December

Michelle

Ebchester Station – River Derwent – Shotley Bridge – Consett – Shotley Bridge Station – Ebchester Station

Very sunny but also very cold. Frost was still on the cars at the end of the walk.

Michelle, Michael, George, Ron, Sandy and Diane.

Ashley - in Thailand

Bernie - footballl match

Carol - with the girls

Comments

The going was hard to firm with only one muddy stretch in the woods, but there were also several icy stretches. A steep descent from the start was ameliorated by steps. We spotted three evergreen trees laden with berries in Ebchester. We passed several metal sculptures - a tin man on a bicycle, and a collection of car wheel hubs. After crossing a field with turnips sown in it, we couldn't decide whether the crop was in fact turnips or rapeseed.  Some cows with calves in a barn became very vocal when they saw Ruby (or were they telling us where the path was?). The riverside path was attractive, with lots of nice houses on the other side. Lunch was taken in the corner of a field just short of Shotley Bridge, from which there was a nice view.

Shotley Bridge is famous for the manufacture of swords and cartridge paper. We saw several old houses. One had '1860' in large numbers built into the stonework on the gable end, although the building looked more recent. The date on the next house was 1710. In the courtyard of another house we saw a French street sign dedicated to the physicist Denis Papin (1647-1714), who invented a steam digester with a safety valve, a forerunner of the pressure cooker and autoclave. This was used to extract fat from bones and render the bones brittle for grinding.

We saw three deer in scrubland at Shotley Grove and then found a small penguin at the pathside. It was a long uphill stretch from Shotley Bridge to the site of the former Consett Iron and Steel Works. There were stunning views of Derwent Valley, as well as the sound of shooting in the distance. We also saw an ice cream van.

Our second break was taken on the old railway line north of Consett. A strange man passed us wearing an Austrian jacket and horn, and riding a pedal cycle with a German (Munich) number plate. There were lots of people out with dogs. We saw a pink pig.

Wildlife etc.:

A bit sparse due to the cold. Deer, sheep, hens and several colourful cockerels strutting around, woodpigeons and a worm.

Errington Arms – joined by Evelyn. The pub wasn't very warm, and only the Christmas menu was on offer.

December Walkers

Red Berries

Ruby

Wheel Hub Football

Lunch stop

Denis Papin (famous physicist)

Cascades on the River Derwent

Crossing the Derwent

Shotley Bridge Mills

Roe Deer

Stray Penguin

View over the Derwent Valley

The Endless Steps

Resting after the Climb

Consett Steelworks

NCN Waymarker