Riding Mill

 Riding Mill March 6th

We have not walked from this village for some time. Riding Mill is  in the Tyne Valley some miles west of Newcastle. A69, turn off onto A68 near Corbridge and at the first roundabout take the road to the village. 

The walk is covered by two maps:

OS Explorer316 Newcastle upon Tyne and OS Explorer 307  Consett

Parking in a small yard near the church of St. James, room for ten cars.

                              Church of St. James. !9th century built as a Chapel of Ease in Bywell parish but now a parish on its own.

                                      Car park near the church.
Booted and suited against the cold we set off, leaving the car park, crossing the road and spotting the finger post for the River Tyne Trail, marked by the "Daft as a Brush" charity, The post was partly covered by branches but it took us to the first muddy path of the day through Whiteside Wood, across the A68, busy road, take care. and on to Broomley where we left the Tyne Trail and ploughed through the muddy fields to the road junction (Near point 59 on map,)

WW2 bunker just outside Riding Mill

From the junction we walked along the road through the village of Hindley to the B6309 at point 94 on the map.

              Britain does not have a climate, we have weather.  Wednesday and Thursday this week were unseasonably warm and sunny. On Thursday night we had a lot more rain and a little sprinkling of snow on higher ground.

From the junction we followed a track so straight it could have been a Roman road, until we reached, through a couple of muddy fields, Fell House on the A68, buisy road, take care.

Turning south we walked on the road for a few hundred yards before spotting the next finger post  and heading west through Low Fotherley, Lingley Field to the village of Healey. We didn't go into the village, pity because it has a pretty church. Just beyond the village road we stopped for lunch at Burnt House, a wedding venue. There were some large stones in the yard which would have made good if hard, seats but a young man explained the bridal party were about to arrive and probably didn't want to see a group of muddy men tucking in to sandwiches.

So we crossed the road, through a gate and settled down as best we could. (Limited sharin, cookiea and ALDI Titans, not many out today)

                               Nice place for a wedding.

                 Not too muddy in the wood.

We followed a good track through the wood, finally emerging at a minor road, turned left and spotted the finger post for Riding Mill. From this point it all goes downhill. The path is easy to follow, crossing the hedge near High Plains riding centre but beyond there is a lack of pointers.

Two scrambled over the hedge and took the path, two wandered the field a bit before finding a way out but fairly soon we were back at the cars and home.

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The walk is about 8.5 miles. Easy going but muddy today>

Wallington and the Wannee

 Wallington and the Wannee. February 27th

It's some time since we walked from Scots Gap, a village west of Morpeth but today's expedition starts and finishes there and includes a section of the grounds of Wallington Hall, mud permiotting.

There are two theories put forward to explain the name of the village. The first says simply that it was a gap in the ancient drovers roads from Scotland to England. The second, a little more colourful tells the tale of the villagers keeping their flocks and herds in a fold over night.  The fold was closed by a narrow dyke or gap. A group of Scots tried to steal the flocks but were beaten off by the English, the Scots failed to get through the gap.

The walk is covered by OS OL 42 Kielder Water and Forest.

There is some parking just beyond the village in the grounds of the old National Trust offices. and it's  free.

Parking at Scots Gap. The walkers are heading for the start of the stroll.

We've  been joined today, and not for the first time, by John and Dorothy. John is  native to the area and promises to show us bits of Wallington not usually seen. Dorothy is a reet grand lass from the West Riding of Yorkshire.

The walk starts at the marker at the back of the car park and after a few yards we descended to the dismantled railway, the Wannee Line. At the point where the two old lines meet we took the left branch and a little further on left the line for a footpath across squishy fields. Still soggy after all that rain.

                        Take to the left.

Turning through a rightangle we headed for Newbiggen House Farm, crossed the Cambo Scots Gap road and paused briefly at Saugh House.

The stone commemorates John Wesley, father of Methodism, who preached on this spot.

Moving on across the fields we reached Prior Hall Farm and took a short detour west to see:

The Arches. Originally built as the courtyard gateway to Wallington Hall but were too narrow for coaches so they were moved here in 1751.

Back to Prior Hall and a short way down the track before tirning south, crossing fields and arriving at the Garden House, Wallington Hall. After a brief wander in the East Wood we admired the crocuses (croci if you wish) before returning to the garden house and taking the riverside walk.

The owl and the crocuses (croci)

There are stepping stones across the River Wansbeck but I don't do stepping stones so two of us scrambled along a path on the north side of the river, struggled to climb a wall and finally joined the rest on the south bank. We followed the river for  about a mile, crossed a footbridge and settled down on two benches for a Herbie. ( Apple pies, cookies and, of course, sweet and savoury from Mrs A).

 Snow drops and Herbie spot.

Lunch over we continued on the woodland walk, stopping to see:

                      The entrance to the hall's ice house. They probably have a fridge now.

And:

This marks the entrance to a drift mine. There were lead mines in the area as well as coal.

Eventually we left the wood, turned left on what is meant to be a cycling track then turned right to walk through another wood. At mile 6 we turned east, crossed fields and reached the village of Cambo.

                 The old village school, Cambo. Lancelot "Capability" Brown, designer of English parklands went to school here.

Holy Trinity Church, Cambo. Built in 1842 to replace a Chapel of Ease.

Two more fields and we were back at Saugh House and on the road back to Scots Gap.

On the way home we stopped at the Dyke Neuk pub to rehydrate.

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The walk, including the short diversions is just under 8 miles. 

And thanks to John and Dorothy for making it an interesting walk.

Wallington Hall. The estate dates back to 1475 and it was owned by the Fenwick family until 1688 when it was sold to the Blackett Family. The original pele tower was demolished and the current hall was built for Samuel Blackett. The estate passed to the Trevelyn Family in 1777 and was handed to the National Trust in 1942.

 By kind permission of Margaret.

And a few more 

Another wet day

Another walk in the rain. February 13th l And how wrong we were.

And it's  Friday.

It has rained for most of the year so a walk on relatively dry paths is the order of the day. We have chosen that old favourite Craster, starting from Seahouses Farm a couple of miles south of the seaside village.

The walk is covered by two maps:

OS explorer 332 Holy Island and OS Explorer 340 Alnwick.

For breakfast we went to The Running Fox at Longhoughton.. Formerly a NAAFI, then the village shop it is now one of the company's welcoming cafes. The bacon sandwich looked top class, but I was strong.

After breakfast we headed for Howick, home of the Grey family, and onwards to the parking area by the Seahouses Farm. (Not to be confused with the fish and chip town of Seahouses.)

                            Parking at Seahouses Farm (Not Seahoses)

As we booted up the clouds broke up, a large bright object appeared in the sky, first time for many a day. 

We headed south on the farm track which, not surprisingly, was very muddy. Reaching the point named Sugar Sands where the Howick Burn enters the sea we turned north on the English Coastal Path/ King Charles III . It was surprisingly mud free, well drained and firm underfoot. 

                  Originally the ladies bathing house for the folks who lived in Howick Hall

In a few weeks this cliff will be alive with nesting sea birds.

At Craster we headed for the Piper's Pitch next to the closed visitor centre,. decided against a second breakfast and, instead of taking the path across fields from the harbour, followed the path behind the Heughs until, at Cushat Stiel we took the popular footpath round the castle.

    Dunstanburgh Castle, it's my castle version of Marmite, love it

                                              Lilburn Tower at Dunstanburgh Castle

Ahead was the curve of Embleton Bay, quite a few people walking, some with their dogs, all glad to get out. We walked a mixture of the dunes above the beach, the sands, the edge of the golf course and a final stretch  of beach to Low Newton by the Sea, where, after 7.5 miles we called a Herbie. (Apple pies, cookies, sweet and savoury from Mrs A, with special commendation for the fruit cake)

The Ship Hotel at Low Newton. Much favoured, and quite rightly, by the Sunday Supplements of the heavier papers.

Lunch over, and, in spite of the winter sun, it was cold, we moved on, back on the beach rather than the path behind the square of houses. We thought it would be very muddy from past experience.

Climbing rickety steps to the little village of summer chalets we crossed the golf course and at Dunstan Steads (mile 9) headed for the farm, turned left and took the concrete strip  to Dunstan Square.

                                     Yes it is a lime kiln

                                Left from WW2. The recent storms have uncovered more WW2 defences.

From Dunstan Square Farm we took the road to the village of Dunstan. Next to the bus shelter and not easily spotted is a footpath which goes across a couple of fields to the road near this.

A borrowed photo, too many leaves for February.

Underneath the arch, up the road and then we turned left having passed the entrance to Craster Towers, we turned right towards Craster South Farm. A couple of muddy fields later we were close to the car park for Howick Hall but took a short cut through the woods, disturbing a single, solitary deer, to the road to the farm. Changed we headed for a favourite watering hole, the Ridley Arms in Stannington. Glad to see it was busy in these days of pub closures.

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The walk is 13.5 miles, sea views and country with no climbs. 

It is the longest and best walk of the year so far. Cold, sunny, muddy but worth every aching limb.

                                            Sugar Sands

                                        February Fairmaids

                               Craster visitor centre. Said to be reopening soon

                                             Yes it is!

                              Embleton Bay

                          WW2 bunker, exposed by storms

                            Cuttlefish air sac. There were thosands on the beach

                               More snowdrops