Gadgie Walks

Under the clock at Central Station (Tyneside) March 13
Reduced in numbers yet again four of us (John H., John Ha., John L. and me) are walking the bank of the Tyne from the centre of Newcastle to Wylam.
After a few wet and windy days the forecast is promising, cool and dry.
Part of the walk follows the Hadrian Wall Path, part the River Tyne way but for most of its length it stays close to the river. A bus and train expedition really requiring no map but it is covered by:
OS Explorer 316 Newcastle upon Tyne. We met at Newcastle's Central Station, fine example of Victorian Railway architecture, and so it should be, the original Stephenson works are just behind it.

Central Station clock in place of a car park.
We left the station, turned right and past the Station Hotel turned right again on to Orchard Street which goes under the railway, crosses a road by the Telegraph pub, past a good stretch of town wall to some steps which go all the way down to the quayside by the Travel Lodge and Copthorne Hotels.

Having reached the quayside we turned right and walked to Wylam!
There are good views of the Newcastle bridges on this stretch of the walk if you like that sort of thing.

Looking east; High Level, Swing, Tyne and Millenium

Looking west; Queen Elizabeth II. Edward VII and Redeugh Bridges.
The first few miles of the walk are on a well made promenade next to the river. Very poular with walkers and cyclists. Once a heavily industrialised area it is now home to offices but its past has not been forgotten as there are many information boards along the way.

The old coal staithes at Dunston

Ships and shipyards at Elswick, all gone

Public art too

Lord Armstrong. His Elswick works churned out battleships and large guns. He built the first hydraulic crane, the Swing Bridge (also worked by a hydraulic system) and his home in Cragside near Rothbury, lit by his hydro-electric system

Armstrong built or designed ships on both sides in the 1905 Russo-Japanese war.
At Scotswood the Hadrian Wall path leaves the river side and goes for a short distance towards Denton although it eventually returns to the Tyne. We ignored the Wall path and followed the Newburn Cycle/pedestrian path, part of the River Tyne Trail . This section is on roads which have to crossed and re-crossed but the path is well marked. It passes Scotswood Bridge and goes under the A1.

Scotswood Bridge,

Local not so wild life
The path is now almost in the countryside as it clings to the edge of the muddy Tyne, the tide being a long way out giving various waders acres of mud to hunt in. Having walked through light industrial estates we arrived at Newburn Bridge, a narrow one controlled by lights.

Newburn Bridge

The Boathouse pub next to the bridge.
Not far from the bridge is the site of the Battle of Newburn Ford, 1640. England versus Scotland in one of the Bishop's Wars just before the Civil War. Scotland won and carried on to Newcastle.

The Hadrian Wall Path rejoins the riverside track here and not far from the bridge at a small country park we called a Herbie; Racers and Jives, flapjacks and chocolate caramel home made delights.
Lunch over we walked on through woodland. There is a footpath close to the river but we opted for the hard track which makes use of the old railway line. It is possible to divert to Heddon on the Wall but we stayed next to the river, passing Close House golf course.

A Close House Welcome
Not far from Close House we came to the birthplace of George Stephenson inventor and builder of railways.

Stephenson's Cottage, Wylam. The family lived in one room, three other families had the rest of the cottage

Plaque on the wall of the cottage.
A short distance from the cottage brought us to Wylam's famous free car park, we turned left, crossed the bridge and had a welcome drink in the Boathouse. Then we caught a bus back to Newcastle.