There's an old mill in the dene. (Newcastle upon Tyne) April 19th.
It's Easter, some of the team are away, some have family commitments and so five of us are going for a walk very near home; Jesmond Dene in Newcastle upon Tyne; John Ha., John C., Dave, Harry and me.
Jesmond Dene is a steep sided valley through which the Ouseburn flows to the Tyne.
Once the home of Lord Armstrong, builder of big guns and battleships, it has been transformed, by him, into a public park. Very popular with families for Pets Corner, gentle walker, runners and cyclists, plus a few dogs.
We are starting our stroll at the Victory pub at South Gosforth. We have reason for this. Killingworth Road which passes the pub has been closed to traffic for almost two years. originally closed to replace a metro bridge which took a matter of days, and to widen the road and improve the junction the work has taken much longer than expected. Problems with gas mains and problems with asbestos are two of the reasons given but we are going to cast our eyes on the current situation. The road was one of the main entrances to the city and the delay has caused traffic holdups and much frustration.
The new bridge at South Gosforth, and the roadworks that have lasted almost two years
The Victory, good pub, good beer
From the Victory we walked a short distance up Freeman Road and entered the dene. We followed footpaths alongside the Ouseburn to the end underneath Armstrong Bridge, closed to traffic and sometimes has a craft fair. Easy route to follow so a few pictures will suffice.
Go through the tunnel to the rocky face in the top picture. Once used for a climbing wall the practise was forbidden by several generations of parkies.
Picturesque bridge and stepping stones.
We did stop to look at two particular items, the old mill and the banqueting hall.
Ruins of the mill, I'm guessing it was undershot.
Ruins of Armstrong's banqueting hall. Armstrong lived in a house on the edge of the dene before he moved to Cragside near Rothbury in Northumberland. His house in the dene no longer exists but Cragside is worth a visit.
Beyond the hall we came to Pets Corner which has a collection of small animals and birds for children to look at. However as it was a sunny day and a holiday with lots of small children around the powers that be had the area closed and locked.
But you could ride on Thomas the Tank Engine.
Once out of the park we wandered around the streets of Jesmond until we came to the Portland Bowling Club.
As President of the club for the year John Ha. gave us a guided tour of the pavilion. We sat on benches admiring this gem in the middle of the city. Hidden from view by the Arriva Bus garage and several terraces it was a secret place as far as I was concerned.
Portland Bowling Club, formed in 1874 and still flourishing.
The president made us tea or coffee and as it was a Herbie Spot we shared Racer bars, flapjacks and chocolate covered cake.
Leaving this oasis of calm we headed across the old city stadium and back to banks of the Ouseburn, walking beneath the three bridges that span the stream.
Railway bridge, metro bridge and just visible the road bridge.
The area past the bridges has become a cultural centre, The Cluny is famous for music, the Ship is a vegetarian restaurant/pub and beyond the is Seven Stories, an old building converted into a book centre for children. It has a shop, a café and areas where people read stories and children can dress up, using clothes from a large chest.
Seven Stories is the far building. The boat looks fun but never moves.
We were soon on the quayside; the pubs were very busy, families were walking along the quay in the sunshine on a warm bank holiday, deserved after the chill of the last few weeks.
The Tyne Bridges, Sage concert hall on the left.
We decided that as the quayside pubs were so busy we should head for the Crown Posada on Dean Street. A proper pub, narrow and dark, it looks as if it has not been changed since it was built, if you go in admire the ceiling. More important admire the selection of real ales on offer. I had Tyneside Blonde, very refreshing on a warm day after a walk.
When we were rehydrated we headed up Grey Street. Some took the metro home, I took the bus.
This city walk is well worth following. No pedometers or maps today but my iPhone said that in total I had pounded pavement for nearly seven miles, hard on the feet.
A few more pictures from the day.
It's Easter, some of the team are away, some have family commitments and so five of us are going for a walk very near home; Jesmond Dene in Newcastle upon Tyne; John Ha., John C., Dave, Harry and me.
Jesmond Dene is a steep sided valley through which the Ouseburn flows to the Tyne.
Once the home of Lord Armstrong, builder of big guns and battleships, it has been transformed, by him, into a public park. Very popular with families for Pets Corner, gentle walker, runners and cyclists, plus a few dogs.
We are starting our stroll at the Victory pub at South Gosforth. We have reason for this. Killingworth Road which passes the pub has been closed to traffic for almost two years. originally closed to replace a metro bridge which took a matter of days, and to widen the road and improve the junction the work has taken much longer than expected. Problems with gas mains and problems with asbestos are two of the reasons given but we are going to cast our eyes on the current situation. The road was one of the main entrances to the city and the delay has caused traffic holdups and much frustration.
No car park this week as it was a bus job but this is where I started the walk , almost a mile from the Victory.
From the Victory we walked a short distance up Freeman Road and entered the dene. We followed footpaths alongside the Ouseburn to the end underneath Armstrong Bridge, closed to traffic and sometimes has a craft fair. Easy route to follow so a few pictures will suffice.
We did stop to look at two particular items, the old mill and the banqueting hall.
Beyond the hall we came to Pets Corner which has a collection of small animals and birds for children to look at. However as it was a sunny day and a holiday with lots of small children around the powers that be had the area closed and locked.
Once out of the park we wandered around the streets of Jesmond until we came to the Portland Bowling Club.
As President of the club for the year John Ha. gave us a guided tour of the pavilion. We sat on benches admiring this gem in the middle of the city. Hidden from view by the Arriva Bus garage and several terraces it was a secret place as far as I was concerned.
Portland Bowling Club, formed in 1874 and still flourishing.
The president made us tea or coffee and as it was a Herbie Spot we shared Racer bars, flapjacks and chocolate covered cake.
Leaving this oasis of calm we headed across the old city stadium and back to banks of the Ouseburn, walking beneath the three bridges that span the stream.
The area past the bridges has become a cultural centre, The Cluny is famous for music, the Ship is a vegetarian restaurant/pub and beyond the is Seven Stories, an old building converted into a book centre for children. It has a shop, a café and areas where people read stories and children can dress up, using clothes from a large chest.
We were soon on the quayside; the pubs were very busy, families were walking along the quay in the sunshine on a warm bank holiday, deserved after the chill of the last few weeks.
We decided that as the quayside pubs were so busy we should head for the Crown Posada on Dean Street. A proper pub, narrow and dark, it looks as if it has not been changed since it was built, if you go in admire the ceiling. More important admire the selection of real ales on offer. I had Tyneside Blonde, very refreshing on a warm day after a walk.
When we were rehydrated we headed up Grey Street. Some took the metro home, I took the bus.
This city walk is well worth following. No pedometers or maps today but my iPhone said that in total I had pounded pavement for nearly seven miles, hard on the feet.
A few more pictures from the day.
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