To Haltwhistle

July 25, 2024

The Ride

Before leaving Hexham, let’s have a look at the results of one of yesterday’s errands:

Today’s ride starts with the same two miles west along the Tyne I started out with two days ago. It’s very pleasant, relaxed, with only the occasional walker and well-mannered dog to be evaded.

I puzzled over this when I first passed it two days ago. It’s one of a series of remnants of what’s apparently an old bridge. Some research shows it’s from the crossing of the old Border Counties Railway that ran up the east side of the North Tyne into Scotland.

We could have stayed here, right on the banks of the Tyne instead, but then Rachael couldn’t have gotten her haircut.

We cross the river at Warden and then continue west, on the north side of the river this time. We’ll be following Route 72 again nearly all the way, until we reach Haltwhistle and turn north toward our rural hill near the base of Hadrian’s Wall. We’re on roads instead of a bike path now but they’re quiet enough and easy riding for the next three miles before we pull away from the river and start climbing. As we bike we note with disapproval that the skies look worryingly grey ahead, unlike what the weather app led us to expect.

Saint Aidan’s Church, Fourstones. Built of red cedar in 1892, it’s described as one of only two wooden Victorian missions in the country. A Grade II listed building, it’s also described as ‘off-the-peg’ church, a new term to me. Similar to prefab?

Saint Peter’s Church in Stanegate has a lychgate too. A lychgate in Stanegate!

The next ten miles are lumpy, but not terribly so - there’s nothing that calls for a dismount, at least as I recall now two days later. The weather is definitely a concern though, as it develops into a light mist for awhile somewhere around the high point of the ride.

A very pretty ride, though one that threatened rain so we didn’t stop much.

I love this thatched roof house, shaggier than most we’ve seen. I’d have stopped for a shot but Rachael called out that she had her camera on.

In the North Pennines. According to the map it looks like we’re crossing Muckle Moss National Nature Preserve, a name that makes me glad we’re on pavement.

Today’s conditions don’t encourage many photo stops, but here’s one that’s worth a pause.

And worth a closer look as long as I’m stopped.

We’re about halfway up one of these climbs when I call us to a stop to consult the routes. We started out on one I mapped that splits from Route 72 near here and turns north toward Once Brewed and then beyond that to cross Hadrian’s wall before turning west and recrossing it to drop to our hotel. I picked this route partly because it would give us looks at the wall during the ride - but as rain is threatened and we’d be continuing to climb if we went that way I propose that we stick with Route 72, which I’ve also loaded to the Garmins as a backup. One other consideration is that we don’t want to miss our 1:00 lunch reservation at the Haltcastle Inn, the only eatery within a couple of miles of our B&B.

We’re quite happy with this change of plans as we start coasting down from the hills and drop toward the Tyne again; and we’re really glad when we see the sky lightening up ahead and giving us hope that we won’t arrive for lunch a dripping mess. That brings us down to Bardon Mill, where we stay with Route 72 to cross busy A69 and pick up a minor side road that parallels it. The next several miles are easy rollers that bring us all the way to Haltwhistle right at 1:00.

You’ll recall though that our B&B isn’t actually in Haltwhistle - it’s two miles to the north, the first mile of which is steeply up - 1-13 percent most of the way. It’s clear we won’t arrive close enough to our lunch reservation to risk losing it, so we stop to give them a call letting them know we’ll be a bit late. Its much better this way, meaning we can push our bikes up the hill without being anxious about missing our meal and having to drop back down to Haltwhistle again to get fed.

Video sound track: Adrift, by Yasmin Williams

We arrive at the Milecastle Inn at 1:30 and after both enjoying their delicious speacial of the day (grilled sea bass, new potatoes and veggies) bike a few yards back to our inn across the street and get ourselves checked in.

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The Wall

We’re here for the next two nights to give ourselves a chance at a decent break in the weather for exploring the great Hadrian’s Wall which crosses Britain just a half mile north of here. One of those opportunities is this afternoon, which looks to stay overcast but dry. I’m planning on going back across the street for a bowl of soup or other light bite for dinner (Rachael won’t be joining me as she’s amassed leftovers), so my walk has to fit around that idea. I ask if they’ll have a table free at seven when we leave the place after lunch, thinking that will give me time to fit a walk in first. They don’t though - they’re fully booked later in the evening but can fit me in at six so I take that, which with our long days now will give me time for a walk afterwards.

At a little after 5:30 we leave our room and walk together to the restaurant before Rachael leaves me, crosses the highway, and starts climbing toward the wall.

The wall crosses that small ridge and then continues on to the right (and to the North Sea, if you keep going the whole way).

Rachael’s walk

There is a wealth of information about Hadrian’s Wall, begun in 122 AD under the reign of Emperor Hadrian. It runs coast to coast for 83 miles across the narrowest gap in England, just south of what’s now the border with Scotland. Much of the original wall no longer exists except for traces here and there, as much of the original material was used in early modern times as building material for homes and bridges. Were in one of the best locations for seeing what remains though - starting at Cawfields (the gap just north of here in the ridge the wall straddles) the wall is nearly unbroken for at least the next five miles to the east as it crosses some of the most rugged and dramatic terrain of its entire length.

Rachael’s not going that way though - she’s turning west instead to check out that section, planning on saving the miles to the east for tomorrow when she’ll have all day.

And since there’s so much information about the wall available, we’re going to save time and mostly just show you photos - a lot of them, because the wall and surrounding vistas are stunning. An experience not to be missed if you have the chance.

Looking east toward the section of the wall you could see in the previous photo, before turning in the other direction.

The Hadrian’s Way Path follows near the base of the wall, generally through fields and pastures with cows and sheep milling around.

The section Rachael visits tonight is much more settled than if she’d gone the other direction, and remnants of the wall are less evident.

Wall or not, it’s terrific walking country; and for a nice change the footing is fine.

I think this is the wall here, but it’s quite different than in the other direction: narrower, lower profile, not so different than a normal stone boundary wall up here.

Scott’s walk

I didn’t have a bowl of soup after all, but the mac and cheese was very nice and fortified me for my walk east. I’m heading that way to see the best of it because I’m not sure yet if I’ll be walking at all tomorrow or taking the bike out for another walk with wheels.

I’ve got my new pole with me, which is a good thing because without it I’m not sure I’d have walked much of the distance at all because in this direction the terrain quickly becomes challenging with a long procession of steep ups and downs. I made it a little over a mile before turning back because it was getting on toward sunset and I didn’t want to get caught out working my way down some of those steep slopes in the low light.

It was enough though, giving me a feeling of awe at this incredible creation, still standing here two thousand years later. It was an excellent time to see it - dry, and with an interesting atmospheric sky that briefly let the sun through from time to time. And unlike what we’ll experience tomorrow, I’m nearly alone out here. I see only two other parties for the next two hours, both of whom stop for engaging chats before we return to our own experiences. One, a family from Madrid, called out to me when they noted my jersey from Almeria and wanted to see if I was Spanish as well. The others were a young couple down from Edinborough, accompanied by a gentle golden retriever that they adopted after she washed out as an assist dog (and how is Levi doing up there in Canmore, we’d like to know?).

A wonderful evening, and one I was reluctant to turn back from. At the end the route was still climbing toward a high point on the ridge, but at a sensible grade that was working for me. I’ve got the thought that I might come back here tomorrow and walk the same stretch and then some, but we’ll see.

The way east. The ruins ahead are remains of the fortification at Milecastle 42. The original wall was built with fortifications (milecastles) spaced a Roman Mile apart, and numbered by the start of the wall in the west.

Watching out for Celtic invaders from the north. Pretty quiet at Milepost 42 this evening.

The views from here are exceptional from one of the highest sections of the wall.

The white structure in the lower center is our B&B.

Those parallel lines in the field are remains of the Roman military road that followed the southern side of the wall.

I’m lucky to get a few breaks in the clouds to brighten up the vistas. They don’t last long.

This makes it look like a pretty rugged walk, but this is still fairly tame compared to what’s a few miles ahead. Come back tomorrow for a look beyond.

Looking across Cawfields Quarry, where the ridge was mined for road-building materials.

Today's ride: 22 miles (35 km)
Total: 2,909 miles (4,682 km)

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Lyle McLeodHappy to report that Levi has grown to be a fine young dog! Sometime in the next two months or so he’ll be off to Doggy University and then hopefully graduate to a long and successful service dog career.
I’ve tried to paste a Levi ‘sticker emoji’ here showing how he’s grown into a handsome dog, but the comment box is not playing nice and won’t let me do that!
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3 months ago

Rachael AndersonTo Lyle McLeodThat’s great news! When we settle down some day, I want to get a dog to hike with me and since navigating is getting more difficult even with a phone and gps because of reception, I’ll probably need a service dog or a well trained dog.
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3 months ago