Stannington Vale

 Stannington Vale November 22nd.

It has been seasonally cold, the day's are shorter so a local easy walk seemed like a good idea. For various reasons we are down to a team of four, and in spite of the low temperature its a lovely day for a walk.

Starting from the village of Stannington, a few miles north of Newcastle and just off the A1 it's  a country and woodland stroll. Easily done without a map but should you need one it's OS Explorer 332 Morpeth and Blyth..There is a large, free car park next to the Ridley Arms which takes its  name from the Ridley family who have lived in nearby Blagdon Hall for over 300 years. In the middle of the 19th century the family pulled down the 12th century church and had a new one built, St Mary's. On the way to Stannington we stopped at the cafe in the grounds of the giant earth sculpture Noethumberlandia.

Apart from the pub and the church the village has little to offer. 

               Parking in Stannington. Not one for the calendar.

Booted and coated against the cold we set off, walking north out of the village to the roundabouts  which are a safer bet than trying to cross the A1, dualled as it is on this section.

Once on the east side of the major road we took the hard farm track to Briery  Hill farm.

       On the road to Briery Hill. The bridge carries the main line East Coast railway.

Not far beyond the farm we climbed the stile and walked across fields until we found the stile entrance to the woods above the River Blyth.

                To the woods.

Turning left we followed the footpath which became a good track until we reached the Visitor Centre at Plessey Woods Country Park. Although we had only overed about 2.8 miles we called a Herbie, making use of the picnic benches. (Cherry Bakewell tarts, almond slices and Mrs A sent sweet and savoury.)

 

             Plessey  Woods visitor centre. Popular with dog walkers and families, there is a good play area complete with slides and roundabouts. 

The name comes from John de Plessey who was granted the right to cut timber for his mill sometime in the 13th century. It was also a popular place for John Wesley to preach.

Feed ing over we retraced our steps for a short distance before turning off and heading down to the River Blyth near Hartford Bridge. There are a number of paths in the park, not always easy to find the right one.

               Follow the sign on the track passing the totem poles.

 We walked along the riverside, watching a pair of dippers bobbing on some rocks, until we came to..........

               Maybe, had we been younger we might have given it a go but......

A series of steps climbing the bank took us back to the path we had used to get to the centre. After a couple more signs warning of blocked paths we found one that took us back to the riverside and at mile 5 we walked under the viaduct that carries the main line.

                                         The railway viaduct.

Staying on the riverside path we came to the A1. The path does not go under the road bridge so we climbed up to the side of the dual carriageway and amazingly  found gaps in the traffic to cross. The alternative is to walk south and cross the road by the bridge and turn back for Stannington. Once we had all dodged the traffic we walked back to the Ridley Arms which had Tyneside Blonde and Black Sheep.

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The walk is a bit under 7 miles, easy going and mud free .