Six go on a canal boat

 Six go on a canal boat. (And Amber too) August 1st

There are approximately 4000 miles of canal in the UK. Most of those miles were dug in the 18th and 19th centuries to carry goods in the early Industrial Revolution. The railways reduced the loads they carried and today they are almost exclusively used for leisure.

When I was very small we lived near the Leeds Liverpool canal. When I was a bit bigger we lived near the Lancaster canal. But most of my life I have lived in the North East, canal free.

When somebody suggested we should celebrate my wife’s birthday with a day on a canal boat I immediately said yes, even volunteered to pay!

My younger daughter lives not too far from Bollington, a small town on the Macclesfield canal  in Cheshire, so we hired our boat there.  Bollington was once famous for its high quality cotton yarn, much of which was sent to Nottingham and Brussels for lace making. It was not a full length barge, probably as well as steering wasn’t too easy but it came equipped with a kettle, water, tea bags and sugar, bring your own picnic and milk.

  The boatyard in Bollington and a remaining mill building.

 Once we had been given a lesson in steering the boat, speeding up, slowing down and reversing we set off, heading north.

We left the town almost immediately and were out in the country, passing large houses with gardens reaching down to the canal bank, then open fields and woodland. 

originally the narrow boats were towed by horses, the tow paths are now used by walkers and cyclists.

Running parallel to the canal is the Middlewood Way, a walking route on an old railway line. Hint for gadgies, canal banks and railway lines are flat.

Steering is easy once you have got the hang of it. To turn right (to starboard technically) you move the tiller to the left. After a couple of seconds the boat begins to turn.

There are, naturally, rules of the road. Maximum speed seems to be abpiy 4mph, reduced to 2 when passing moored boats or when passing barges coming in the opposite direction.

                           Never batted an eyelid as we passed. Probably used to boats.

After a couple of hours, some steering, some relaxing, some brewing and handing out snacks, we arrived at High Lane and moored the boat to the bank. Three ropes came with the boat and there are iron rings firmly embedded in the bank so we tied up securely. Leaving the barge we walked a few hundred yards to the Horse Shoes for lunch.

                         Lunch in the garden at the BHorse Shoes, High Lane. There was a menu for dogs too.

After a leisurely lunch we returned to the boat and turned it round. Trickier than a three point turn but fortunately there was a nearby pool designed for the very purpose.

Slowly we chugged back to Bollington, carefully passing approaching boats and taking careful aim going under bridges as the canal narrows considerably at them. Docking was a b it tricky but we finally tied up and got off.

Including lunch we had been out on the canal for about eight hours of peaceful scenery on a warm August day. This part of England is very pretty as well as being historically interesting for its industrial past.

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In Holywell Again

 In Holywell Again. June 17th

A local walk again, inspired by several gadgies suffering aches and pains andwanting an easy walk close to home. Nothing wrong with repeating walks.

We  had breakfast in the Earsdon Garden Centre which is on the stretch of old road between Holywell and Earsdon. There s room for several cars þo park on this bit of old road.

It  is possible to do the walk without a map but it is covered by OS Explorer 316 Newcastle upon Tyne.

                                  Roadside parking near the Earsdon Garden Centre

Booted and breakfasted we set off up the road towards Holywell. Once over the Holywell Bridge we took the footpath on the left, crossed the Seaton Burn on the footbridge and turned left into Holywell Dene walking on the south bank.

There are a couple of steps going up and down in the dene.

The dene is an attractive woodland following the stream, there is some evidence of its industrial past  but today it's just a sunny stroll through the trees. After a mile and a half we reached the Tyne and Wear Heritage trail, this short section being a dismantled railway line. Just before an old bridge we turned right and followed a footpath back down to the stream, now on the north bank.

                                           Take the path on the right.

We stayed on the wooded north side until we reached the road going to Hartley West Farm. 

Here we crossed the stream again and after a short distance climbed out of the dene to the road  (B1325) which took us to Hartley.

        Seaton Burn near Hartley West Farm.

We crossed the road by the Delaval Arms, a 17th century building, now a pub, which has the Blue stone outside.

The Blue Stone outside the Delaval Arms. Thought to originally mark the centre of the Saxon Village.

We followed the path down to the coast (mile 3), turned north and walked the cliff edge round Collywell Bay to Seaton Sluice. We called a Herbie and made use of benches looking out on Charley's Garden.

(Apple pies, cookies and sweet and savoury from Mrs A)

Charley's Garden is a stack, in living memory attached to the land and also a garden, but no longer.

Moving on we passed the King's Arms and followed the footpath down to the harbour, crossed the water by the footbridge and headed back towards the dene.

                                    Seaton Sluice mermaid

              Seaton Sluice harbour. Once a thriving port exporting coal and glass from the nearby bottle making plants. All gone. The sluice, also gone, was designed to hold water back to scour the harbour when the gates were opened.

4

 The Cut, blasted out in 1760 to form a small harbour with easier access than the actual harbour.

Crossing a field we followed a footpath on the bank of the burn. Reaching a fork we took the path on the right and climbed up to what appears to be an old wagonway, a path banked up from the surrounding fields.

The path goes south west for a little over a mile, crossing the Tyne and Wear Heritage Trail and reaching the Holywell Pond Nature Reserve.

Sadly the hide at the pond has been vandalised but is currently being restored.

                      Holywell Pond Nature Reserve.

Leaving the ruined hide we were soon back in Holywell village. We took the path down by the bridge again but this time turned right and followed paths on the edges of fields to Holywell Grange Farm. Just beyond the farm we turned left, crossed fields and were back at the cars. Then we went home!

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The walk is about 8.5 miles, easy going, sea views, arable land.

Once moŕe onto the beach dear friends once more

 Once more onto the beach dear friends once more. June 26th

This is my first walk since the great Yorkshire Wolds expedition. Because Britain and Europe are suffering a heat wave with temperatures in the 30s even we have chosen to walk along the coast, there is always a sea breeze to cool you. 

The walk, a popular one, is from Warkworth to the mouth of the Aln and back. A map is not needed but the one to use if you want is OS Explorer 332 Alnwick and Amble. 

Follow the Northumberland Coast route to Warkworth, turn in, keep the church on your left and there is ample park by the river side . Free too.

However, on the way to Warkworth we decided to change the plan and have a walk from Lesbury, a village further up the road from Warkworth. And I had written the intro. Same map though.

Parking on the street outside the church, not a contender.

                        

St Mary the Virgin church Lesbuery. !2 century Norman church probably on top of a Saxon one.

The name Lesbury is from Old English Laece Burg, "the town of the physician"

Opposite the church is a small car park with a polite notice saying it is for the use of short time parkers only and in the corner of the self same park is a footpath that leads down to the River Aln. The field at the moment is full of long grass and in spite of the recent dry spell it is very wet. Leaving the river side we climbed  a slight slope to a road, crossed it and head down to Foxton Hall, the club house for Alnmouth Golf Club.

                    Foxton Hall, open to non members.

                               Looking down on the River Aln.

From the clubhouse we followed the King Charles III /England Coastal Path well above the beach until we reached the small but pretty town of Alnmouth where we stopped in Nanas Pantry for tea and scones.

Fed and watered we moved on through the town to a footpath that crosses a playing field before continuing near the river to the road bridge.

                          River Aln from the bridge. Once, many years ago Alnmouth was a busy port

                                              Geese

Once over the river we walked a footpath to the entrance to Alnmouth Croquet Club, crossed the road  and headed south on a tarmacced path popular with walkers and cyclists.

Turning left shortly after the four mile marker we walked  down to join St.Oswald's Way/Charles III Path /England Coast Path. A familiar path, one followed frequently on our popular walk from Warkworth.

                           The ruined 19th century lying in chapel where we Herbie on Warkworth walk

The ruined guano shed used for storing imported guano before the great storm of 1806 cut it off from the town.

As we reached the caravan site we went down to the beach. Using WW2 concrete blocks for shelter or seats we Herbied. Apple pies, Sweet and Savoury from Mrs A.

North Sea from Herbie spot.

Returning we walked on the soft sandy beach for almost a mile before taking a path cutting through the dunes and back on to the C3/English Coast and retraced steps back to the Alnmouth Croquet Club. We crosed a soccer pitch, admired the cricket pitch, crossed a footbridge over the Aln and were back at the car. It had been a hot and humid day so to follow government advice we rehydrated in the Coach Inni Lesbury. This pub had been closed for many years, reopened a few years ago and is a proper pub. Sells TTL too.

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The walk is ab out 9.5 miles, easy going has fields and a beach.