WALBOTTLE RAMBLERS
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WALBOTTLE RAMBLERS
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The Walbottle Ramblers are out walking every other Sunday. Some of the recent walks have been . 2012 JANUARY 15TH 2012 This was the first walk of 2012 and the day was clear bright and very cold and frosty. So anticipating a good day Tom took the party of 9 to Stamfordham for the start of today's walk. We started by going through the church yard into a notoriously muddy stretch of pathway. Today it was frozen solid so we were passed the first hurdle very quickly indeed. From here we followed the path onto the small farm road, and then turned right as far as the North Lough House and here we took the footpaths across the fields to Fenwick Shield crossing the ominously named Horse Bog.. Again there was a considerable time saving because the fields were all frozen solid and we did not have to slip, slide and wade our way across them. Turning left we walked along the bridal way to our next right turn and this took us up to the road . This was followed for about a kilometre to the next right turn onto a bye way again taking us upto a little used road and we followed this to Ingoe Mill to pick up the field path to Ingoe. At Ingoe we took the first right turn onto the track leading down to Moralees and from here it was a fairly straight forward route to Fenwick It was on this stretch that we had our view of the Warrior Stone. There seemed to have been something strange going on with the fences on this stretch but everything worked out o.k. in the end. From Fenwick we decided to follow the road back to Stamfordham. This was a walk of about 8.5miles carried out on an absolutely perfect day for walking. Those members who were not present on Sunday will not know that sadly Sally Grainger, a long term member of the group, passed away just before Christmas. As a mark of respect and appreciation a tree is being planted in her honour at the Newburn Riverside County Park. The ceremony will take place at 11.30 on Thursday, 19th Janarury 2012. All members are invited to attend,
JANUARY 29th 2012 Our walk started at the Park's visitor centre, we headed W. then S. on the high level path giving us views of the frozen lake. Leaving the Park where it meets the main road to Scots Gap, crossing this road we made for the farm at Sandyford on the single track road. Heading W. on this road we passed close to West Tofthill farm before heading N. on a grassy track making for the How Burn crossing ( bridge dislodged on N. bank) then up to East Shafto Hall, taking lunch on plateau on the edge of Middleton Moor. After lunch we headed N. across the moor meeting the main road at Middleton Bank Top farm traversing E. along this road for 100yds we left the road and entered the muddy field section taking us to Bickerton farm. From here we headed S. on a good tarmac road for 1.25mls re-entering the Bolam Lake Park at its N.E corner before landing in the café for a well earned cup of tea. Members donated £50 in the memory of Sally Grainger. This has been donated to the Friends of the Tyne Riverside Country Park in Sally's memory
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2011 16th JANUARY 2011 After an enforced holiday due to the weather, and Christmas and New Year holidays we are at last back to a more normal existence and off on the first walk of the 2011 season. We had a slightly later start this morning (the Incident of the Forgotten Socks) but Tom took the party of 14 members to Bolam Lake for the start of today's walk.. From the Visitor Centre we headed off through the small wood to join the road just opposite to the turn off for Bolam Village. Ignoring this we continued North on the road as far as the turn off for Bolam West Hoses. Here we turned east along the Permissive Foot Path opened up by Bolam Parks and this took the party as far as the public footpath which descends from the church. From here it was north again until we met up with the dismantled railway. This is not a public right of way but we followed it for just over a mile until we met up with the track which took us up to Howlett Hall Farm, where we were greeted by a noisy but friendly black Labrador. From Howlett Hall we followed the public byeway through to Low Angerton. It was sad to see here evidence of the recent bad weather in the form of several collapsed barns. Following the road to cross the River Wansbeck we re-entered the footpath system by turning left into the field. We chose not to use the sign posted gate on this occasion because of flooding, but we soon picked up the public footpath again and proceeded west with views of the flooded Wansbeck on our left. Reaching the footbridge we crossed it and then headed south along the tracks and roads to return to Bolam Lake. This was a pleasant walk of about 7.5 miles and the weather was fine for most of the day although there was a stiff breeze. A nice way to get started again.
30th JANUARY 2011 This Sunday dawned cloudy but the weather forecast was for a dry day so Ray took the party of 12 members to the Tyne Riverside Park in Prudhoe for the start of today's walk. We had a little bit of a shock right at the start because the toilets at the park were shut. Having survived this shock to the system the party set out east along the riverside . This was a very straightforward stretch along a very well used footpath and cycleway along side the Spetchells. These high mounds are in fact industrial waste from the old ICI plant at Prudhoe, but they are now home to several plants which are unusual for this area. Reaching Hagbank we took to the old railwa track for a very short distance, crossing Hagbank bridge, and immediately taking to the fields again to reach the road. From the road we took the paath which led is up and through the Impressive How Dene and on to the main Wylam road. Following this north for a short distance brought us to the footpaths leading us to Horsley which we followed to the village. Here we carried on through the village to pick up the paths leading to back down to Ovingham via Whittle Dene and then back over the river to the Riverside Park., where the toilets were now open. This was a very pleasant day which at times had a very cold breeze blowing. It stayed dry all day although predictably it was very muddy. The distance was about 7.5 miles
13th FEBRUARY 2011 Today's walk was a little unusual. We started by going to the Andrews House Station on the Tanfield railway. We arrived here early so there was plenty of time to have a good look around the site and the engine sheds, and to have a welcome cup of coffee, before buying our tickets for the train trip. There were 17members on today's trip so we were able to to take advantage of the group fare scheme which meant that our full day of railway use cost only £5 . The train we were due to take was due at 11am, but it seems that railways the world over are afflicted with the same malady and it was 30mins late due we believe to points trouble. This 30mins delay was to be significant later on in the day. Having got started the train journey took us to Sunniside, where the train turned around and re-traced its steps to Andrews house and then on to East Tanfield which was for us the end of a very enjoyable journey as we got of the train here for the start of our walk. We walked up the Causey Burn following the well marked pathways until we reached Causey Arch. This is the oldest railway bridge in the world although it was built for horse drawn railways , not steam hauled. There is a wealth of information on this structure on the internet. From Causey Arch we continued up the valley to the minor road were a right turn followed almost immediately by a left brought us to the path leading to the into the woods surrounding Bobgins Burn. Following this path to its end we eventually emerged on the main Lolbley Hill road near the Pack Horse pub. After walking about a kilometre along the very busy Fellside Road we turned left at Byermoor Farm and followed the loop around past Gibside Hillhead and back to Fellside Farm It was noteworthy that the bridle way through Byermoor was very muddy indeed. At Fellside farm it was back to Fellside road for a short distance to the pub now called the Fare Share although it used to be called the Highway Man. It was about here that the consequences of the train being 30mins late became evident. We arrived here with about 15mins to cover the remaining mile to Sunniside, a difficult proposition. We pressed on however and arrived at the station at Sunniside to find the train already there and waiting for us - good timing. This was a very enjoyable day and the train journey was a significant part of that enjoyment. The walk was about 6.5 miles and the weather was fine all day, although cold at times. Mud was the overall impression
27TH FEBRUARY 2011 Today’s walk started from the village green in Stamfordham. We headed out of the village on the road we had driven in on as far as Mill House bridge. From the bridge we took the riverside woodland path passing close to Cheeseburn Grange one of three Grande houses we would pass on today’s walk. After leaving the riverside path we headed S, then E, passing Red House farm (brickworks) and entered the hamlet of Eachwick passing our second Grande house Eachwick Hall. From here we headed in a northerly direction making for the hamlet of Dalton passing our third Grande house Dissington Hall. We had our lunch by the river at Dalton before continuing north heading for High House farm on the Milborne Hall estate, one Grande house we didn’t see but we did meet the farms skilful Border Collie ‘ footballer ` dog. From the farm we started our homeward journey heading W. through the field system (not as muddy as we thought they’d be) to meet the road S. of Robsheugh Farm. The original route plan was changed at this point to keep us on the minor road emerging at Dyke House on the outskirts of the hamlet of Heugh. From here we headed S. on a road/track leading to Brixter Hill farm passing the ancient village Earthworks on the way. From here it was only ½ mile back to Stamfordham but we did have to negotiate a large herd of ‘wild’ horses on the way.
SATURDAY MARCH 26TH 2011 Unusually we had an event on a Saturday. This was because the walk on the 13th March was cancelled and this was a compensatory event. Today we explored the Victoria Tunnel. This is an unusual artefact which lies under the centre of Newcastle. It was built in the 1800's to transport coal from Spittal Tongues Colliery to the river for transport. The colliery ran into difficulties and ceased production after about 18years so the tunnel only had a working life of 18years. It lay unused and largely ignored until the second world war when it was used as a rather uncomfortable and damp air raid shelter. We had a very competent and knowledgeable guide in the person of Mr Ian Holloway who brought the history of the tunnel to life for us, explaining all of the little variations in the structure and exactly how the tunnel was built. Apparently during its construction and its 18 years working life there was only one death. Mr Holloway brought this event to life for us with a very effective sound effect carried out in total darkness. Altogether this was an extremely enjoyable day out. The tunnel is managed by the Ouseburn Trust and the tours are organised by them.
SUNDAY 27TH MARCH 2011 Today Ray took the party of 17 members to Hartburn for the start of today's walk. We headed north from the car park to cross the Hartburn and then taking the right fork towards the minor road. At the road we turned left and followed the road, turning right at the road junction following the road as far a as the next footpath where we turned left to reach the minor road again. Following this road for about 1kilometre we turned left onto the next path system taking us to Hillend and Rothley Park . Here we continued to Rothley, Whitridge and South Whitton. Here we carried straight on and turned left down Long Whitton Dene and thus back to the car park. This was a very pleasant walk of about 8.5 miles, and the weather was kind to us all day.
SUNDAY APRIL 10TH 2011 On a beautiful hot sunny day Tom took a party of sixteen members to Blanchland for the start of today's walk. The party walked through the village and just before the bridge we took the riverside footpath to Baybridge. At Baybridge we carried on to the hamlet of Newbiggin, and here we carried straight on to Riddlehamhope. This is a ruined shooting lodge which only fell into disuse quite recently. There is in fact a photo in existence showing the Duchess of Connaught at this house. From here we carried on and took the next turning which led across the moors. The initially clear footpath soon disappeared and it soon became necessary to resort to map reading to reach the next part of the walk- the descent into the glacial melt water valley. We reached the valley and crossed it on the board walk path, and up the other side on the well defined foot path. This did not last for long as it soon disappeared, leaving us once again relying on map, compass and even the gps to reach our next reference point, the shooting shelter. It was strange really as we were looking for the well defined path known as the Carriers Way but it continued to elude us until we reached the shelter. It was here that we came across our snake. An adder had been sunning itself and it dashed of in great haste, pursued by a crowd of Walbottle Ramblers papperazzi. From the shelter it was back to Blanchland via the path over Birkside Fell. This was a beautiful walk carried out on one of the best days of the year so far. The Distance was about 8.5 miles
SUNDAY APRIL 24TH 2011 Today Ray took the party of eleven members to Allenbanks. We did not stay long there though as we almost immediately left along the road back towards rRdley Hall. Here we took the left turn and then after a short distance took the footpath to Beltingham. This is an extremely pretty village with a really notable church, which is said to have links with the Border Reivers. From Beltingham it was along the country lane which took us past Willimottswick, a notable Border Reiver stronghold. After about a mile we turned left uphill past the abandoned farm at High Barns..Carrying on along this path across several fields we came to our lunch spot the water falls on the Willimottswick Burn. Surprisingly after all of the dry weather we have had their was sufficient water to make a waterfall, albeit small. After lunch it was on to Allensgreen and then down hill on the bye way to pick up the footpath leading us to the Beltingham road. Turning right and then left at the next junction we picked up the footpath leading us back to Allenbanks. The last section of this involved a very steep descent down some rather broken stairs. This was a very pleasant walk of about 7.5miles made much better of course by the fabulous sunny weather. There was no mud and it will be no need to clean boots for the next walk.
SUNDAY 8TH MAY 2011 The start of today's walk was Sidwood, which is a picnic site on the edge of the Keilder Forest, north of Bellingham, and Tom took twelve members there. Today we also had two guests, from Cheshire and we made them welcome. The walk started by the party walking back along the forest road to the start of the public road at Redheugh and here we made a slight diversion to look at the Reheugh Dovecote. This was built about 1743 to house pigeons which were used for food, both the birds and their eggs, whilst the droppings were used as fertilizer. From here we carried on to the next right turn which we took and came to the church. At this point we took the footpath around the church and then steeply down hill to a footbridge which we crossed. It was then up hill to the remains of a Pele Tower . From here it was across country on fairly ill defined footpaths until we came to the minor road. A left turn followed rapidly by a right turn onto a permissive path and a short walk brought us to the bridge over the disused railway. Carrying on brought us to the "main" road, and we followed this over the Tyne Bridge and on to Hott farm. Here we turned right to cross the river again using a quite magnificent foot bridge. We now followed the footpath in a roughly westerly direction until the minor road was met and we followed this to the right turning footpath at Old Hall. Here commenced what was probably the hardest part of this walk because for the next 2 miles it was uphill and also over some quite rough country with very ill defined paths. We were in fact following a bridle way which took us directly to Sidwood directly to where the cars were parked. This was a walk of about 7.5 miles and it was actually quite strenuous. When we started the weather looked really ominous, threatening heavy rain and every one started out with at least part of their waterproof kit on. However We had a lovely day with warm sunshine for most of it and the threatened rain did not materialise
SUNDAY, 22ND MAY 2011 With a weather forecast promising heavy showers and a strong breeze Ray took the party of thirteen to Allendale town for the start of today's walk. Starting off along the riverside in a roughly north westerly direction we came to the road bridge which we crossed and continued in the same direction on the other side of the river. Carrying on along the riverside we turned left at the next junction of pathways, taking the Isaccs Gea Trail route. Avoiding the paths to Chapel House and Pia Troun we took the next path leading to Rude's Cleugh and Burnt Tongues Burn, and hence to the minor road. This path was steeply uphill through the woods at first. A left turn took us to the next footpath system and this took us down into another steep dene then uphill to another minor road. Crossing straight over we took the minor road to the start of the Smelting flues. Today we did not explore this incredible industrial artefact from a bygone day, but carried straight on to the next footpath to Parkside and Wooley. At Wooley we took the left fork and eventually re-joined the Isaac's Tea Trail to return to Allendale. This was quite a strenuous walk and the weather was very strange for the time of year. It as extremely windy, which was one reason for not tackling the Flues today and we were also frequently battered by torrential rain (or at times hail) storms. However even under these rather adverse conditions it was a very enjoyable walk among the incredible Allendale scenery. At one point we could actually see the Cheviot and it must have been 50miles away. The distance was probably about seven miles.
SUNDAY 5TH JUNE 2011 The weather forecast for today was very uncertain, but nothing daunted, Tom took the party of sixteen to Holystone in the Coquet vallley for the start of today's walk. Starting off by proceeding a very short distance southwest along the forestry road from the "Forest walks" car park we soon came to the footpath which took us past Campville Farm and onto the paths through the forest These took us right through to the forest road which headed in a roughly south westerly direction. This part of the walk was very pleasant as a lot of the forest was open deciduous woodland and very pleasant to walk in. Perhaps it was especially so because by now it had started to rain and the trees offered some slight protection. On reaching the forest road we followed it in a south westerly direction for about 2 miles where we took a footpath off to the left. (NT 935020) This is a very confusing point as the map appears to show the path simply carrying on in a south westerly direction when on the ground there is a definite (if temporary) change of direction. To make matters worse, although the junction has a way marker it is a "Forest Walks" marker and not a "Public Footpath "marker. We soon came to open ground and the metalled forestry road and carried on taking the optimistically signposted track to the Pedlar's Stone. This led quite steeply downhill to another forestry track and a ford, although this had in fact been culveted. There were problems here too as we tried to find the continuation of the track leading to the Pedlar's Stone (hence the "optimistically signposted" comment previously). Eventually we chose what looked like the most promising route and forced our way up a seriously overgrown hillside, although it did seem that this had once been a path as we arrived, quite correctly at another elementary forest track. There was the same problem here and again we chose what appeared to be the most promising route and forced a passage up the hill to arrive quite miraculously, first time, at the gate leading onto the open moorland. Crossing this was easy compared with what had gone before so we proceeded to the small plantation which could be seen on the horizon. In the process we should have passed the Pedlar's Stone but if we did it went un-remarked. We carried on down hill on what by now must have been a military access road until the footpath to Holystone from Craig appeared on our left. We started out on what was a clearly defined path but this soon deteriorated and we had to resort to navigational techniques to cross the open moor. We soon reached the fence and stile on the ridge. It was more of the same over the ridge only much rougher and steeply downhill. A compass course seemed to get us down most of the way successfully, leading us to stiles in the various fences, but we had to backtrack on the last half mile or so to reach Holystone. This was a walk of about 7.5 miles but it turned out to be quite an adventure largely due to the problems with forcing our way up the overgrown paths and the difficulties we encountered nearer Holystone . One blessing was that the rain stopped and for most of our struggles the weather at least was in our favour.
SUNDAY 19TH JUNE 2011 Today Ray took the party of 13 members to a roadside carpark just outside the village of Allenheads for the start of today's walk. Taking the footpath from the carpark we were immediately onto the open moor and we followed paths up towards Dodd reservoir and then to West End and then followed the complex paths to take us into Allenheads village itself. From here it was up the road to Rookhope for a short distance until we could take the footpath which cut out the large elbow in the road. This path brought us almost immediately to the path heading roughly north across the moor above the valley. Eventually we came to the bridal way leading back down to the valley floor. On reaching the valley floor we crossed the road and reached the river which we crossed by a footbridge. We headed roughly south along a farm road for a short distance until we picked up a footpath which took us directly back to the carpark. On the way down the river valley we passed the unusual sight of about seven weirs one after the other in the main stream. This was a fairly short walk of about 7miles. The weather on the whole was quite good if a little cold for the time of year. We only had one heavy shower which occurred when we were at our highest and most exposed on the moor above the valley, but on the whole this was a very pleasant walk.
SUNDAY 3RD JULY 2011 This Sunday started off really sunny and warm so Tom took the party of 15 members to Alwinton for the start of today's walk. We staerrted by leaving the village via the small footbridge leading onto Clennel Street. From here the walk was very straight forward - straight up Clennel Street as far as the remains of the old Wholehope youth hostel. This was in fact quite a strenuous part of the walk as Clennel Street is unremittingly uphill at this point and quite steep in places. This combined with the very hot and sunny day had most members glad to see Wholehope for lunch. Wholehope itself, although a ruin now, was, in its day, an iconic wardenless youth hostel. After lunch we carried on a little further up Clennel Street to the junctrion with the forestry road taking the party west ward into the forest . From the forest road we join the footpath leading through the largely felled forest to Kidlandlee. From here it was down into the valley of the Alwin River via the shortest footpath through the forest. This proved to be a path only in name. Although all of the signposts were in place at the beginning and the end there was no clearly identifiable path in the actual forest. Lack of a path in fields or even on the moors is not usually a problem but in thick forest it is a little more problematical. However a compass course brought us through the forest to the footbridge over the river. Hansel and Gretal eat your heart out. From here it was a very relaxed walk down the Alwin River valley enjoying the beautiful warm sunshine. At Clennel we took the footpath across to re-join Clennel Street and from there back to Alwinton. This was aa very enjoyable walk of about 8miles using the historic Clennel Street, one of the old cattle drove roads from over the Scottish border .
SUNDAY 17TH JULY 2011 Today is I am afraid a tale of disasters. The mine visit to Nenthead mine was cancelled because the funding for the mine had been suddenly withdrawn and so there were no staff available to conduct the tour. In its place Ray had mapped out an alternative walk . This was going to be fairly local. However when today dawned it was absolutely foul weather. It was cold and pouring with rain. Ten or twelve members turned up at the meeting point and we held a democratic conference and decided not to venture out on such a bad day. As a result there is nothing to report for today's walk, except that there wasn't one. It was such a disappointment considering the weather on the previous walk and the warm days immediately prior to today. Of course, exactly according to Murphy's law, by mid day the sun was out and it was a pleasant day, but who is to know these things? That is the British weather for you.
SUNDAY 31ST JULY2011 Today, Ray took the party of 14 to Ingram in the Breamish Valley for the start of today's walk. From the Visitor Centre we walked west along the road for a short distance and then took the obvious path on the left leading onto the moors. From here we travelled in a south westerly direction skirting the various iron age forts with which this region is liberally supplied. After about 2miles we turned west and carried mon across a quite difficult path as it was very overgrown with ferns. In fact on member lost her footing and came quite a spectacular tumble although fortunately she was quite unharmed. We carried on to the abandoned farm of Chesters and carried on on the now quite distinct paths leading back eventually to Ingram. This was a walk of about 7.5miles, and the scenery on this perfect day for walking was absolutely spectacular. The Cheviot massive was in view for most of the walk and looked wonderful.
14TH AUGUST 2011 It is Summer now so Tom took the party of 14 to the seaside. We started to day's walk at Embleton Golf club, although we had great difficulty parking today, because so many people had the same idea as us and also because so many people were playing golf. We all eventually found some where to park so Tom took the party up the beach towards Low Newton. The tide was out so there was plenty of damp sand to walk on making the going quite easy. We took an early lunch at the pretty village of Low Newton, then continued up the road past the church to the footpath taking us into the village of High Newton. Here we picked up the footpaths which took us back to Embleton village, climbing the only hill of the day, all of 35m above sea level, on the way. At Emblleton we took the road out to Craster, but after about a kilometre we took the left turn onto the footpath through the woods in order to join the paths across the fields to the road to Dunstan Square. At Dunston Square it was onto the paths leading to Dunstanburgh Castle and then along the coastal path until we could reach the beach. Once on the beach it was a fairly leisurely walk back to the Golf club. This was a walk of about 8 miles and it was mostly fairly flat so fairly easy. The Castle was in view for a lot of the day even if it was only the highest towers peeking above the horizon. In all although it probably did not seem like it we walked the full length of Embleton Bay. SUNDAY 28TH AUGUST 2011 The few days prior to this walking day were really bad from the point of view of the weather but today seemed fine and the forecast was not to bad so Ray took the party of eleven across to Weardale where we started the walk at the flooded quarry just outside of Stanhope. We walked to the road and we followed this for a short distance and then took the minor road as far as Greenhead farm. It was our intention to access the footpath system at this point but we seemed to encounter a problem almost immediately. We very quickly encountered locked and barred gates and a discussion with the farmer seemed to show that in spite of these paths being clearly shown on the O.S. map and in spite of there being a Public Footpath finger post at the farm entrance the footpaths we were trying to use had never been Public Footpaths. Very strange. However we returned to the road (using the same footpath system ) and walked up to Bewdley were we successfully accessed the footpaths. This seemed even stranger when it was quite obviously part of the same system which originated at Greenhead. We carried on walking in an approximately northerly direction just below the escarpment, which was probably as well as it had turned out to be a very windy day. The one thing which made an impression during this stretch was the large number of abandoned farms we passed. We re-joined the road at Hill Top and we kept to it until we reached just below High Brandon where we took the downhill path to join the Weardale Way path down the Rookhope Burn. This was quite an interesting path and we followed it to Eastgate. Here we joined up with the main Weardale Way and followed it back to Stanhope . This was an interesting walk of about 7.5 miles and apart from a brief cold wind driven shower towards the end the weather stayed fine, if blustery, all day
SUNDAY 11TH SEPTEMBER 2011 Today seemed to be fairly pleasant in Newcastle so Tom took the party of seven to the start of today's walk. Today's plan was to do a walk which was postponed from last year because of seriously inclement weather. The start was at the Hartside Cafe car park. This is the highest road side cafe in the country (so far as I know ) at 1900 feet so not surprisingly the weather up there was not quite as good as that lower down. Anyway it was not actually raining and we could see where we were going so we set off . The initial part of the walk was all down hill down a well defined track over the moors. However although well defined that did not stop it being under water for a lot of the way due to rain on the previous few days. On reaching the secondary road at the bottom of the hill we turned right to pick up the bridle way signposted Five Lane Ends. We walked for about a mile along here until we came to a cross roads in the path system and we diverted to Busk and Busk Rigg Farm. It was here that the event which changed our day entirely occurred. One of our members (Eric) took seriously ill. It was all hands to the pumps from here and the ambulance was called and duly arrived very quickly considering where we were. Eric was whisked off to Cumberland infirmary in Carlisle. The people at the farm did not have to do anything as everything was in hand, but they could not have been more helpful and sympathetic . Although things seemed to progress quite quickly, by the time all of the excitement was over it was quite late in the afternoon, so Tom decided that the best thing to do was to return to the cars by the quickest and simplest route. This was to re-trace our steps which we duly did and this was the end of the walk for that day. It seems that this walk was absolutely fated never to be done. We will not tempt fate any more and will take it off the schedule. At the time of writing this (Saturday afternoon, after the incident) Eric was still in the Cumberland Infirmary but he was in good spirits.
SUNDAY 25TH SEPTEMBER 2011 The weather forecast for today was very promising so Tom took the party of ten members to Greenleighton Quarry for the start of today's walk. We took the well used path out of the quarry to the north (approximately) and then through Greenleighton farm and onto the path through the forest. This led us to the edge of the moorland and the first of today's "trackless wastes". We set of across the moor in a roughly north westerly direction utilising what paths there were (not many I may say) to lead us to the line of forest which we could see across the moor from the start. Here we picked up the footpath/bridle way which would lead us to Redpath, and from here using the forest roads eventually to Harwood, the Forestry Village. At Harwood we encountered our second piece of "trackless waste" of the day. This was considerably longer than the first stretch and to some extent harder because initially there was no "aiming point". However it was successfully negotiated, hitting both of the isolated gates first time. The second gate led us off the moor and through to much easier country. We carried on to Harwood House according to the map but there is in fact nothing there other than a cow byre and what appear to be remains under the soil. The route now took us to Dyke Head. The path leading to this farm was completely unsignposted at the junction so it was largely guess work which fortunately turned out to be correct. From here it was an easy task to reach Greenleighton and the quarry car park. This was a pleasant walk of about 7miles which turned out to be quite strenuous due to the complete absence of paths over some of the moorland stretches. The weather was very warm for most of the day with some pleasant sunshine. The latest news about Eric is that he is now out of hospital. He was discharged from the Freeman Hospital on Monday afternoon (26/9), after having a Stent inserted. He seems to be in good spirits and thanks every one who helped on the day. There is little prospect of him returning to the group this year but he hopes to be back for the start of next year's programme. The Leaders would like to inform members that the next walk will involve a railway journey. Could members come financially prepared to purchase a railway ticket.
OCTOBER 9TH 2011 We tried something a little different today. We travelled to Corbridge by car and from here Ray took the party of twelve to the railway station where we took a train to Stocksfield. We bought tickets on the train and it was very confusing to find that we had bought return tickets. It turned out that these were cheaper than the single tickets. Very strange. Anyway Ray then led the party onto the paths which led up through the woods to the village of Broomley. We jiust touched on this village as we immediately turned right on the minor road until we could pick up the paths to Roehouse and shortly after the right turn taking us to Broomhaugh. We had to take great care crossing the A68 trunk road as it was very busy with high speed traffic. We turned towards the river at Broomhaugh and soon picked up the riverside path which would take us back to Corbridge. This was a comparatively short walk of about 6.5miles but it was very enjoyable. The weather was fine for most of the day although it was quite windy on the exposed stretches. Fortunately for a lot of the journey we were in woodland and this provided shelter from the wind. An update on Eric. The chest infection he had has flared up again and he was admitted to the RVI in Newcastle. Latest news is that he will be discharged on Monday(10/10) if all goes well. He has certainly had a rough time of it recently .
OCTOBER 23RD 2011 The weather forecast for today was quite promising - cloudy at first but this would clear to give a sunny day. With this in mind Tom took the party of ten to Long Horsley for the start of today's walk. It rained on the journey there and it was still raining when we started the walk - so much for weather forecasts. The parking area was on the main road so we had to do the short walk back to the village for the real start of the walk. Here we took the road west through the village and turned very quickly south on a minor road which we followed to the first of our footpaths which led in a roughly south westerly direction. This was quite overgrown and it was whilst struggling through the vegetation that we had the first of our unexpected encounters of the day. As we emerged into a slightly clearer area we saw a field full of alpacas and keeping them company a very large camel, the two humped variety. After admiring the animals we pressed on along the path and across a planted field (that is where the footpath went) and took the path to Muckley. It was here that we had our second unexpected encounter. This time it was a bull. Not unusual really, we see them all the time but this one had the most enormous horns, bigger than any of us had ever seen before. We gave it a very wide berth, but fortunately it seemed to be placid and took very little interest in our party. After all this excitement we eventually reached Muckley and carried on from there across the fields to the minor road. Here we picked up the footpath to Linkam Lane, passing by the small artificial lake on the way. We followed Linkam Lane through Doe Hill Farm and across the road where after about a mile we turned right and caught our first glimpse of our second lake of the day Rayburn Lake. We passed through the woods which bordered this lake then headed across the fields to the road. Here we turned left at the cross roads until we could pick up the footpath to Todburn Moor. This gate was wired shut as was the gate leading out from Todburn Moor. After surmounting these obstacles we came eventually to the Forget-me-Not caravan site. We passed through and turned right down the road to West Moor Farm and here we picked up the path leading directly to Long Horsley. This was quite an eventful walk of about eight miles. The weather did in fact pick up during the day and the rain stopped. We never got our sunshine though. Update on Eric He was discharged from the RVI and is now at home recovering from his ordeal. He thanks every one for their good wishes.
SUNDAY 13TH NOVEMBER Today was a dull and miserable day which probably accounts for the lower than usual turn out of only seven members. Nothing daunted Ray took the party to Long Witton for the start of today's walk. Initially we headed off in an Easterly direction along the road, but only as far as the footpath through the woods sign posted Spencer's Plantation. We followed this to the bend in the road. passing the plantation on the way. There was no indication of who Spencer was. At the bend in the road we took the footpath heading roughly north to Bellion. Here we seemed to loose a footpath as one which headed east to Netherwitton did not seem to be there. Instead we headed West on a bridle way which took us to the road. Here we headed South towards Hill End and South Witton. A further 2 or 3 hundred yards brought us to the east bound footpaths to Long Witton Dene and hence back to Long Witton. This was a slightly shorter walk than originally planned but in a way perhaps this was just as well. Mud, Mud, Glorious Mud (with apologies to Flanders and Swan) sums up the main theme of this walk. The weather remained dull all day although not cold, and it never actually rained. I think in more favourable weather conditions this would be a really enjoyable walk.
27th NOVEMBER 2011 Today dawned sunny but very very windy. The wind seems to have put most members off today's walk as only one member turned up. As a result and by mutual consent today's walk was cancelled. This walk, starting from Simonburn, will be re-scheduled for next year. The next walk will be the Christmas dinner walk, when Christmas dinner will be served at the Highlander
11th DECEMBER 2011 Today's walk was the Christmas Dinner walk and we started at the Highlander near Belsay. Initially we walked north on the main road until we came to the first footpath heading roughly north east. This was a relatively short path as it soon joined the bye way leading to Ogle village. After passing through the village we again took to the field paths leading to Kirkley Hall agricultural college. There is a very nice coffee bar here (The Orangerie) and we stopped and indulged ourselves with tea, coffee and buns. Very nice and not something we do on every walk, but it is Christmas after all. We carried on from here by taking a short stretch along the road to join the track leading to the Wagon pub. However we turned of north just before we reached there taking a path across the fields to the road. We followed this road back to the Highlander, where a very very good Christmas dinner was served. The weather was kind to us but it was very muddy underfoot, but it is December after all. This was the last walk of the 2011 year. It only seems to be five minutes ago that were planning the first walk of the year. Where does the time go. The calendar for 2012 is now available and can be inspected by going to the Walk Calendar page
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Last modified: 09/27/11 |
