Gadgie Walks: The forts of Ingram

The forts of Ingram, and it's not even May. March 13th.

Ingram is in the Breamish Valley, one of several that drain the Cheviots. At the village of Ingram there is a cafe/visitor centre but today we are starting from a car park about a half mile further up the road.

The walk is covered by two maps: OS OL 16 The Cheviots and OS Explorer 332 Alnwick & Amble. The valley has a long history, several hilltops have the remains of forts and there are other settlements to be found.

However there was a sudden change in the weather. Instead of heading for the hills we set out for a low level walk from Ashington.

Once described as the largest village in the country, Ashington was the home of several coal mines, the birthplace of great footballers* and a couple of fast bowlers too.**

No mines anymore but the excellent Woodhorne museum tells their story.

And the map for this walk is OS Explorer 325 Morpeth and Blyth.

We parked in the Queen Elizabeth II country park, booted up and set off.

Car park, pithead wheel and Eucalyptus trees in the background.

Leaving the car park we took the well made track round the west side of the lake until we came to the railway line. Held up for a while as a long train of goods wagons rolled slowly by. It had come from the nearby power station having delivered its load of wood chippings, originally this plant burned coal from the nearby pit.

The chips come from the USA and Canada I am told. The coal came from across theroad

After a short walk along the road we came to the new Ashington shopping area which includes a Wetherspoons pub named for Rohan Kanhai, a West Indian international who played club cricket for Ashington.

Jackie Milburn. star for Newcastle United and England

Then we reached the old Ashington. A series of terraced streets laid out in a rectangular pattern like an American city and built many years ago to house the miners. for sentimental reasons, for one of the team, we found Sycamore Street and walked down it to a road, crossed the road and took the path down to the River Wansbeck turned left and headed for the sea on the King Charles III/ England Coast Path

Road and footbridges across the Wansbeck

Nearer the estuary we left the river and walked through Sandy Bay caravan park, quiet at this time of year.. The footpath to Newbiggin is close to the low cliff edge and in one place it has been almost washed away but we persevered and made it to the promenade at Newbiggin, stopping for a Herbie at the cafe near the church. Cold but a good view across the bay and down the coast to Blyth.

Watching for ships in the offing!

St. Bartholomew's church, Newbiggin by the sea. Dates back to the 13th century, ruined by the 18th and rebuilt in the 19th and 20th. Visible for miles.

We set off behind the church only to be advised by a large notice that the footpath was dangerous and therefore closed.

Instead we went through a new caravan park, passing "The Last Pub Before Norway" and followed the footpath round the edge of the golf course to the power station at Lynemouth.

Lynemouth power station. Built to supply electricity to the nearby Alcan smelter. The smelter closed some years ago. The power station now supplies the national grid. Owned by a Czech company and it uses biomass for fuel.

Leaving the power station we walked a short distance along the road before turning off on to the overgrown cycle track that runs alongside the Eucalyptus plantation.