The first section of the walk starts at the source of the River North Tyne in Deadwater, a few miles north of Kielder, on the border of England and Scotland. There is a large, stone obelisk, marking the source of the river. This section is a total of 15 miles, following the water as it turns from a trickling spring, to a stream and then to a small river. The river then joins Kielder Reservoir and you walk the length of the reservoir to the dam. Today though, as I had my two young children and husband with me, we planned to only walk from the car park in Kielder town to the source and back again. A total of 7 miles, which is pretty much their limit. (Helen and Phil have planned to do this walk together at a later date)
We parked our car in the car park near Kielder Castle and set off back down the road to try and pick up the trail, keeping a look out for the 'Daft as a Brush' way-markers. I was armed with a backpack full of drinks and treats to keep everyone motivated - its amazing how far kids will walk if there's the promise of Haribo at the end! As it was February we were well wrapped up with extra thick coats, hats, gloves etc but it turned out to be an unusually warm day and it wasn't long before all the layers were being peeled off. So warm actually, that at one point the kids were strutting around topless!
Most of this section of the walk is following the route of an old train line so is relatively straight and flat. We spotted the river weaving through the countryside and crossed it a few times over some small bridges.
This is the type of walk Chance loves, plenty of opportunities for a splash around and a drink. He took full advantage of any chance he got to have a good soak, followed by a good shake to soak us all, we're used to that!
We also passed an old station which has been turned into a house, still complete with the old platform.
Just as the kids (and husband) started to flag we spotted the obelisk on the hillside in the distance and suddenly the excitement to get there grew. Once there we quickly found the spring coming from the hillside, another drink for Chance, I bet it was delicious! The kids looked at the hole in disbelief, struggling to comprehend that this tiny trickle of water would eventually turn into the large river they know as 'The Tyne'. The same huge river they have drove, walked and ferried across back home in Tyneside.
We sat for a good while at the Obelisk for a well earned rest and a snack before heading back. Whilst sat there my son pointed out that there is a road and a parking space at the bottom of the hill and we could of just drove here, instead of walking all this way!
Although my family weren't as enthusiastic as me, I was thrilled to have them there with me at the start of this epic adventure. A memory I will cherish.
(Although we look like we have our eyes closed in this photo, we're actually squinting with the sun)
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