Caught up at last

The last of my backlog of pictures.
Tomorrow will be pictures from Gilsland agricultural show that was held today and a grand day out it was too.
Although clouds gathered and looked black they passed over without any rain falling on the showground.
Still that's for tomorrow,today's offerings now.

Cuddys Crag March 2010 (grid ref: NY782686)

Cuddys Crag June 2010 ( grid ref: NY782686)

Steel Rigg May 2010 ( grid ref NY782686)

Housesteads Crag March 2010 (grid ref: NY784686)

Steel Rigg May 2010 (grid Ref: NY782686)

Cawfield Crags July 2010 ( grid ref: NY719667)

Walltown Crags July 2010 (grid ref: NY672662)

Winshields Crag July 2010 ( grid ref: NY743675)

Allen Banks - Just off the Wall but oh dear me!

TT picked the venue for our Wednesday outing.

He chose Allen Banks one of the National Trust woodlands very near to Hadrian's Wall, 5½ miles east of Haltwhistle, 3 miles west of Haydon Bridge.

It's a walk through a gorge with towering cliff faces and lots of waymarked trails.

There's a good carpark with a picnic area and toilets.

Straight out of the car park and onto the path alongside the river, but do mind where you put your feet, irresponsible dog owners have been through.

Allen Banks heading towards the suspension Bridge

The Trust has been doing lots of work on this section over the winter months, lots of trees have been felled opening up the canopy and making a brighter pathway.

Waters of the River Allen tumbling along

Masses of wild garlic, tiny white flowered oxalis, a smattering of bluebells and primroses along the way, although the garlic was beginning to wilt a bit without the tree cover to protect it.

Wood Anemone

As we pass further into the Gorge there's a sense of neglect, it's a bit like visiting an elderly relative whose house has that musty, unkempt smell,  a good clean up would make a world of difference.

In some places there has been landslip so the path drops away and you're trying to get down a 2ft drop to continue along the path.

Eventually you come to the smart new bridge at Plankey Mill, it  leads you into the field of cows with their calves and it is a bit rutted but hey that's the country for you.

The new bridge at Plankey Mill

On through the field and we're heading off towards Stawart Peel a medieval Peel Tower standing high above Staward Gorge and the River Allan. The path takes us through woodland, much of it commercially planted conifer wood so the trees are planted in  lines.

Commercial Pine trees

Having said that it's obviously an area teaming with wildlife, the muddy spots had masses of animal tracks and droppings for us to examine and try to identify.

On a less favourable note, it was also teaming with empty beer cans and bottles.

Please take your rubbish home

We followed the track by the river, watching sand martins swoop into nests a mere 18inches above the water, let's hope there's no big rush of water to flood them out.

The paths are well marked and we headed up to the high point and the Peel Tower.

The path to Staward Peel, Ramsons (Allium ursinum) line the path

It's a very steep climb, and whoever built the steps up the path must think we all have 40 inch long legs and knees that bend up to our ears, folk have made thier own track upwards, avoiding these impossible steps, bit of a waste really.

The Tower part of Staward Peel

Eventually we reach the top, looking forward to the 'tremendous views' promised in the walks leaflet, alas these are all obscured by scrubby branches, although maybe as a photographer I'm being a bit picky here.

The best of the "tremendous views" from the top

I was surprised that there wasn't a seat available, it seems the perfect spot to have your sandwiches and a drink. At the moment the only place you could sit is on the stones of the monument.

Then we went back down and headed back to the car park.

The only people we saw were other walkers, most of them over 50, certainly no children, so the plants pulled up and the flowers, like the Toothwort that I had photographed less than an hour before, could only have been snapped off by one of these older walkers.

Toothwort (Lathraea squamaria) a parasitic plant, one of the flowers deliberately snapped off by adult walkers.

Is it because the place has that uncared for feel, that people just don't care?

As we got back to the car park we did see a young NT employee doing remedial works and collecting rubbish so all is not lost.

Would I recommend it as an outing for visitors to this area?  

No I wouldn't, and that's a shame, because there is much of interest if only it wasn't all so shabby.

Catch you later.

Sea Air

Our anniversary today, can't think why we chose January to get married but there you are, we did, and now we're stuck with finding somewhere to go when the weather is, inevitably, grey and cold.

Years ago we were keen birdwatchers so we decided on a trip down memory lane and headed for the Northumberland coast. Not so long ago a Glossy Ibis was spotted at Cresswell Ponds [NZ283944 (OS 50 000 Sheet 81)] so we made that our first stopping point.

Much has changed in the years since we last visited, especially the road system so we got horribly lost, with a detour past an unattractive bit of Ashington, the Alcan works.

Eventually we did get to Cresswell and it's ponds.

Cresswell Pond, bird hide to the left

Loads of birds there, we counted in excess of 20 species in the 45 minutes we sat there. Probably there were many we missed, birdwatching is an art, you sort of get your eye in and recognise the jizz (the way different birds move) we're a bit rusty. No Glossy Ibis or anything that would bring out the twitchers.

It wasn't very warm in the hide so we headed down to the beach for a brisk walk to warm up.

abandoned ball on Cresswell Beach

Here in Northumberland we're spoilt with miles of golden sand; even on a warm sunny day it never gets crowded, fishermen and dog walkers seemed to be the only people out today, oh and three very brave surfers.

January Surfers

Lunch at the Widdrington Inn, it was packed and once the food came we understood why, delicious and to be recommended.

Next stop was Druridge, last time I was there I was taking photographs of the opencast site at East Chevington, for a planning appeal, now that whole area has been turned into a lake with a walk and wildlife hides. Map of Druridge Bay

The lake is big and birds know to stay away from the hides but with a good pair of binoculars you can see plenty.

Once again we were drawn to the beach, I love the sea air and it's the only thing I miss about living on Tyneside. Sandling were dashing along the incoming waves, as it was such a grey day I'd only brought a small camera with me and they were moving to fast for me to get a good shot of them.

northumberland coast birdwatching will give you more ideas on what's available on our beautiful coastline.

Now I know this is supposed to be a Hadrian's Wall blog but our journey today took us just over an hour from Gilsland and if you're coming to Northumberland for a holiday then  you might fancy a day off from walking on our Hadrian's Wall Trail.
Northumberland and all our treasures, is Englands best kept secret:)

Catch you later.
Joan

Greenlee Lough

In March I blogged about my trip to Greenlee Lough, at that time the NNPA was constructing a boardwalk and I promised to get back to you once that was finished.

I went out there on Wednesday eagerly anticipating a gentle stroll from the road to the Lough

Ha! Gentle stroll, in my dreams.

Once you've gone through the smart new gate you have to work your way across uneven terrain, roughly following a line of telegraph poles.

As yet there are no way markers, those helpful little yellow arrows to keep us on the straight and narrow, and because this isn't one of the more popular walks the route isn't terrible obvious.

Highland cows and Jacob's sheep graze the early part of the walk then you pass through damp meadowland full of butterflies. I was delighted to see a lot of the coloured ones, in our garden at home we seem to be getting just the white ones.

The track takes you up to a small wood, private and no access allowed so follow the wall along until you spy a bright new pole that marks the start of the boardwalk.

Michael and the NNPA team are to be congratulated, they have made a splendid job of the boardwalk and it's blending into the surroundings very well. Once you're on that you can make good time, passing through areas of cotton grass, Millet grass and countless species of wild flower - stunning on a nice day.

7 mute swans on Greenlee Lough but it's not easy to see anything else as access to the waterside is limited to the hide, which the birds seem to take delight in going no where near.

I took the old route up the hill back to the car which I thought I'd parked carefully. Certainly not blocking anybodies access and miles from anywhere but I got back to find a polite note asking me not to stop there again.

So bear in mind there's no parking anywhere near the Lough. The official walk starts at Steel Rigg, covers 7.5miles and is rated as strenuous.

After I'd done the walk I went into the Once Brewed Tourist Office and discovered they have a new leaflet that explains all of this, so make that your first port of call.

Catch you later.

Bogle Hole and disasters

Went out to Bogle Hole to try a shot I'd not done before. I was looking for a sunset but it was a clear sky, so this was just a recce really.

I love the names on the stretch between Cawfields and Winshields Crag and keep determining to find out the wherefores of them.

I parked up at Caw Gap just as someone was coming through the gate, a very nice American lady Brenda walking with her brother Ernie (and thier Mom on the flatter bits).

It is lovely to have so many tourists this year.

I headed off up the track, not one of the best for walking but I got to the spot that was my destination for the evening and set up. As always I was doing my 'maybe the view a bit to the right will be better' tracking back and forward when disaster struck, I lost my footing and went flying.

The camera was around my neck and it banged into my ribs, bounced to give me a swift upercut and knocked my specs off. The tripod went under me and I ended up with a wrist so bruised and swollen it was hard to move it.

I also ended up lying in one of the grooves worn in the path, head down and at a 45 degree angle, I was like a beached whale, what a state.

I eventually managed to right myself, damage to the camera remote, mud on the filters and me.

Do you know what I was thinking?

If that darned Google Earth satallite is recording this I'll die of embarrasement!

It did make me wonder just how many of the Roman soldiers building the Wall were killed or injured. It has to have been quite a dangerous site, with large bits of rock being cut and hauled up to 12 metres, soldiers must have fallen or had rocks fall on them. No Elf 'n' Safety in those days although I imagine the commanders had to account for losses.

I was actually very lucky, I didn't actually break a bone and was able to drive home but it is dangerous so please be careful.

Catch you later.

I can see for miles...

Some people say that Hadrian's Wall was built as a defensive measure, others say it was built as a way of controlling movement, a sort of customs post.

What is indisputable is that the Roman Army chose a great place to build Hadrian's Wall, using the natural contours and landform to accentuate the mighty Wall riding on top.

Todays slot belongs to the zigzag tree high above Simonsburn Common between Chesters Fort and Limestone Corner. There are bits of the Wall still in existence on this stretch but I chose to picture the hawthorn tree that's been growing on the line of the Wall for many years. One lady told me her son used to look out for the tree as he went back and forward to school each day, he's now in his 40's. The views behind it show the flatter plains to the north and, for me, the tree illustrates the harsh conditions the soldiers would encounter as the winds roared up the valley.

Just to the west of this tree is Limestone corner where huge boulders have been strewn like dice across the hill. Some of the stones bear the marks where the Roman builders tried to break them apart. Pass this and the Hadrian's Wall Path takes you over Fozzy Moss towards Sewingshields Crag, walking on the crest of the Vallum Ditch for some of the way. b A flatter stretch and perhap some might not think it very interesting but because it's a moss and there's water, in the summer months your feet are buzzed by beautifully coloured red of turquoise Darter's.

Catch you later.

27 04 09

Most people seem to walk the Wall from east to west.

In most cases I think the best views are to be seen looking west to east but there are exceptions and, in my humble opinion, the view over Crag Lough from Hotbank Crag, is one of them.

Yesterday was a mixed day weather wise but there was a good build up of my type of clouds as evening approached. It's been a while since I climbed up Hotbank so that was my first destination for the evening. NNPA has been hard at work over the winter and they've much improved the path and gate just after you cross the entrance track to Hotbank Farm. Some very large, and I imagine unwieldy boulders now make a good sturdy set of steps, great if you're rushing to 'catch the light' like I usually am.

As with most of this section of Hadrian's Wall the climb up to Hotbank Crag gives you a good anaerobic workout, or that's what I tell myself.

Last night I got my timings all wrong and was way too early for the sunset. On a nice night I might be tempted to hang around and wait, but there was a chill wind up on the top. I scouted out a few new spots for a sunrise shot looking east along the Hadrian's Wall Path as it follows the contours over Hotbank Crag, laughed at the antics of some of the Bradley Farm lambs, then decided to head somewhere a bit warmer.

As I came back down to Crag Lough the sun came out and just caught the slopes of Winshields Crag, making a nice picture, with no time to set up the tripod I just did a point and shoot.

(NY772680 - the grid references I post should take you to a map and the centre spot of the map is where I stood to take the photo)

I sit here writing away each day never knowing if anyone actually read what I write, if you'd like to comment please feel free.

Catch you later.

Cawfields Quarry

Did one of those things yesterday where a slight twist and your back goes, end up walking like an s-bend for a while, and I missed a nice misty sunrise this morning because it hurt too much.

Pain killers all day did the trick and by this evening I felt desperate for a walk in the fresh air.

Not sure how far I'd be able to walk or how I'd cope on uneven ground I headed out to Cawfields.

I'd checked the webcam there before I set out and it looked great, big fluffy clouds right over the peak of the crag.

By the time I got there they'd moved way over but at this time of the year I like the way the light hits the crag face so I took a few photographs. The waters are really deep so you get a nice blue colour in the waters. Masses of tadpoles again this year.

Then I went up the track towards Great Chesters Farm just to enjoy that view of the Hadrian's Wall as it climbs up over the crags and onto Winshields. As you come to the access track to the front of Great Chesters you pass the Roman Fort with a couple of altar stones. Lots of coins have been left there as offerings and I must admit if I'd taken some money with me I'd probably have left an offering too, just in case.

Down the track and across the fields, pausing to enjoy the lambs running and jumping in the evening sun - they seem to have so much fun!

It's suprising how many nice circular walks there are on the various parts of Hadrian's Wall, so many people seem to treat Walking the Wall like a time trial, just wanting to get from one end to the other, missing so much of what we have to offer.

We're having a day out in the Lake District tomorrow - that's just an hour's drive for us, so it's nice to have a change of scene now and again.

Catch you later.

It pays to advertise

Gilsland is one of the Hadrian's Wall Villages and some of the best bits of remaining Wall are at Willowford.

I had a wander down that way yesterday and what did I see before me, some mini advertising hoardings gambolling about in the Willowford Farm fields.

I'm a sucker for lambs, they really are so cute and play just like children everywhere, running and jumping in gangs until they tire themselves out, or the ewe calls them back to her.

When they're newly born the ewe's can be very protective, when a camera appears the ewe will put herself between the lambs and the photographer, but on this occasion I managed to get a couple of shots.

I was so taken by all of this that I didn't get much further in my walk.

Sycamore Gap

Ah, Sycamore Gap, I knew I'd get around to it eventually - it's one of my favourite spots on the Wall and when I first moved to Gilsland I couldn't wait to get out there and get my shot.

I've taken hundreds of pictures of the tree since that first one, and each time it looks different.

On Tuesday I passed there on my way to meet a friend in Simonburn, the clouds were wonderful, big and stormy but of course I couldn't stop, places to go and people to see.

Sometimes it's referred to as the 'Robin Hood Tree' because it was used in the Kevin Costner movie, Robin Hood Prince of Thieves. I've not actually seen the film but apparently Robin got off the boat at Dover and in minutes was here in front of the tree, someone mentioned he had a monkey with him but maybe they were kidding me.

I get asked for directions to the 'Robin Hood' tree more than any other spot on the Wall and, while the photographs normally show it from the south or the north so it's growing between the two hills, that's not the view you get when walking the Wall.

I've heard from some of the local B&B's that they've had to drive walkers back along the Military Road so they can confirm that they did in fact pass that spot.

It's halfway between Crag Lough and Steel Rigg ( grid Ref: NY761677)

Park at the NNPA car park at Steel Rigg and climb up onto Peel Crags, follow the path along until you come to a tree growing on the line of the Wall -it's a lovely place to stop for a picnic on a nice day.

Catch you later.

23rd March 2009

The forecast was awful so I was expecting a day of
admin working on my computer, not something I look forward to!

I happened to glance out of the window and noticed some wonderful cloud formations, wow a reprieve,
hoping they would last a while, I grabbed my gear and headed out to Steel Rigg.

Now Steel Rigg is one of the most popular sites on Hadrian's Wall, great dramatic crags and awsome scenery, but look to the east and there is Winshields Crag. It looks fairly dull but climbing it brings you up to the highest point on our bit of Hadrian's Wall and the views are amazing.

Today I was looking for cloud pictures and they were there in abundance, lovely black rolling clouds, fluffy white ones and a particular favourite of mine the mackeral cloud.

However it was all to the west, no clouds to speak of down towards Steel Rigg which is a really beautiful panoramic view.
It was a howling gale, so fierce I had trouble keeping everything steady so I had high hopes that the clouds would shift around. They did but instead of going east they went south, isn't that just typical.

Lots of people around considering it's a Monday but they were all heading along towards the Sycamore Tree, that's one for another day although if you can't wait check out the pictures on my website http://www.joanthirlaway.co.uk/

In all today I took a dozen shots and probably got the best of the clouds, it cleared so that by sunset it was an empty sky.

Hope that holds promise for a sunrise tomorrow.

Todays photograph is on the Hadrian's Wall Path up to Winshields Crag, there's a white trig point way up on the horizon that you might be able to see on the larger version.

Catch you later.

19th March 2009 pm

Will it be a good sunset?

Only one way to find out, I grabbed the gear and headed off back to Hadrian's Wall.

My first intention was to head to Cawfields but as I approached Walltown I decided that would do nicely.
The Hadrian's Wall Path people have put in a superb footpath up Mucklebank Crag, using bolders and stones making a stairway to the top.

You get great views west from the slopes of Mucklebank, and at this time of the year it's spot on for the position of the sun setting.

I trotted along past Walltown Farm and cut up past King Arthur's Well ( yes, THAT King Arthur, he was really a Northumbrian King) and up the new path until I got just above the turret there, looking back west over Walltown Crags.
There were two or three sheep beautifully placed so I settled down to wait for the sun to set.

It was just about where I wanted it when I heard the sound of a quad bike and over the hill comes William from Walltown Farm, whistling and shouting instructions to his dogs, herding his ewe's to the lower pastures for the night.

I was surrounded by charging woolly backs and dogs.They all disappeared over the brow of the hill just as the sun went down.
Not my day ;)
I did get one or two shots that I can keep so it wasn't a complete waste.
Here's one of the sheep posing for me before their undignified exit.

Catch you later,

JoT

19th March 2009

Up really, really early under the impression that we'd have a lovely misty sunrise.

Headed off to Steel Rigg, was ages early forgetting that with Steel Rigg you are just 5 minutes from the car park to 'set up'.

Took a few photo's of the moon just to pass the time and waited for enough light to be able to see where I was going, or more precisely what I was standing in!

As the birds started to sing I could see the mist - it looked suspiciously like fog in places, not a good sign.

I dashed back and forwards across the field in my normal demented way looking for the best composition to suit the light. Turned around to find another photographer watching me with a bemused expression.

Got a tiny bit of pink showing up on the contrails and then the fog blocked out all the light.
I took probably six shots - not really worth getting out of bed for, but you just never know do you?

Home for toast and honey for breakfast and a fairly relaxing day - then as 5pm approached my shutter finger started to twitch again.

Catch you all later,

JoT

15 03 09

Sunday and not a bad day weather wise.

There's a shot of Mucklebank Crags I'd like to get but it needs a figure in the shot to give it the right scale.(Mucklebank Crags are the two bumps in the distance on this photograph of Walltown Crags)

I head off to Walltown, I thought I'd be tripping over mating toads as usual at this time of the year but I don't see any at all, shame as I'd like some toadspawn for my pond. Toads return to the pond they were 'born' in, often travelling miles overland to get there.

I take the gentle incline around the lake and head up towards Hadrian's Wall and the gnarly hawthorn tree.

Photographers all claim this little tree as their own, but of course they're wrong, it's my tree :)

With a good cloudscape it can make a spectacular shot but today's is pretty average. Of course that doesn't stop me taken half a dozen anyway in case the camera sees something I don't.

Wander along following the line of Hadrian's Wall, Walltown has some fairly sunstantial chunks of Wall and they are fairly easy to access, as long as you can climb up to them.

The views across towards the Solway are amazing, you can see into Scotland on a clear day, nearer the views are across Longbyre and Gilsland.

The light is coming and going and there aren't many people about, certainly not as many as I expected. I catch some sheep grazing in the dip and set up the tripod. Don't know who has been training them but, as soon as they see a camera, they turn their backs like reluctant celebrities. I take shots all the way along the crest of Walltown Crags,although they're not my favourite type of photograph, you never know when you might need a simple sunny day shot.

I eventually get along the top of Walltown Crags to the spot I need for my shot of Mucklebank Crag, a bit of twoing and froing before I'm happy with the composition and then I wait for someone to come along.

A pheasant wanders across the view, stopping to cluck at me but not at all afraid, not quite the figure I had in mind.

Wouldn't you just know it - the sun goes in, and this time it stays in as big banks of cloud blow in from the west.

Putting a mental 'x' marks the spot I pack up and head back to the car. As often happens as I'm heading back streams of folk appear, I suppose I was being optomistic to think they'd be out before 10am on a Sunday :)

Not long until Easter, if the weather is good to us I'll get my shot then and I know exactly where to stand for it.

I was back home by 2pm for a nice cup of coffee and a Werthers. In a week or so's time the Old Forge Tea Room in Greenhead will re-open after a refit, I've heard they do amazing cupcakes, something to look forward to.

10th March 2009

A great spring day, sunshine and lovely clouds - perfect day for a walk on Housesteads Crag with my camera.

I park in the 'red box' layby ( just west of Housesteads Fort), left over from those days when there were red telephone boxes, and head up past the restored lime kiln to Cuddy's Crag.

This footpath is part of the Pennine Way as well as a handy access point to Hadrian's wall.

The sheep of Bradley Farm, Cheviot ewe's watch me as I pass, they lamb in April and are being fed on the fells.

The view east from Housesteads is wonderful and on a crisp day like today you can see the line of the Wall as it climbs over the lumps and bumps of Kennel Crags, Kings Hill and onto Sewingshields Crag.

Someone had left a jolly little scarecrow, with green trousers and a straw bonnet, stuck into the ground and I wondered who and why, is it like the gnome who was photographed all over the world? Of course I took his photograph, who could resist that little happy face?

Something else that was in the picture is a white bag of stones, it's been lying in the dip between Cuddy's Crag and Housesteads Crag for a year now and look like a dead sheep. I'm going to see if I can get it moved but don't hold your breath.

The sunshine brought out plenty of visitors to the Fort at Housesteads, I hope it's a sign that we'll get plenty of visitors to our area this year, not just to walk the Hadrian's Wall Path but to visit our Roman sites and museums.

Larks were singing and one of my favourite signs of spring the bright yellow Coltsfoot was flowering as I headed back to the car, it's so nice to be out again.