.

Once across the bridge we were on a metalled track that took us in a semi circle  round Coe Hill and Black Walter  until we were back at the car park.

It was a warm day, requiring rehydration which we took at the Ridley Arms in Stannington.

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The walk is about 10 miles, some climbs. But some great views over Northumberland 

On the coast again, Hurrah

 On the coast again, Hurrah. May 22nd

I love coastal walks, me. And this is one we walked in November 2025. The walk starts from that wonderful castle, Bamburgh, sitting on the Whin Sill in Northumberland, defying invaders and starring in films. To get there we drove to High Newton on the Sea, parked and caught the bus to Bamburgh.

If you want to do this, check the bus first. Run by Border buses it's  number 418 and runs between Alnwick  and Wooler.  From High Newton to Bamburgh takes about 20 minutes. And the driver is very friendly.

And if you want a map it's: OS Explorer 340 Holy Island 

The car park at High Newton, plenty of space and free. A couple of minutes walk to the bus stop in the village square.

We got off the bus in Bamburgh, opposite the cricket field which is below the castle. In a recent article on small cricket grounds published in one of the heavies, Bamburgh was considered one of the best.

Bamburgh castle. Celtic origins, later built by the Normans and even later rebuilt by William Armstrong, engineer and weapons magnate. The family still own it I believe. It has been used in two versions of MacBeth, The Tempest and many other films and TV shows. " Six and out" if you hit the ball over the castle on to the beach.

There is a coffee stall , barely visible, at the left hand side. We sat at tables in the sun before setting out.

There is a path at the north end of the castle that leads to the first dunes of the day. It goes behind the castle on the seaward side, close to the visitor car park and it is part of the King Charle III/English coastal path. For about three miles we followed the path through the dunes until we reached Seahouses. The dunes are not very high but there are a lot of short ups and downs.

At Seahouses, popular little visitor town with a deserved reputation for fish and chips we took to the road and went down to the south side of the harbour. At mile 4, overlooking the harbour we made use of benches for a Herbie.

                                        "The Rescue" in Seahouses.

 The harbour at Seahouses. Billy Shiels runs trips out to the Farne Islands, home to thousands of puffins, gannets and others, along with seals.

Continuing on the King's footpath on a track close to a caravan site we eventually descended to the sandy beach. Fortunately it was firm, soft sand can be worse than soft snow.

An amazing meteorological experience: There had been a cool southerly breeze so far, but suddenly the temperature shot up, rather like opening an oven door, the wind, coming off the land, was very warm.

At mile 6 we left the beach and walked through Beadnell to the harbour. Beadnell Harbour has some really well preserved lime kilns, and some benches for a short rest. Nearly 7 miles.

Beadnell Lime Kilns. They were used to convert limestone into fertiliser, using coal to break up the heated rocks.

Leaving Beadnell we walked on the beach around Beadnell Bay. Fortunately the wonderfully namd Long Nanny burn was very low so there was no need to head inland to the footbridge, we just got wet boots.

We left the bay at Newton Links, mile 9, and followed the footpath round the coast, passing Football Hole, until we reached Low Newton.

Low Newton by the Sea a National Trust property. Mostly holiday homes. In the right corner, out of sight, is the Ship Inn, great pub frequently mentioned in the heavies when they list coastal pubs you must visit.

We went up the road to High Newton, took the path across a field to the village and decided to rehydrate in the Joiners Arms, using the beer garden on a warm day.

A lady member of the team said that in her opinion "gadgette" was not a suitable name for female walkers as it implied they were small. A bit of research by a male in the team, using AI, came up with alternatives: Gadgess or  "a strong mountain walker - hill witch". I like it.

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The walk is about 11 miles, easy going and good sea views, and castles.

 

Walking from Wylam again

 Walking from Wylam again, and why not. May 15th

The weather here has not been as nice as it could be. Several gadgies are away on their adventures and the few who remain are having a walk that has been covered several times before. The walk starts in Wylam, easily reached by heading west on the A69 until the slip road for Wylam and drive carefully through the village. Just before Wylam Bridge turn into the large free carpark. 

The map for the walk is OS Explorer 316 Newcastle upon Tyne. Not essential. 

The Coffee Tree on the main street makes a fine breakfast.

Parking at Wylam. Plenty of space and free. 

Leaving the car park we headed for the River Tyne, took the footpath under the Wylam Bridge and walked on the north bank of the river until we reached the Hagg Bridge. This bridge, an arch suspension bridge known locally as Points Bridge was built in 1876 for the railway from Newcastle. Once over the water the line joined the track to Carlisle.

                              Hagg (Points) Bridge. Now a footpath and cycle track

                               River Tyne from the bridge, vsry quiet today.

Once over the river we followed the footpath on the south bank for about a mile and a half to the Tyne Riverside Country Park.

On the way we passed the Spetchells, a series of ridges made from Calcium Carbonate, spoil from a nearby factory that produced fertiliser and explosives during WW2. The ridges are now a nature reserve, complete with trees and creatures.

                        White footpath up the Spetchells (The name comes from the previous name of the section of riverside)

            There is a cafe, toilets and play areas at the country park but we soldiered on, crossing the narrow bridge back to the north bank of the river and the village of Ovingham.

Walking clockwise round the church we came to a stile, scrambled over it and headed for Whittle Dene.

St. Mary the Virgin, Ovingham. Late Saxon, 11th century origins, with 13th C rebuilds  and Victorian restoration. The tower is probably the oldest part, some of it being built with stones from nearby Roman sites.

 Soon we were in Whittle Dene. There are the remains of several houses and hints of old industry but mostly it is a gentle climb through woodland to the A69

.                     In Whittle Dene.

Reaching the A69 we followed a footpath for a short distance before making good use of the bridge over the road.

Into a field and then on to what was once the A69 before the modern dual carriage way was built. Several rather grand houses later we turned, went under the bridge, turned left and walked along the road to the village of Horsely. Hunger calls, we Herbied in a cosy bus shelter which also had a book exchange cupboard. There are more of them around, good idea.

At the east end of the village we spotted the finger post (mile 6) telling us Wylam was 1.5 miles away. There is a narrow fenced footpath before reaching open fields.

The horse on the right is a small cob.

Leaving the footpath we crossed, in a south easterly direction, navigated a couple of stiles and a footbridge  before reaching the road back to Wylam. Then we went home.

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The walk is 8 easy going miles, river bank and woodland.