Gadgie Walks: Walking from Wylam on a wet day

Walking from Wylam on a wet day. February 21st

After a couple of weeks of low temperatures, overcast skies and cold wind from the east air is moving up from the south pushing up the mercury to the mid teens, and bringing rain. Hoping for some shelter five of us are out for a familiar walk from Wylam.

Wylam was home to George Stephenson, father of the railways. A large village on the banks of the Tyne, west of Newcastle.

The map to use is OS Explorer 316 Newcastle upon Tyne.

Wylam car park, plenty of space and free

The car park is next to a dismantled railway line, now used by walkers, cyclists and horses. This useful device is to blow your tyres up.

Dressed for the promised showery day we set off west on the old railway, crossing the Tyne on the Hagg Bridge.

Tyne from the Hagg Bridge.

Once across we followed the riverside path, firm and dry there was very little chance of slipping into the river. By the time we had reached Hagg Farm most of us realised we were overdressed. Because of the promised showers we kept waterproofs on but sweaters went into rucsacs.

The old pumping station on the north bank of the river. There is a new one under construction, taking water from the river to Whittle Dene reservoirs.

The path goes alongside the Spetchells, a mound of waste from a WW2 ammunitions factory at Prudhoe. Soon we were at the Prudhoe country Park and stopped for breakfast, a generous helping of bacon in the bun.

Prudhoe Country Park mural. The thing on the left is for washing dogs.

Breakfast over and still enjoying a warm dry walk we crossed the railway at Prudhoe station, walked up to a road, turned left and followed a footpath which passed Prudhoe Castle and the industrial estates. A little muddy but dry still.

Prudhoe Castle, 12th century home of the Umphravilles and the Percy family

Crossing a road we entered a wood walking a good track. A couple of felled tree trunks made good seats and we sat, if not in sunshine at least in dry conditions for a Herbie, at about 4.5 miles into the walk.

(Caramel tarts, two sorts of cookies and sweet and savoury from Mrs A)

Once more on our way we crossed a road, walked through more woodland to a railway bridge. Almost immediately we were over the bridge we turned left on a footpath to reach a series of steep steps cut into the bank that took us down to a pond .

The pond at the bottom of the steps.

We crossed a field and were back on the Tyne path near Hagg Farm. We retraced our steps for a short distance before taking a right fork and following the road back towards Wylam station. At the junction where we could have turned left, passing the Boathouse pub and being back at the cars we decided that, as the weather was so pleasant (a few drops of rain at his point, but just a few) we would extend the walk and turned right, passing Daniel Farm which has a herd of deer, keeping out of the way today.

We crossed the road, crossed a stile and crossed fields to reach a footpath through woodland above Bradley Hall Garden Centre.

Bradley Hall pond.

Reaching a road we turned right and after about 100 yards turned right again, passing the pond at Bradley Hall again, but much closer.

Bradley Hall Pond and inhabitants.

At the next junction we turned left, passed the Daniel Farm again, crossed the railway at Wylam station and were back at the cars.

We went to the nearby Fox and Hounds, TTL and zero alcohol Guinness.

The walk is just over 9 miles easy going with a couple of climbs.

A recent study of weather apps reported on their accuracy. Today the apps we use promised showers, in fact all we encountered was a few seconds of very light rain. A good day out, relatively warm and very dry!