Posted:  Friday 21 October 2011

North East Associates
take a long walk around Greenhead

- Tuesday 18th October -

Eighteen of us set out cheerfully to circumnavigate the village of Greenhead in a four-mile walk described as challenging - maybe a shorter distance than usual but with many more gradients to maintain the standard.

From Walltown Crags car-park we headed west for about a mile along the line of Hadrian's Wall at the west of Northumberland.

A couple of points to note here:- Walltown isn't a town, there are but few signs of habitation, and where there are pockets of habitation like Greenhead the wall is no more - the stones having been recycled to build homes locally over the centuries.

Here we met the weather, part one, as we walked into a strong wind with eyes streaming and hats being blown about.  Despite this spirits were high.

 
Were the many stiles included in the height gain calculation?

After descending to cross the Tipal Burn, which eventually reaches the R. South Tyne, we approached the ruins of Thirlwall Castle before negotiating a pedestrian railway crossing.

Approaching Thirlwall Castle

Over the road, then up we go - step forward, slide back

Yes, the up bit was steep and slippy

Soon we were on the fringe of Haltwhistle Golf Club, having climbed again.  No golfers were seen - sensible - they would probably have lost their projectiles in the wind.

The warning wasn't necessary today

Another note:- Nearby Haltwhistle claims to be at the exact geographic centre of the UK.

After this steady climb a more-or-less gradual descent took us to the A69 which we crossed with care before heading up again to reach our high-point at the 240m contour.  Our ups and downs of the day were about 200m, each way of course.

Walltown Crag, from a distance and a little closer too

Now on the return leg we encountered more weather, part two, when the rain started as we descended again at various gradients - through a lot of boggy ground while still hanging onto our hats and still smiling.

We didn't try for a record

At last down to the A69 we crossed below it, then to meet with another railway crossing on our way into Greenhead.  From here it was about ¾ mile back to base with an 80m height gain, no-one deciding to do a 'Sunderland job' and use the bus to return this short distance.  The keen folks decided to add more to their distance by taking a round-about route to the car park.

The bus for tourists, service AD122 - history books out - travels part of the line of the wall in Northumberland, driving into and through all the visitor centre car-parks en-route.  It does stop!
If you prefer to travel at an intermediate speed then Route 72 - Hadrian's Cycleway - may be for you.  I'm still puzzled by the name.

On this leg we passed the busy Roman Fort Museum which was visited after lunch by some of our party.  There they found a live 'Roman Soldier' acting as host.  Experiencing today's conditions in our all-weather gear we could bet that he was pleased to be inside today, and not suffering the conditions his predecessors had done hundreds of years ago.  I'm glad I still have my "G-Shed" thermals!

Pleased with our achievement, when back at base a shelter gave welcome relief from the weather as we changed and prepared for the final assault - a descent by car to the welcoming Greenhead Hotel for a hearty lunch, a glass and plenty conversation as usual.  Hairstyles were restored quickly, very easy for some.

A final note:- The Walltown Crags area has some important historical significance which includes a quarry, but in today's weather no-one used the opportunity to spend any more time outdoors to find out about it.  No, thank-you!

While driving the 50 miles back to Whitley Bay, using General Wade's 'Military Road' as an alternative to the A69, the sky became clear and the sun shone brightly, apparently having been like this all day in the east.  Still, today's was a great excursion in some super Northumberland countryside.

ph

pictures: cs  ph

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