Across the moors to Lancaster

Sunday 12.06.11

Sunday turned out to be quite a nice morning, I had been to Morrisons to fill up (my car runs on LPG and Morrisons has the best network in the UK), I had also popped in to get a few odds and ends for a picnic that we planned to have when crossing the South Northumberland moors and the Pennines. We said our goodbyes to my dear Sis, just as Joan her next door neighbour came out and said she had heard that I was interested in her pet rabbit in the garden, I said it was too late now as I was going to exchange it for a pound of mince, but was now leaving but just to give it to our Marg and she would put a nice pie crust on it for the next time I visited. I will not tell you her reply.



A little sparra, singing its goodbyes  from the bush at the bottom of my sisters garden

We headed West and onto the A1 before turning onto the A69, this is the first real visible sign (there are others but mostly hidden from view) that you are able to get of the remnants of the wall, this is set a little back from the road where the pedestrian over pass crosses the road, it is not a long stretch (so don’t blink). On a dark night you can see the lights of the West road and West gate road as it climbs into Newcastle like many roman roads it goes straight as a die


There are a lot of piles of stone and rubble at various positions along the road, some the remains of turrets, mile castles and the temple. But today we didn’t stop to do the wall, we headed out on the A69, the actual roman or military road is the B6528 and then the B6318. We turned off the A69 and took the A686 in the direction of Langley Castle and Alston a little past the castle we turned right onto the B6295, this is a smashing road that winds and dips through some of the most fantastic walking country it passes through Catton, Allendale town (read the hidden places of Britain by Lesley Thomas) and then you are up into the high moors and on the road to Allenheads.

We would have stopped off at one of my favourite pubs, the Hare and Hound in Allendale for lunch but as we had packed our picnic we carried on until we reached the end of Northumberland and the start of Durham. I was here last year and knew that there was a Black Cock lec and nesting area right beside the road, though we could hear the rusty cough of the male we only caught a brief glimpse of a couple of  females with chicks.

a couple of Blackcocks in flight

. It was windy but nice, I love this place it is real raw beauty at its best.



parked at the car park where Northumberland ends




It was blowing quite a bit outside so we sat in the car and had our picnic


After lunch we took the road onward until it meets the tight corner onto the A 689 I turned along here as Linda had never seen the Killhope wheel situated at the lead mining museum, this was one of the last lead mining areas in the UK and Lead had been mined here since the bronze age and in all probability before.

The mighty Killhopw wheel

Retracing the route back to the branch in the road we continued down into Weardale and St Johns Chapel then right onto an unnamed road followed this road to Langdon Beck and into Teesdale.



A solitary lapwing

The sticks mark the place that the Blackcocks had their nests

We passed High Force water fall and headed into Middleton and then took the Brough road B6276, from there it was Kirby Stephen, Sedbergh, Kirby Lonsdale and Into Lancaster.

We only stopped the one night but we did manage a Midday breakfast in one of the nice little cafes in Lancaster town centre.



Tony and I by our Midday breakfast