The Gadgie AGM..... February 7th
Following the success of last year's AGM we have decided to hold a second, again at the Anglers Arms, Weldon Bridge.
There will, of course, be a walk  before the meeting and because of the damp weather that has persisted in the North East of England this week we have chosen to walk to Old Rooklands from Alwinton, a walk we have not done since January 7th, 2012.
There is a full gadgie turn out, Ben, Brian, Dave, Harry, John, Ray and me. To get to the start of the walk from base camp take the A1 north, turn onto the A697 at Morpeth and follow the road signs for Rothbury. There is still a diversion in operation as the road which suffered a land slip last year has still not been repaired. Go through Rothbury and Thropton before turning right at the sign for Alwinton. There is a Northumberland National Park car park,  but being pensioners we left cars on the green as we entered the village, it's free. The walk is covered on OL16 The Cheviot Hills and the village of Alwinton is at NT920063. If you do use the National Park car park keep your eye open in the toilet, Dave once found a £5 note there and looks every time we visit, just in case.                                   Naturally we stopped for breakfast at Tomlinsons Cafe and Bunkhouse on Bridge Street in the pretty little town of Rothbury. Some of us , those worried about their weight, had tea, others enjoyed a five flitch bacon butty.
The walk:

                                                  Alwinton's Pensioners Car park

                                               Alwinton main street. The building on the left is
                                              the Rose and Thistle pub. Nice too. Harry is 
                                               taking photographs.
Near the car park is a footbridge across the Hoseden Burn  .( Stream, brook, beck, what a rich language English is.) Cross the burn, taking care at this time of the year not to tread on the February Fair Maids (snowdrops) and turn left. The footpath almost immediately joins Clennell Street, an ancient drove road dating back to the times when Scots and English traded animals across the border. The street climbs uphill, on the left, Castle Hills is an Iron Age settlement with earthen ramparts, worth a visit but not today. About a mile from the start a footpath on the right of the track took us across muddy fields and downhill to a point where the river Alwin emerges from the plantation.

                                            Wait for me lads, please

                                                  There is probably a hill fort on this bump too.
We turned sharp right on the forest track running alongside the River Alwin, crossed a bridge and found the footpath south of Rookland Hill that follows a narrow burn going roughly east. (If you follow this walk make sure you enter the second valley or you finish up at Puncherton, not Old Rooklands). The track here is little more than a sheep trail but eventually the few trees around Old Rooklands are visible on the horizon and then the ruined farmhouse itself. Sitting in the shelter offered by an end wall we declared a Herbie Spot.

                                            Looking down on the River Alwin in beautiful Northumberland

                                                      Old Rooklands, ruined farmhouse

                                                        Gadgie lunch time at Old Rooklands
AS usual our lunch turned into a feast. Adding to the sandwiches we had flapjacks, Ben's ginger biscuits and individual Bramley Apple Pies

                                               The trees of Old Rooklands.
Leaving the ruins we continued east before turning right onto a track that took us downhill through fields heavily populated with heavily pregnant sheep until we met a minor road and turned right and then left at a junction. After a few hundred yards a signpost on the right pointed us across a field until we met another minor road. Shortly after passing the farm at Newton a signpost on the left directed us south across several fields to the farm at Well House. We followed the road to the farm at the Peels. There we took the muddy track marked Border County Ride on the map which goes past Park House and eventually on the road into Alwinton.

                                                    The Border County Ride track. Very muddy
Just before reaching the road there is the ruin of a limekiln, used in the 19th century for the production of lime to be used as a fertiliser. There are many in northern England, this one, last used in 1867 is a fine example. Layers of coal and limestone went in at the top, lime came out at the bottom.

                                  Impressive stonework in the interior of the kiln

                                          And instructions too.
Back at Alwinton we decided that, even for us it was too early to go to the pub so we headed for Rothbury and enjoyed a very civilised afternoon tea of tea scones, pronounced with a short letter o.
After tea we headed for one of our favourite pubs, which was also to be home of the Gadgies Annual General Meeting.
But first the Matrix
Matrix MMXIVD
                                                                 steps                         miles
Higear                                                   19019                          8.995
LIDL3D                                                20072                          9.03
Daves LIDL3D                                     19417                          8.93
LIDLUSB                                              19127                          9.06

Brian's GPS                                                                               8.8
Ben's bragometer                                                                      8.7
OUTDOORGPS                                                                        8.73

Is that consistency?
Gadgie distance 52.4

Crown copyright and data base rights, 2014. OS
                                                      THE AGM
The meeting was held for the second year in the Anglers Arms at Weldon Bridge.

                                                Anglers Arms, Weldon Bridge.
                                               
                                                      AGENDA

                                              1. Drink
                                              2. Eat
                                              3. Drink again
                                              4. More Drink
There were seven members present for the first part of the meeting but the non executives left quite early, leaving four of us to carry on with the meeting. After a couple of pints of Timothy Taylor's Landlord we retired to our rooms to shower and change for dinner. The menu was up to the usual high standard and the excellent food was helped down with some more beer. At one point the attentive young waitress suggested we had wine. Ray was appointed oenophile and he chose a rather fine red which went down very well. It was suggested we end the meeting with a wee dram which actually became several and the meeting ended successfully at 11.45pm when we retired to our rooms for a well deserved sleep. I suspect that during the evening we consumed our weekly ration of units of alcohol, gadgies binge drinking! The nanny state would be shocked, we would be offered counselling and told we were headed on the downward slope. But we all enjoyed it.

Next morning we met at 9 am for breakfast. I confess I could not face the traditional full English, neither could Ray but John and Brian, like real men, tucked into plateful of bacon, egg, sausage and beans. Alpen and toast for me. Wimp.
The Anglers Arms, being a fishermens pub is decorated with many a stuffed specimen.
John said he didn't like them, he thought their glassy eyes were watching him.
"What's your name?"
"Don't tell him Pike!" quipped Brian on form as ever. (A joke for most older English people. An explanation is on offer. SAE and £5 to me)

A SURE CURE FOR A HANGOVER.
We packed and left the hotel about 10am and headed for Simonside, the long hill overlooking Rothbury. There are several car parks near the plantations that cover the lower slopes of this poular walking area. The one we chose is at NZ 035977 on OS OL 42 Kielder Water and Forest.
There are several walks round Simonside, all clearly marked. The one we chose is marked with white arrows on a red background.

                                                            Yes it is.

                                                    Easy to follow signs.

                                                 A good bit of the walk is on trails like this,
Heading west from the start we followed the trail through the woods for a mile before turning roughly south west and slowly climbing on muddy paths. Near Bob Pyle's Studdie the path turns left and climbs steeply on a well made stone path to the cairns at the top  of  Simonside. An information board at the start of this rocky staircase reminds walkers to beware of the Duergars, the mythical wicked dwarfs that inhabit  this once sacred hill. They have a habit of kidnapping walkers and holding them for ransom. (See Five go battling the duergers July 5th 2013)

                                               These rocks could well be a home for duergers.
On the ridge the path has been laid with flagstones from long dead Lancashire cotton mills which makes the walking easier as it passes several cairns. The views north to the Cheviot hills are well worth the effort it takes to climb up.

                                                            A cairn on Simonside

                                               Well flagged path on Simonside.
The path heads roughly east. At Dove Crag you may continue to the Beacon and down to a car park near Lordenshaws which has an ancient fort, settlements and several of the mysterious cup and ring markings whose purpose has never been explained.
But we chose to turn north on a muddy footpath which joined another forest trail heading west to Joe's wood. This wood was planted in memory of Joe Rosenburg. He ran a small jewellers in Newcastle and, as the plaque says, was Chairman of the Northern Ramblers,the organisation that helped open areas of England to walkers.

Turning north east we walked down a muddy track through the trees and back to the car park.
It was only 12.30pm so we headed, again for Tomlinsons Cafe and Bunkhouse in Rothbury for, in my case, a late breakfast, English of course. Third visit of the weekend, Brian suggested we should get loyalty cards and save for a free coffee.
 Matrix MMXIVE
                                                 
                                                               steps                      miles

Higear                                           9987                              4.2
LIDL3D                                      10060                              4,53
OUTDOORGPS                                                                   4.2
Gadgie distance 56.6

                                     Sorry about the colour, low on ink.

Happy Mithras, everyone      January 24th
With rain promised in the afternoon it was decided to have a walk near home and we chose to walk from the village of Warden to the world famous Hadrian's Wall and visit the Mithraeum at Brocolitia.
There are seven of us out today, Ben, Harry, Dave, Brian, John, Ray who has not been seen for a while, and me. To get to the start of the walk take the A69 west from Newcastle and a couple of miles past Hexham turn right at the sign post for Warden. A map is advisable, OSOL43 Hadrian's Wall and the church in Warden is at NY913664.
The church of St. Michael, patron saint of Marks and Spencer has ancient origins, the west tower predating the conquest (1066)..The transepts are 13th century much much of the remainder is 18th and 19th  century. A good deal of the older part of the building is constructed from recycled Roman blocks.

                          St. Michael and all Angels, Warden 
The walk:
We left the church, where we had parked, and walked  back down the road in the direction which we had come, until eagle eyed John spotted the footpath on the right hand side that took us alongside the railway for a few hundred yards before  turning right and climbing north across muddy fields. The official path continues on the west side of the Laverick Plantation but we took the opportunity to turn north east across two fields to examine  the fort on Warden Hill.

               Sheep, safely grazing on the remains of the fort
                Look carefully, you can just see the banked up earth
                  of this iron age fort.

And  a circular depression that could have

been a hut.

having examined the fort we headed north west to rejoin the official path. It is difficult to make out but the path crosses the Stanegate, Roman service road across northern England.

Coming to a minor road we turned left and then right at Tilesheads Woods to follow  a road heading just west of north  until ,after about a mile we followed the finger post  north west that brought us out onto what is usually called The Military Road. Parts of this road were built in the 18th century when history was not important and bits of it cover the wall but not here.  We crossed the road and joined the Hadrian Wall Path, a long distance footpath that, not surprisingly, follows the Roman wall from west to east, or vice versa if you prefer. 

 The Vallum, a ditch dug on the south side of the wall

A section of the wall itself, carefully reconstructed, but not to the

real height.

We followed the line of the wall, or more correctly the ditch dug on the north side, until we reached Limestone Corner, where we called a Herbie Spot.

Packing after lunch in the ditch. The Romans found it difficult to dig the ditch here and left  some rocks for future use as picnic seats.

Lunch today included several treats again, flapjacks from Witney in Oxfordshire, ginger biscuits from Ben's in Killingworth and individual Bramley Apple pies from Sainsbury's. None of us have lost the Christmas overload, no wonder.

Lunch over we continued west before crossing the road and heading for the Mithraeum at Brocolitia.

Long before Christianity became the official religion of the empire, the Romans had a good choice of gods to follow, and Mithras was popular with soldiers. 

Mithraism originated in Persia but spread throughout the Roman Empire. Mithras himself was born from a rock and was fond of sacrificing bulls. His adherents had small subterranean temples built for their ceremonies which, unfortunately were kept secret on pain of death probably, although it is known that there were seven  levels to work through and there was a special handshake!Most members of the cult were men, although my classicist adviser tells me there is some evidence that a few women were involved. Probably making sandwiches. Does this seem familiar? Did they roll their trouser leg up? It is reckoned there were 480 temples in Rome alone; "Just off to see the lads Calpurnia," "OK Justinian, don't be back late pet, and watch out for that Marcellus, he's a bad influence and here's the larks tongue pie I promised."

 Votives at the Mithraeum, money and a hippopotamus, although my classicist advisor tells me it is more likely to be a bull. Someone cruelly said it was obvious what type of person visited. The offerings remain .

 The altars. These are copies, the real ones are in the Great North Museum in Newcastle along with many Roman artifacts.

                      The Mithraeum at Brocolitia. (Reconstructed)

                      Not as friendly as a Christian altar scene.
Mithras slays the bull, a snake drinks the blood and the sun god watches.
From the temple we headed east to join the footpath south across several boggy fields and stretches of moorland.
Along the way we passed what looked like a dacha. In the yard were two ancient tractors, a change from the almost ubiquitous John Deeres.

Real Tracotrs

Crossing a footbridge we passed Newbrough Hall and turned right to walk uphill to Prudhamstone House.

Sculpture at Prudhamstone.

Shortly after this house we  were back on the same track as we started  and followed it back to Warden.

The village has a pub, the Boatside, and we were made welcome. Nice bit of extra business, seven thirsty men although the drivers were very well behaved.

Another successful walk, and when we left the pub it was raining!

The Matrix MMXIVD
                                                   steps                 miles
LIDL3D                                    29947               13.47
HiGear                                       29291              13.8

Dave's 3D                                  28807               13.25
Dave's USB                                28256               14.27

Brian's GPS                                                           13.2
Ben's Bragometer                                                 13.25
Unfortunately I forgot to switch OUTDOORSGPS back on after Herbie Spot but what a collection of results. I will claim 13.2 miles

Gadgie Distance 43.4

Section 1

                                      Section 2

Contains OS data, Copyright.

Crown Copyright and database right 2014

From Longovicium to Durham...January 17th.
     A lengthy debate in the pub last week came to the conclusion it was about time to have a railway walk so today we are repeating an old favourite and following the old line from Lanchester to Durham.
A true gadgie walk as we are using bus passes to get to the start and to get home. This also means we can all have a drink.
To get to Lanchester from Newcastle take the X30/31 from Eldon Square bus station. The journey takes just over an hour.

                    No car park this week, but you do get a bus station
                                    (Eldon Square)
Lanchester, as the name implies, had Roman connections.
It was a Roman fort, Longovicium, on what is  now called Dere Street, the Roman chariot way that went from York to Bo'ness in Scotland. Longovicium was between two other forts, Vindamora (Ebchester) and Vinovia (Binchester).
The stones from the fort were used to build All Saints Church in the village in the 12th century Norman and Early English in style. The church is Anglican as you would expect but the Roman Catholic church, built in 1901 is also called All Saints. This could lead to some confusion, you could finish up not knowing what on earth was going on or have to do a spell in Limbo. There is also a Methodist Chapel.
Dere Street takes its name from Deira, the Anglo Saxon kingdom that was established after the Romans went home. Part of it is now the A1 road from London to Edinburgh and another part is the A68 from Corbridge north. And you can spell it Deere Street if you like.

                          All Saints C. of E  Lanchester

The walk:
  You do not need a map for this walk but should you choose to take one you need two. OS Explorer 307  Consett and Derwent Reservoir and OS Explorer  308 Durham and Sunderland.
 From the bus stop in Lanchester head south west on Station Road for a few hundred yards to find the start of the walk, on the left hand side of the road. (If you chose the right hand side you finish up in Consett. This rather fine piece of work stands at the entrance to the railway walk to Durham.

                      Salve Caesar ad Longovicium.
There is also this piece of interesting woodwork.

                        Creepy crawlies in Lanchester.
All you have to do now is follow the railway path for nine miles to Durham. After a couple of miles the track passes on the north side of Langley Park, like many of the villages in Durham it was once home to a pit but Langley's main claim to fame is being the birthplace of Sir Bobby Robson, international footballer and successful manager of several teams, including England and Newcastle United. The late Sir Bobby was a much loved and respected  gentleman, unusual in footballing circles these days.
The other thing of interest in Langley Park is Diggerland, a delight for boys and girls of all ages. It is possible to ride on a variety of machines used in the construction industry. Fortunately it was closed or we may never have finished the walk.

                         Diggerland, Back hoes and fun

Two miles beyond Langley Park the path is on the north side of the village of Bearpark. On the left a sign tells you that a track goes to Bearpark Hall farm. Take it and cross the bridge over the River Browney before taking a muddy path up to the ruins of Bearpark.
  Originally Beaurepaire, or fine retreat to us Anglo Saxons, this park was one of the largest in medieval England and the Prior of Durham Cathedral chose the site to build himself a retirement home which eventually became a holiday home for monks. Started in 1258 it was destroyed by marauding Scots and rebuilt in 1346. After the dissolution it remained part of the dean's estate but suffered under the Scots again in the first English Civil War in 1640 and the buildings fell into ruin.

Two views of the ruins at Bearpark.

A weekend retreat for up to forty monks who

sat around playing Monopoly and Scrabble.

 Back on the railway path for about another mile and half to a junction. It is possible to continue along the Brandon- Bishop Auckland Railway Path or do as we did and follow the sign that points left to Durham by way of Baxter Wood Farm.

                          

                             Seventeenth century Baxter Wood Farm
Once through this beautiful farm the track goes down to the River Browney. Cross the bridge and take the muddy path on the right hand side.

                         River Browney near Baxter Wood Farm
The path becomes a road that serves a few houses and the joins the busy A67. There is a footbridge across the road, it has an information board giving some details of the Battle of Neville's Cross which took place here in 1346. An English army beat a larger Scottish army and sent them home, to think again.

Look it up on Wikipedia or some other site. The Battle  of 
Neville's Cross took place here.
There are several ways to get to the centre of Durham from here, we took what I think is the best. Cross the road and follow the A67 for a few yards east and spot an opening between the houses, unmarked. Turn right at the end of the path and go up the street of quite large houses. At the top, on the left another narrow alley (or ginnel as Yorkshire folk say) leads to a sports field. Follow the path to the right which eventually becomes a road past The Durham School. On the bend take the left fork and very soon come across the magnificent view of Durham Cathedral
.

The west front of Durham Cathedral on a greyish day.
Durham Cathedral always knocks me for six. The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St. Cuthbert it dominates the university city. The second cathedral on the site it was started in 1093 and the main body of the church was finished in a mere forty years. The west end, the two west towers and the massive central tower, along with the nine altars chapel at the east end of the church were added over the next 360 years. Oliver Cromwell, who was not too keen on cathedrals had several hundred Scottish prisoners incarcerated inside during the English Civil Wars and they did some damage inside. It is a World Heritage site and a must if you come to Durham. It is possible to climb to the top of the central tower too. (And it was used in the Harry Potter films).

                           The Sanctuary knocker on the great door 
                            of Durham. (A replica, the original
                            is kept inside)
 Cross the river by the old bridge below the castle and go through the market square. Head for the Gala Theatre but make for the Bishops Mill, a Wetherspoon pub which had some fine Abbot Ale to drink. 
Then we caught  buses home. A true gadgie day out.


The Matrix MMXIVC

                                               steps                    miles
Hi gear                                   10032                  4.74  (used to be
                                                                                     reliable)
LIDL3D                                  21300                 9.5
Dave's LIDL3D                      20763                  9.56
LIDLUSB                               20456                  9.68
OUTDOORGPS                                                  9.68
Ben's Bragometer                                                9.78

Gadgie total  30.2 miles

A final word:
Last week I past 30000 hits which pleases me anyway
Top score goes to the UK    with 11875
Second is the good ole  US with   10651
Third Canada with                        1361
Troisieme Canada avec                 1361
Fourth Russia with                           939

Thank you, merci, cпаcибо 

Reservoir Blog II.....................January 10th.
Today's walk is a repeat of Reservoir Blog way back in 2012. Another easy winter walk and not too far from home. It starts near the village of Hallington in Northumberland and is completely covered by OS Map OL 43, Hadrian's Wall. It would be useful to  carry the map,or at least a laminated section. To get to the start take the A69 west of Newcastle, turn north on the A68 near Corbridge and look out for signs. Just beyond the village at the point spot height marked on the map as 176 (GR NY982769) there is a space for a couple of cars.
Five gadgies out today, John, Harry, Ben, Dave and me, and we have chosen, in Brian's absence to go without bacon or tea, such has been the effect of Christmas feasting.

                                         Car parked, gadgies almost ready.
The walk:
Look carefully at this weeks photograph of a car park and you will spot a nice wooden signpost. It directed us through a gate and along a track until we reached Hallington Reservoir East, built in 1863 for the Newcastle and Gateshead Water Company. Turning left we walked along the footpath on the side of the reservoir  until we reached Hallington West Reservoir, built for the same company in 1880.

                                       Cheviot Farm on the edge of the reservoir

                                            Reflections in a reservoir

                              She sells sea shells on the reservoir shore doesn't quite have the same ring.

Continuing round the perimeter of this splendid Victorian piece of engineering we walked to a gate at the north west corner and exited left as they say, onto a service road which led to a minor road. Turning right we walked north up the road to a bend. On the left, almost hidden by bales of straw a rickety stile sent us across a field before turning right on a track which rejoined the road. At this point however we headed up a farm track marked "Private; No access for Vehicles" which brought us to the farm at Little Swinburne. A large farm with a beautiful walled garden and the remains of a pele tower to the north.

                                               "Oh wall, fair wall,
                                                  Show me thy chink                     
                                                   That I may blink through
                                                      With mine eyne"
                                                              I had to say these words as Francis Flute the bellows mender in a school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream in 1959

                                                 Fuzzy view of the pele tower at Swinburne.
We walked through the farm yard, turning south west then north west to follow the footpath that took us to Little Swinburne Reservoir which was home to a collection of ducks and swans. Crossing the causeway we crossed two muddy fields in a north west direction.

                                                     Little Swinburne Reservoir

                                                                                                      The fields are shining examples of ridge and furrow farming and also had the remains of long boundary walls. Rather than slug it out across the boggy Folly Moss to the gate into  Colt Crag Reservoir we headed north and climbed a fence  into the grounds, stopping at the old boathouse for a well deserved Herbie Spot. Sitting with backs to the wall of the house we dined as well as ever. John had mini mince pies to share, Dave had Yorkshire Flapjacks (How Much?), Ben had ginger biscuits and I had Czech Chocolate Christmas Tree Decorations. No wonder we are FPs. (See Glossary) We had sandwiches too.

                                                 Colt Crag Reservoir, home to ducks,
                                                  geese, cormorants and a murmuration.
We continued  north around the edge until we came to a gate, turned right and then after a few hundred yards we turned left on the road to Thockrington.
The striking thing about this village is the church, St Aidans, built on an outcrop of the Whinsill. A pretty little Norman church, once the centre of a fair sized parish. In 1296 Thockrington had as many as 18 taxpayers, and this before income tax. In 1666 there were 11 houses paying the Hearth Tax, 17th century equivalent of today's council tax and bedroom tax!. The village lost its population at the end of the 19th century, now all that remains is a large farm and the outline of several old buildings.
Lord Beveridge, architect of the British Welfare State is buried in the churchyard, with his wife and her daughter by her first marriage. Her daughter wrote a jolly good book on anthropology, but I forget her name.
How happy would he be with the way his welfare idea has grown?

                                                             Lord Beveridge, one time MP for Berwick

                                                    East end of St.Aidan's Church

                                                        St Aidan's, Thockrington

Leaving the farm we headed east before turning south east on a road. At the end of the road we turned left, but after a few yards we pretended to be foreign and ignored the sign on the gate that said "Private, No Public Access" and headed uphill to look at the Dovecot, built as a folly in the centre of some ancient looking earthworks.

                                                    The Dovecot, and gadgies.
Heading south east we meandered across several muddy field until we reached a corner on the road. Turning right we returned to the car.

                                                 The last stretch!
 On our way home we stopped at the Boathouse in Wylam which had its usual large selection of good beers, plus Staropramen lager on draught.

The Matrix MMXIVB

                                                                            steps                                miles


LIDL3D                                                            21749                                    9.78
Higear                                                                15287                                    7.23  (on short time)
Dave's 3D                                                         20824                                     9.57
LIDLUSB                                                         20016                                      9.47

OUTDOORGPS                                                                                               9.7

A good day for the birders too. Cormorants, tufted ducks, other ducks, blue tits, finches, nuthatch ,heron, pheasant, fieldfares, redstarts and lots more.

                                          AMBULO ERGO SUM


Gadgie total 20.5 miles