Gadgie Walks

New Year, old walk. Northumberland/Tyneside. January 4th
Happy New Year to all readers of our gadgie walks. As we have done for several years now we are starting the new season with a walk from Blyth to North Shields, via Seaton Sluice and Whitley Bay.
There is no need for a map but if you must;
OS Explorer 325 Morpeth and Blyth and OS Explorer 316 Newcastle upon Tyne.
The walk starts at the Coastline Café near the beach in Blyth. There are six of us out today;John C., John Ha., John H., Ben, Brian and me. As it is his Birthday we are starting with a celebratory Brian's Birthday Bacon Butty and tea/coffee before we start.

We arrived at the café by several bus routes, depending on home addresses. I caught a bus into Blyth and walked along the quayside, through the park, past the South Harbour and arrived shortly after the rest.

Blyth Harbour

Blyth quayside art

Blyth café fish and chip shop

Blyth car park. Free at the moment but the council would like to impose charges.

The bacon sandwich was a bargain, the teapot held several cups, a warming start to a cold but wind free day. Over breakfast the chat turned to football and our local Premiership team, Newcastle United who had recently lost again. The January “transfer window” has opened when clubs can buy and sell players. Brian remarked that if Newcastle were in the German Bundesliga they would be called “Bayernobody”, said with a Geordie accent it’s even funnier. You are allowed to make awful puns on your birthday. Later conversation turned to local politics, one of our county councillors is called Wayne Daley. Brian hoped he wasn’t a weather forecaster. Brian is having a good day, but then it is his birthday.

For the first part of the walk there is a choice; take the Eve Black cycle/walkers path through the dunes or walk on the beach. We opted for the latter, with some misgivings as on previous occasions the sand has been soft, walking is a little difficult in boots. It was fine today so on we strolled towards Seaton Sluice.

The old harbour at Seaton Sluice

The cut at Seaton Sluice

The sluice has history. The local landed gentry, the Delavals, built a harbour here in the 17^th century with sluice gates that helped scour out the river when opened. In the 18^th century they had a cut made to give access to a deeper harbour. It had locks. Towards the end of the 19^th century their trade, mostly coal, salt and glassware, dried up. Little is left of the sluice but the cut remains, unused.

At Seaton Sluice we walked up to the road and followed it above Collywell Bay before taking the footpath alongside fields to St. Mary’s Island. There is a lighthouse on the island, accessible when the tide is out, not today though, you would need wellies.

Back on the Whitley Sands we walked the beach for some time before climbing up to the promenade and declaring a Herbie Stop. Sitting in a shelter we shared short bread, ginger biscuits, flapjacks, mince pies and savoury scones from Mrs A.

Lunch over we continued on the prom to look at the Spanish City, once Whitley Bay’s great attraction. It had been closed for years but recent renovations have transformed it into a fine eating place and wedding venue.

St. Mary's Island and lighthouse

Spanish City, Whitley Bay

Interior of Spanish City

We stayed on the promenade, turning down to the old radio station at Cullercoats and walking above the bay until we could descend to the Long Sands at Tynemouth. After looking at the old open air swimming pool which is supposedly going to be cleaned up and reopened we followed the road past the front of the ruins of Tynemouth Castle and down on to the promenade that lines the bank of the River Tyne until we reached North Shields and headed for the Low Lights Inn, a very old pub. Busy and warm with a real fire it had several hand pulled beers on offer, I chose one called Low Light, it seemed appropriate.