A Walk in the Wild Wanneys. Jan 10th (Northumberland)
Warning; Some of these footpaths are very wet and so is the Lisle Burn. Lots of mud too
And a happy new year to you too Gloria Raven
Back to normal Fridays after Christmas and the new year we are off for a walk starting at Ridsdale in Northumberland. A tiny village on the A 68 it is easy to find, A69 west and take A68 north near Corbridge. In the 19th century Ridsdale had an iron industry, short lived but it has left remains. The most prominent looks like an old ruined castle but is an old ruined engine house. Stephenson of railway fame built cottages for the workers here and used their pig iron for the High Level Bridge in Newcastle. When the works closed W Armstrong bought the machinery and took it to his factory on Tyneside. History over for the day.
The map to use is OS OL 42 Kielder Water and Forest.
Nine of us out; John x 3, Brian, Dave, Harry, Ben, Ray and me. Breakfast at the Vallum Tea Rooms on the Military Road (B6318) near the Robin Hood pub. A lot going on at the Vallum, furniture refurbishment and sales, a wedding venue and some fine ancient tractors, plus a wigwam. (Or is it a teepee?
Home to a lost tribe of geordies?
Vallum tea room. Toasted teacakes, bacon sandwiches, tea and coffee served by friendly ladies.
Breakfast over we headed for the tiny village of Ridsdale, parked on the side of the road opposite the Gun pub and booted up.
Parking on the side of the road in Ridsdale.
Not an old castle, 19th century engine house.
We set off north on the road and at the end of the village took the footpath on the right across a damp field, made use of one of the many ladder stiles on today's walk, crossed the road, another stile and several wet fields to a dismantled railway which we crossed by means of an old bridge that went under it. We walked close to Whetstone House. I have my grandad's whetstone, a cuboid shaped piece of knife sharpener kept in its own flashy wooden box. There had been an iron industry here after all.
Not far beyond Whetstone we came to Lisle Burn. Somehow Brian crossed quickly and was not seen again for a couple of hours. The rest of us walked alongside the stream looking in vain for a footbridge or a shallow stretch. Eventually we came to a place where the fast flowing and deepish water had an island in the stream. Dave the noble leader pioneered a crossing to the island and we all followed. Getting from the island to the north bank required either a jump or a slight wetting. Some jumped. Some seventy plus year olds decided discretion still is the better part of valour, threw our rucksacks across the water, stepped gingerly on to a large tree root protruding into the stream and got away with only one wet foot. We all agreed that twenty years ago we would have cheerfully jumped but touches of arthritis, fear of broken limbs and a soaking have an effect.
OK, it looks easy but it's deeper than it seems.
Once across we headed up the hill to Blakelaw farm. From there we followed the metalled road east. It soon turned south and crossed a dam at Linnheads. (Had we thought about it we could have stayed on the south bank and reached this point with dry feet.)
WE followed the road south, it eventually came to a point where it was built on top of the old railway to Summit cottage, a substantial building probably from the days of steam. We stayed on the solid and dry road for about a mile until we reached an old bridge going under the track. Scrambling down the bank we went under the bridge and decided it was Herbie Time. As we settled down to feast Brian appeared! From Blakelaw he had taken the footpath through woods. As this was part of the original plan he was the only one to get it right.
Herbie time; Apple pies, lemon slices, biscuits, ginger biscuits, flapjacks and Mrs A's Cheese scones.
Having devoured the feast we followed the grassy track across moorland to a road, turned right and walked the tarmac for approximately one mile to Sweethope Loughs which were just visible through the trees.
Close to this sign is a footpath leading across very soggy,boggy moorland to the heather covered tops of Great Wanney Crags. The crags are steep and we walked the edge until we found the spot we were assured by those who had walked here before that this was the point of descent.
The path was narrow, muddy and slippy and I wasn't the only one who came down stretches of it on my bottom. Heather is amazingly strong if you want to hold onto something.
Looking down Wanney Crags to the footpath below
The path down is at the centre of the picture. Much easier going up.
Once down we followed the path across Aid Moss which is properly named, past a disused quarry which had a bird hide and across fields back to Ridsdale. Part of this last section is on an old tramway built to take stone from the quarry to the iron works. It was fairly flat and fairly dry. By the time we reached the village it was almost dark, a long day out.
Changed we drove to the familiar Boathouse a Wylam and sampled some of its twelve hand pulled beers. Usually a great place to relax but today we had to go into the back room where a man put a selection of heavy metal music on the jukebox and promptly left. It killed conversation for a while, the music not his leaving.
Contains OS data, copyright. Crown copyright and database right 2020.
And a few pedometer reading:
Steps Miles
My NAK 22706 10.03
Dave's NAK 1 21356 10.11
""""""""""""""2 21234 10.11
"""""""""SM 21119 10.00
OUTDOOR GPS 9.45
And a few more pictures taken on a grey day
The Gun, Ridsdale. It was closed at the end of the walk
Old railway bridge
A successful mole catcher
A scareperigrine
Lunch spot by the railway
Northumberland view.
Warning; Some of these footpaths are very wet and so is the Lisle Burn. Lots of mud too
And a happy new year to you too Gloria Raven
Back to normal Fridays after Christmas and the new year we are off for a walk starting at Ridsdale in Northumberland. A tiny village on the A 68 it is easy to find, A69 west and take A68 north near Corbridge. In the 19th century Ridsdale had an iron industry, short lived but it has left remains. The most prominent looks like an old ruined castle but is an old ruined engine house. Stephenson of railway fame built cottages for the workers here and used their pig iron for the High Level Bridge in Newcastle. When the works closed W Armstrong bought the machinery and took it to his factory on Tyneside. History over for the day.
The map to use is OS OL 42 Kielder Water and Forest.
Nine of us out; John x 3, Brian, Dave, Harry, Ben, Ray and me. Breakfast at the Vallum Tea Rooms on the Military Road (B6318) near the Robin Hood pub. A lot going on at the Vallum, furniture refurbishment and sales, a wedding venue and some fine ancient tractors, plus a wigwam. (Or is it a teepee?
Breakfast over we headed for the tiny village of Ridsdale, parked on the side of the road opposite the Gun pub and booted up.
We set off north on the road and at the end of the village took the footpath on the right across a damp field, made use of one of the many ladder stiles on today's walk, crossed the road, another stile and several wet fields to a dismantled railway which we crossed by means of an old bridge that went under it. We walked close to Whetstone House. I have my grandad's whetstone, a cuboid shaped piece of knife sharpener kept in its own flashy wooden box. There had been an iron industry here after all.
Not far beyond Whetstone we came to Lisle Burn. Somehow Brian crossed quickly and was not seen again for a couple of hours. The rest of us walked alongside the stream looking in vain for a footbridge or a shallow stretch. Eventually we came to a place where the fast flowing and deepish water had an island in the stream. Dave the noble leader pioneered a crossing to the island and we all followed. Getting from the island to the north bank required either a jump or a slight wetting. Some jumped. Some seventy plus year olds decided discretion still is the better part of valour, threw our rucksacks across the water, stepped gingerly on to a large tree root protruding into the stream and got away with only one wet foot. We all agreed that twenty years ago we would have cheerfully jumped but touches of arthritis, fear of broken limbs and a soaking have an effect.
Once across we headed up the hill to Blakelaw farm. From there we followed the metalled road east. It soon turned south and crossed a dam at Linnheads. (Had we thought about it we could have stayed on the south bank and reached this point with dry feet.)
WE followed the road south, it eventually came to a point where it was built on top of the old railway to Summit cottage, a substantial building probably from the days of steam. We stayed on the solid and dry road for about a mile until we reached an old bridge going under the track. Scrambling down the bank we went under the bridge and decided it was Herbie Time. As we settled down to feast Brian appeared! From Blakelaw he had taken the footpath through woods. As this was part of the original plan he was the only one to get it right.
Having devoured the feast we followed the grassy track across moorland to a road, turned right and walked the tarmac for approximately one mile to Sweethope Loughs which were just visible through the trees.
The path was narrow, muddy and slippy and I wasn't the only one who came down stretches of it on my bottom. Heather is amazingly strong if you want to hold onto something.
Once down we followed the path across Aid Moss which is properly named, past a disused quarry which had a bird hide and across fields back to Ridsdale. Part of this last section is on an old tramway built to take stone from the quarry to the iron works. It was fairly flat and fairly dry. By the time we reached the village it was almost dark, a long day out.
Changed we drove to the familiar Boathouse a Wylam and sampled some of its twelve hand pulled beers. Usually a great place to relax but today we had to go into the back room where a man put a selection of heavy metal music on the jukebox and promptly left. It killed conversation for a while, the music not his leaving.
And a few pedometer reading:
Steps Miles
My NAK 22706 10.03
Dave's NAK 1 21356 10.11
""""""""""""""2 21234 10.11
"""""""""SM 21119 10.00
OUTDOOR GPS 9.45
And a few more pictures taken on a grey day
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