February

Ken

Bardon Mill – Westwood – Burnside – Birkshaw – Thorngrafton – Ridley Bridge – Allen Banks – Plankey Mill – Beltingham – Bardon Mill. (approx. 8 miles)

Breezy, sunshine at times, cool.

Ken, George, Ron, Sandy, Michelle, Diane, Bernie, Diane, Richard, Ashley.

Michael - getting the BMW fixed

Comments

Ashley, whose birthday it was, went out early and had completed the walk just as we were about to start.

We began with a climb. There were good views across to Vindolanda. We passed through several settlements with modernised houses. There were several rare breeds of sheep in the fields, including Valais from Switzerland. We chatted to a man planting hazel trees.

We saw several dippers in the river as we crossed the bridge. We stopped for lunch in the woods beside the river, just past Ridley Bridge.

There was a steep climb up from Allen Banks Visitor Centre past Plankey Mill before dropping down through the fields to Beltingham with its attractive church. Then we headed back along the south bank of the river and across the footbridge to Bardon Mill.

Wildlife: Curlew, dippers, buzzard.

The White Swan, Dinningon

February walkers

Walker One

Vindolanda

Diane, Sandy and Bernie

Tyne Valley Panorama

Stone head

Sheep in the woods

Ron tickles a sheep

Advancing Sheep

Tyne from Ridley Bridge

South Tyne

Ridley Bridge

River Allen

Plankey Mill

Return to Bardon Mill

Tyne from Bardon Mill Footbridge