Gadgie Walks: Three bridges and the Spetchells

Three bridges and the Spetchells. (Northumberland) February 19th.

A Sunday walk with the Greens, that collection of lovely people who have invited us gadgies to join them on their walks. Today about twenty people are off on a Tyneside walk from Wylam, small town on the banks of the Tyne some 15 miles west of Newcastle.

The walk is covered by OS Explorer 316 Newcastle upon Tyne but is not essential.

There is a car park in Wylam close to the Wylam Bridge and railway station. It's free and usually quiet but today I managed to get the last spot.

Car park at Wylam, somebody got lucky and arrived a somebody left.

Leaving the car park we crossed the road that leads to the bridge, walked past a row of pretty cottages next to the dismantled railway and headed for Hagg Bank Bridge.

The Tyne and Hagg Bank Bridge that used to carry a railway across the river. Not far across the water the tracks joined the Newcastle to Carlisle Railway. Bridge number 1

The walk is now along the River Tyne Trail and has markers provided by the Daft as a Brush cancer charity. Mostly quite close to the river the path is below the Spetchells.

The Spetchells are a kilometre long man made mound consisting of rock and clay. The name is of uncertain origin but there is no doubt about the origin of the mounds. During WW2 ICI had a plant here that produced fertiliser for farms and explosives for the armed forces. The waste of Calcium Carbonate was dumped and covered with soil and greenery to camouflage it from enemy bombers. Now the mound supports a variety of trees and chalkland plants - and bees. Must come back in summer.

An introduction to the Spetchells.

We continued our walk beyond the mounds to, and under Ovingham Bridge to the Tyne Riverside Country Park which has a cafe and conveniences.

Mural at the park and bridge number two, Ovingham.

After a short break we turned back, walked to the western end of the Spetchells and then climbed the staircase to the top, apart from Sarah who scrambled up a chalky face.

Sarah on the slope and the staircase the rest of us climbed.

At one point on the top of the mounds where we had a good view of the river we called a Herbie although I suppose the Greens are not familiar with the term.

A Victorian pumping house close to the Tyne.

Lunch over we followed a footpath down from the Spetchells and wandered around Hagg Bank (More stairs) until we were back at Hagg Bank Bridge again.

Once over the old bridge we took footpaths through the Haughs (Grassy area by a river you may recall), walked the edge of the Wylam Cricket Ground ( a six would land in the water) and followed the Tyne Trail back to Wylam Bridge (Bridge number 3)

Once we had gone under the bridge we took the Tyne and Wear Heritage trail to Stephenson's Cottage.

Wylam Bridge and Stephenson's cottage. George Stephenson, generally considered to be father of the railways was born here. His engine, the Rocket, won the famous Rainhill Trials on the Liverpool to Manchester Railway, the first passenger (and freight) line in the world if you ignore the Stockton to Darlington line.

Past the cottage we turned left, crossed fields to a track that went to Rift Farm. From the farm a slightly muddy footpath took us over ancient slag heaps now overgrown and back to Wylam.

We crowded into the Fox and Hounds pub for refreshment, they had Timothy Taylor's Landlord and I was driving. Heineken zero alcohol is wet.