15th/16th March 2020 - Stage 11. Wylam to Newcastle

A Day of Pavement Pounding!

A last minute change of plan saw this stage of the walk splitting us into two groups over two days. I was unable to meet up with Helen and Phil so they went without me on Sunday and I went the next day with a good friend of mine, Alan. Alan is a keen walker and a fellow dog owner so he was happy to tag along and keep me company.

Both groups used the trains again to travel to the start of our walks. We took the metro into Central then took the train to Wylam.

We all found this stage of the walk rather grueling as there was a lot of pavement walking. We'd obviously been spoilt with the previous stages.

(Waving us off at the start)

The walk started off on the old wagon way, passing the old birth place of George Stephenson. We all really enjoyed this area, the quiet, semi - rural path and the views along the riverside were pretty and welcoming.

(Newburn Riverside)

 

There was a lot of points of interest along this route as this section of the river boast a lot of history, which we all enjoyed spotting and reading about on nearby information boards.

(Local flood markers)

 

(Wreckage of the abandoned fishing boat, 'Brekaer')

 After working our way along the paths, it was great to eventually find ourselves back on the riverside and to see our beloved bridges coming into view.

(Six of the bridges)

(Helen and Phil)

(A refreshing break)

I completely forgot to take a picture of Alan and myself but thankfully Helen and Phil remembered.

Helen and Phil had a great day albeit a little chilly with some strong winds. Myself and Alan had a slightly better day weather wise, although I was recovering from a back injury so I found this section quite difficult and we had to stop and rest a couple of times. We found a small Sicillian cafe in the Scotswood area and enjoyed a crisp, cold lager.

Alan's poor little dog, Holly was completely shattered after spending the day trying to keep up with Chance. They both decided to stage a protest.

The walk was around 9.5 miles, Helen and Phil completed the stage in 3 hours and 50 minutes. Myself and Alan were a little longer, taking 4 and a half hours. 

26th January 2020 -Stage 10. Riding Mill - Wylam

Spring Has Sprung!

(First snowdrops of 2020)

A completely different day for us today. Phil couldn't join us for this stage so there was only Helen, Chance and myself. Rather than use our cars we opted to take advantage of the train service this time. As it was a Sunday there were fewer metros and trains running than normal so this journey had to be planned with military precision so as not to miss any connections.

(Where to this time?)

Helen and I met on the metro in the Jarrow area at around 8AM and headed into Newcastle. We stopped off in Central station to buy a warm drink and some breakfast for the train ride. We got to our platform with ample time. There is only one train per hour heading to Riding Mill so we had to make sure we were on it.  Once onboard we tucked into our breakfast and enjoyed the views. I really enjoyed how relaxing the start of our day was, it's very rare I find time for breakfast.

The 30 minute journey got us into Riding mill for 9:15. We had looked at the book and noticed there was the choice of two routes at this point. We opted for the longer of the two, taking us through Broomleyhope woods.  We knew this stage contained the final sections of woodland we would encounter on the trail as we would soon be in entering more urban areas as we approach Newcastle, so thought it best to enjoy them. Chance loves the opportunity to have a run around too. 

(Bird house fingerpost)

We enjoyed the pleasant walk, after the initial steep climb. The walk was very well waymarked through the fields, woods and across a few roads. We got lucky with the weather once again today, only one small shower, worse had been predicted for us.

We eventually arrived in Stocksfield and after passing the cricket ground, got our first glimpse of the river that day. 

With plenty time on our hands, we decided to stop off in Prudhoe for a pub lunch and a pint. Chance was particularly pleased about this decision as he got a bowl of dinner too!

I wasn't 100% fit today as I was struggling with a lower back and hip injury, so when we passed this large property I did consider paying Dr Bell a visit!

(Hagg Bridge)

After leaving Prudhoe and heading along the riverside path, we quickly came to Hagg bridge. We stopped here for 5 minutes to admire the structure and get a few shots. The paths around this area made for easy walking, a relief for me at this point.

(Approaching Wylam)

 As we followed the river, we spotted the bridge into Wylam fast approaching. I checked my watch and realised we had 8 minutes until the hourly train to Newcastle would be pulling into Wylam station. We hot-footed it over the bridge and got there with minutes to spare. We couldn't of timed it better.

(Tired boy)

We had planned to have a drink and a rest in the pub at Wylam but as our train was due, we decided we'd have one back in Newcastle.

I forgot to set the tracker on my phone at the start so the map is missing a small bit.

The walk was 9 miles and took us just over 5 and a half hours.

ONLY 24 MILES REMAINING!

UPDATE - PHIL CATCHES UP!

As Phil couldn't join Helen and I as we walked from Riding Mill to Wylam he was playing 'catch up'. So on 26th February, he set off on his own to complete the stage. He picked a perfect day for it as it was a beautiful calm, sunny day. Once he made it Wylam he met up with a friend in the pub and enjoyed a refreshing pint and a meal, which he assures us, was delicious.

While he was out he got a few splendid shots, which I just had to add to the blog as the are great.

Well done, Phil!

(Beautiful skies)

(Perfect walking weather)

Perfect day!

5th January 2020 - Stage 9 (and a few miles of stage 10). Warden to Riding Mill

The Beginning of the End

Today was a momentous day for us all, as we embarked on the first stage of the third and final section, our beloved, River Tyne. And there was no better way to start the walk then the short detour along the track that takes you to 'the meeting of the waters'.

(When two become one)

There was a mixed bag of emotions as we stood and watched the River North Tyne over our left shoulder rushing along to meet the River South Tyne over our right. A beautiful spot and a memorable moment that only a few months ago felt so far, far away.

Chance enjoyed a quick paddle and a drink from both sides. (I wonder if they tasted different?)

As usual we had the use of 2 cars today. We had pre-planned to make a slight change to today's walk and rather than end our walk at Corbridge, we would carry on to Riding Mill, making today's walk 10 miles instead of 7, thus making the next section also 10 miles, rather than 13.

After our visit to the meeting of the waters, we headed back to the bridge and back on to the signposted track. After crossing the bridge and turning left, we somehow managed to miss the next left and missed out the whole section of path that took you along the riverside. We only realised the error of our ways when further along the path we noticed a fingerpost sign directing you up from the riverbank to the path we were on. A shame but hey-ho we were still going the right way! 

(Hexham Bridge)

The firm track alongside the railway helped us keep up a good pace and it wasn't long till we found ourselves at the picturesque Tyne Green, which was rather busy with golfers and rowers alike.

As we headed into Hexham, the decision of which route to take next rouse quite the debate! Do we take the shorter, less scenic route along the A695 or the longer, scenic route through Dukes House woods. Unfortunately, my vote to go through the woods was out numbered by Helen and Phil, who opted to save time and voted for the road walk. Although, a sensible decision to save time on a winters day.

(Devil's Water at Dilston)

(A titillated sign post!)

After the long walk along the roadside and then dropping down onto the riverside path heading towards Corbridge we were more than ready for a break so headed into town for a spot of lunch.

(Heading out of Corbridge)

We enjoyed a pleasant lunch and a warm up in a cafe called The Corbridge Larder, a charming little cafe with a shop downstairs selling local produce. A nice find.

After lunch we headed back over the bridge and quickly found ourselves on the uphill climb out of Corbridge and onto the diverted route to Riding Mill.

This section of the walked proved to be the toughest part of our day. There were quite a few steep hills which were muddy underfoot, every time we got up one hill, another seemed to appear on the horizon. Suprisingly we also came across a field with a few llamas in, which we had to pass through. They were curious of us but thankfully stayed clear.

This final section of the walk seemed to really take its toll on us. Our lack of activity over the festive season was starting too show. A few too many pigs in blankets could be to blame. We were pretty pleased when we realised we were starting our desent into Riding Mill. Even Chance was starting to flag, the thick mud and an almost vertical stile had finished him off.

(Downhill all the way)

Once back at the car we headed back to Warden to pick up Phil's car and enjoyed a cheeky half in The Boatside Inn, a lovely pub that we've grew quite fond of after visiting quite a few times throughout this walk.

A good mixture of urban and rural walking today. We covered 11 miles, which we achieved in just over 6 hours.

8th December 2019 - Stage 8. Haydon bridge to Warden

A Short Stage for Little Legs

A combination of a few factors leads us to this relatively short blog entry for today's walk.

A lot of road walking, so not very much scenery.

A dull day with only a few bright spells, so not many photos taken.

And, a short walk in distance, so not that much to report!

We had an extra hiker with us today, my daughter, Rosie. Although she found it all a bit too much from quite early on, and spent most of the walk getting a piggy-back ride from me.

As usual we had the use of two cars. We left my car at the Boatside Inn in Warden and squeezed us all into Phil's car and set off to Haydon Bridge to start our walk.  It was quite a cold morning, but thankfully we were blessed with a dry day.

We set off at around 9am today. We didn't stop for a lunch break as we had a table booked at the Boatside Inn. The thought of a Sunday dinner kept us all going.

As previously mentioned, there was quite a bit of road walking on this section so not too much to see but we did spot a friendly bull and found a few spots of river to walk along.

 Eventually, the sun came back out and we spotted the pub in the distance

(Somewhere, over the rainbow, is the Boatside Inn)

(Yummy!)

We had an absolutely gorgeous Sunday lunch and we would all highly recommend stopping there if your passing.

The guide book suggested the walk was 6.5 miles but we walked just over 5 miles today and it took us 2.5 hours.

10th November 2019 - Stage 7. Haltwhistle to Haydon Bridge.

Another day out and another stage completed. 

A full squad and an early start again. We me at Hayden Bridge where we left my car before heading to Haltwhistle to start our walk.

(Passing a quirky little cottage)

This stage of the walk involved a lot of road walking, so not as many things to see today. 

Thankfully we were extremely lucky with the weather. The forecast earlier in the week had predicted a lot of rain but we were so grateful that we didn't see a drop! 

I had expected cold conditions so had wrapped up with many layers of thermals, hat, scarf etc but by the halfway point, most of these were off and in my bag. 

(Helen crossing the lines of safety for a decent photo)

There had been a lot of rainfall throughout the week so the sections that weren't on the road were very muddy. 

We made it to Bardon Mill and decided to stop off for our lunch break and a cold pint. We opted to sit outside as it was such a lovely day, and we felt we were all far too muddy to go inside, especially the Hairy Hiker! 

(Sunny selfie)

(Perfect conditions)

(Does my bum look big in this?

 After a quick lunch break we set off again.

As the bridge at Allen Banks had been washed away again a few years ago, we sadly couldn't walk through the ancient woodlands and past the tarn, much to my great disappointment. Instead we had to continue along the road for that section.

This stage took us just over 6 hours today. We tackled some very steep hills and some extremely muddy fields. All in all we're pleased to have this one ticked off and are looking forward to the last stage of the South Tyne in a few weeks time.