Gadgie Walks

The Mill on the Burn and at Whitley and Redlead and Finechambers by Mary Anne Evans.
(Northumberland) July 6th
Friday, traditional gadgie walk day, was wet again so we postponed the ramble till Monday.
Starting from the Dipton Mill near Hexham the walk is a country stroll through fields and valleys.
To find Dipton Mill, a small, country pub, go west on the A69, turn into Hexham and on the main street turn left at the Tap and Spile pub. Follow this road and take the right fork then continue to Dipton Mill. There is off road parking opposite the inn.
(As the A69 is suffering roadworks at the turn off for Hexham it is better to turn off at the Corbridge roundabout, short drive on the A68 and then A685 through Riding Mill to Hexham)
The map for the walk is OS OL 43 Hadrian's Wall and is advisable.

The Dipton Mill pub. It is closed until July 20th because of the pandemic. Shame, it's just across the road from.......

…………………..the car park, which is free but limited.
We started off down the lane beyond the cars, heading east. There has been rain, it was muddy. The path turned south east, crossed Hill Road and on to the farm at Dotland Park. The friendly farmer asked us to go round his flock of sheep carefully so as not to disturb them and cause a stampede so we did, going through a wicket gate and across a field before losing the official path altogether and wandering across a field before coming to a minor road.

Just one of many stiles we crossed on the day. They don't get easier.

Northumbrian view.

We turned right and walked uphill for a short distance, admiring the honeysuckle growing in the hedgerows, before turning left and walking the road to Dotland Park, a farm with very large sheds which seemed to be devoted to pig production.

Dave admired the bump which seemed to be all that remained of the Medieval Village marked on the map, and we continued across fields to Whitley Mill and from there on a track to Whitley Chapel.

We got a bit lost at Whitley Mill and wandered round somebody's rather fine garden before retracing our steps and finding the road to Whitley Chapel. The garden was beautifully laid out and had a heron, making it a true gadgie day out.

Wondering where next at Whitley Chapel
From Whitley Chapel we walked a short distance up the road past St Helen's Church. A sign post on the left sent us on our way again.

Having a camera problem today, everything looks too bright. This is a poor view of St> Helen's Church. St. Helen was the mother of the Emperor Constantine and he made her dowager Empress. She is the patron saint of lost items.

The footpath crossed fields (and stiles) to Moss House and Redlead Mill. From here we followed the footpath close to Devil's Water, stopping at a tumbledown building which made a good Herbie Spot with low walls to sit on.

Sharing Titans, Unicorn slices (?) and savoury cakes from Mrs A.

Lunch over we stayed close to the river on a track to Pethfoot Bridge, passing the remains of an old lead smelter and Finechambers Mill.

Dukesfield. Northumberland and Durham were mining centres for metals as well as coal. The lead, having been smelted, was taken by cart to Blaydon.

At Pethfoot we turned back on ourselves, almost and walked up a road to Lee where we took the footpath across fields to Newbiggin House farm, and then followed the road to Newbiggin. We walked the road alongside Leah Wood almost to Newbiggin Hill before leaving the tarmac and crossing the fields to Hole House.

At this point we separated. Dave, John Ha and I followed the path alongside Dipton Burn and back to the cars, in my case because I needed to be home early. Brian, Margaret and John H headed north almost into Hexham on the track labelled "A Pennine Journey" before turning west at High Shield and then south at Benson's Fell. Passing the Rising Sun they came to the Dipton Burn and followed it back to the cars.