Gadgie Walks

On the Blue Bridge footpaths of Northumbria.
(December 13th)
MUD WARNING
Half way through December and a new walk! Eight of us; John x 3, Dave, Harry, Brian, Ray and me are starting a walk from Whitfield on the West Allen river.
To get to the start A69 West, A686 South at Haydon Bridge and follow the A686 to Whitfield. There is a café, the Whitfield Pantry which is also the local shop run by some lovely ladies who offered coffee refills too. Highly recommended.

The Whitfield Pantry
The map to use is OSOL Explorer43 Hadrian's Wall and the weather today is supposed to be dry but cold, a fine day for a walk.
Having eaten and drunk our coffee we moved a few hundred yards down the road to the Elk Head Hotel. Across the Allendale road the hotel has a large car park, strictly for patrons only but we knew we would call in after the walk.

This week's car park, muddy but large.
The walk;
Leaving the car park we walked up the Allendale Road for a quarter mile or so until we reached a bend where we took the farm track to Monk farm. From the farm the there is a forest trail that goes through Monk Wood. The view over the valley is well worth pausing for.

Whitfield church, Holy Trinity. Built in 1860

Whitfield Hall, late 18th century with later additions.
This section of the walk is part of Isaac's tea trail. Isaac sold tea to the locals, travelling on horseback and his paths are well marked as walks today. This walk also has frequent yellow markers on the many stiles to climb, most of them being very slippy too because of all the recent rain. At least one of us fell as a result, fortunately without serious injury.
Out of the wood the footpath crosses fields, muddy through rain and animals. At Gate house we started to climb steadily over the fields. One section is along a relatively dry green lane, then across a rather dreary Dryburn Moor which was anything but. At the top of the moor we came to a road, turned left and walked a short distance before turning back onto the moors towards the old chimneys above Allendale.

Back onto the moor
The chimneys are left from the days when the area was mined for lead, silver and other metals. Apart from the two chimneys there are the smelting flues, stone built tunnels to provide draught for the metal smelting.
The first chimney has entrances so we declared a Herbie and settled down inside, out of the cold wind.

Herbie time, ouside….

..and inside; varieties of biscuit, including from jesmondcakecompany, chocolate slices and scones. (And hot soup)

remains of the smelting flue. At times the walls were scrubbed to get the lead and silver particles carried by the smoke from the furnace below the hill.

We followed the path alongside the flues past Fell House and turned left at the next junction. Near Dryside we were back in the muddy fields, along with a small herd of rather friendly sheep.

A footbridge took us over Hollingreen Burn, then across more muddy fields to Rude Clough. Here we met a road but turned immediately down the private road to Chapel House.

Take this road, even though it says Private, it is a right of way.

Across more muddy fields to Hindley Mill and on to Lanehead. Yet more fields, getting harder to struggle through to Asheybank and Harlowbank where we rejoined the road we had started out on. Walking downhill, thankfully we were soon back at the car park. Changed from muddy boots to relatively clean trainers we crossed the car park to the Elks Head hotel and pub., where we were made welcome. Only one real ale on today, Allendale Brewery Pennine but it went down well, except for the drivers.