Sunday, 21 July 2013

Jarrow to Newburn Return along HWP - Tyne and Wear 29 June 2013.

Jarrow to Newburn return along Hadrian Wall Path
Tyne and Wear
Distance 47km.
Saturday 29th June 2013


Today I decided I needed to get a few miles in and thought about going across to the Lakes but that would have involved a couple of hours driving there with a couple of hours driving back.  I thought about Northumberland, but that would have been an hour driving there and an hour back.  So I just stayed home and walked from here.

I have walked the first part of today's walk loads of times.  In fact on most Saturdays I will walk to Town, meet my wife Anne who will have travelled up on the Metro a couple of hours earlier to do some shopping.  We meet get some food and a drink then I can face what shops I need to be taken into.

Today I would pass the Town and walk up to Newburn.  We had walked from Newburn as part of the Hadrian's Wall Path, today I would walk up South of the river and back on the Hadrian's Wall Path, then continue on to the Tyne Pedestrian Tunnel.

I took loads of photos, too many to put in here.

I walked through Jarrow and joined the low road, turned right, west and headed up towards Hebburn.  At St Andrews I turned left, north and headed down a steep road towards the river.  Passing the old Hawthorn Leslies shipyard.

Next to St Andrews Hebburn looking north.
Looking north, can you see the Roman Baths at Wallsend? 

I turned left, east and walked along a little promenade next to the river.  When the tide is right I have seen lads fishing here and then when the tide is low, on the mud flats there is a row of tyres.  I have seen lads with waders on checking them out.  I am dying to know what they catch, or is it just bait for fishing, one day I will ask someone.

The path moves from the river up behind the sea cadet centre TS Kelly.  Along the Hebburn cycleway opened in 2009.  This leads onto the road that took me past Hebburn Quay back to the  river.


I like it along here, it always feels quiet and calm.  Saying that on some days you can hear the works across the river banging, or cutting and sawing.  I continued by the river, the path turns left and climbs a little before turning right. A little further on I took the path that turns down to the right.

Looking East
Looking West

I passed below the Bill Quay town farm.  Again I like it along here as the path drops down to the river.  A little way along here you can see around the bend and in the distance is the centre of Newcastle.


I could not stay by the river I had to walk up hill from the river around, Akzo Noble a paint factory.  Around the corner I took the footpath back down to the river.

Sailing on the Tyne 

Passed the Elephant on the Tyne, by the river passed Friars Wharf, the road below the Gateshead Stadium, then up to the Kittiwake Tower.


I walked passed the scrap yards, followed the road back down to the river and walked towards Gateshead.  Passed the new Jury Inn hotel and I was at the Baltic, I walked by the river.  Passed the Blinking Eye and took the steps to the road that passed the Sage, under the Tyne Bridge.

Blinking Eye
Tyne Bridge
The Baltic, the Sage

My route took me passed the end of the Swing Bridge, along the road and back to the path that followed by the river.  This path continues west and travels under the other bridges that cross the Tyne.

Queen Elizabeth II Bridge (Metro bridge)
High Level Bridge

The path was easy to follow along here as it was next to the river.  It turned slightly, still by the river as it moved around the Dunstan basin.  Next to the Dunstan Coal Staiths.


At Dunstan Basin I continued beside what appeared new flats and houses and at the end I found the path was closed.  So I turned back and turned away from the river.  At a set of traffic lights I turned left, east.  I now stayed on the main road towards the Metro Centre.  At another junction a sign showed me the route under a bridge with a right turn where the path moves beside the railway.  This took me under the road and towards Blaydon.  After crossing under a second road and over a stream the path turns round and goes under itself and then turns left again over some open ground back to a road.  I was now next to the river again.  A number of people were getting ready to go out on a couple of boats.  I could see the Scotswood Bridge.

I now took the footpath under Scotswood Bridge and continued by the river.

Scotswood Bridge

It was nice along here.  After walking under the A1 road bridge the route I was following moved away from the river again, and took me through a part of Blaydon.  I found myself back beside the railway line, which I followed.  Near Blaydon station I saw figures representing the world famous Blaydon Race.


I was walking quite fast along here, out on the river I saw some oarsmen and oarswomen rowing themselves along the river. Then for the second time today I found myself facing a sign that said the road ahead was closed.  I couldn't just climb it and ignore it, so I had a little rest and a snack as I watched single sculls, doubles, fours and a little safety boat move up and down the river.


Walking back down the track, I found a path under the railway line which took me up onto the road.  At the top of the road I turned right, north, and as the road moved down hill, I crossed a level crossing. At the bottom of the bank I took a footpath that led towards the river.  It was along here I got my first glimpse of the Newburn Bridge.



After crossing the bridge I sat and had a couple of glasses of shandy as I rested at the Boathouse pub.  I could see all the activity across the river at the boathouses.

My route back was the same route I had taken while on The Hadrian Wall Path.  This took me along an old disused railway line, near Lemington.  The path turned north with a bit of a climb, crossed the A1 then drops down and heads south towards Scotswood.  At Scotswood I saw the statue representing the past, present and future, it had flowers on it today.


I continued along a disused railway line and dropped down a path to join the Scotswood Road.

Scotswood Road looking east

A few hundred meter along Scotswood Road I turned right, south, which took me back to the river.  It was here I saw a team of eight rowing the river.  The tide was out now and I could see the mud flats.  It was follow the river from here.




Five of the six bridges that cross the Tyne in this area

After another couple of shandy's at the Quayside I continued along by the river.  It was along here I saw a number of people crossing over the river using a zip wire from the Baltic on the Gateshead side.


After the quayside as I moved along the river it was a little quieter.


The path now took me away from the river slightly before dropping back down to the riverside at St Peters basin.





It was very quite along here, then I reached an area were there were a few lads fishing.  One said I only had 20 minutes to go before I would reach Wallsend.  No, I knew better than that, it would be a 30 minutes.


A little way along the path, steps took me up to a path that joins another old railway path and took me away from the river again.



St Andrew's in Hebburn, where I had passed so many hours ago.
Roman bath house - Wallsend

I passed below the bath house and continued along the path, over the Swan Hunters ship yard.


The path joins the road as I headed for Howdon, where the Pedestrian Tunnel is, across the river I could see Jarrow, my final destination.



As I approached the entrance of the Pedestrian Tunnel, I saw the signs that it was closed as work was being done to upgrade it.  I checked the bus time table and saw I only had a few minutes or I would have a half hour wait for the bus.  Getting to the corner I saw the free bus at the stop and ran on poor tired legs, there was plenty of time.


After a rest while sitting on the bus, I walked from the south stop to my starting point.

I had been walking nearly 12 hours, including the stops and covered approx 47km, 28 miles.

I was very tired and my feet were sore, never mind a good days walking.

More to follow


Boz North
Details correct at time of walking.
If you have enjoyed reading my walk or found it useful you may also like to read other walks I have done in Tyne and Wear or other areas. Please check out the links on the right hand side.
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