The weather was just about perfect for walking, warm but not too hot, although we did consume a fair amount of liquids throughout the walk.

We started off at Housesteads Roman Fort. Now the others didn’t spot it at first but read what was on the sign above. Any idea what a Pay & Display toilet is all about? No I didn’t either.

It’s a fairly long walk from the car parking area up the hill to the fort itself, however, a lot of work has been done to ensure the paths are even enough to push a buggy on, though there is plenty of safe open space for children to run around on the way up the hill.

Reaching the top of the hill, your first port of call is the museum area. It’s not that big but has some useful information in the displays that give you an overview of the fort its background, how it came to be found by archaeologists gone by etc. The museum is also where you pay your entrance fee.

Money saving tip: If you’re a member of the National Trust, entry is free!

Much of the site is covered by the exposed ruins, however in one or two places there are some quite steep drops so make sure you keep a close eye on the children. Also, don’t be tempted to rush your visit. There are plenty of things to see and discover if you look for them and the signage around the fort will give you a good insight into how these people lived. Of course some will go the extra mile to get that insight.

Having spent some time at Housesteads learning all things Roman, we moved on to Steel Rigg.

I had never heard of this place, but was reliably informed it was well worth a visit and the view from the car park was pretty impressive to say the least.

Our route was to take us along the top of the cliff, past the lake in the distance and heading east along the wall, back towards Sycamore Gap.

Of course nothing in this life is free and to get these stunning views we had to pay with blood, sweat and tears. Ok I exaggerate little there but certainly plenty of one out of the three with plenty of huffing and puffing too. Though one of the group did earn the name Cragg-hopper as she skipped up the hill.

Our ultimate goal on this part of the walk was to reach an area on the wall known simply as Sycamore Gap.

It’s a gap in the landscape with, erm……. ok no prizes for guessing a Sycamore Tree.

Now that doesn’t particularly sound impressive does it, until you actually see it. Oh, and if you are thinking it looks a little familiar, but you just cannot quite place the memory. Well perhaps you should take another look at Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and all will become apparent. A group of Australians we bumped into at the gap were not quite convinced after they were told, but one of the party managed to persuade the others they were not being subjected to some tourist trap trick.

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Today the only way to reach Dunstanburgh Castle is on foot along the exposed Northumberland coastline. We started out at Craster, home of the famous Robson and Son smoke house. The weather was overcast and windy, with the tide edging in as we walked, leading to some stunning waves breaking against the rocky coastline.
The route along the coast is littered with wildlife from various cattle to the Spot Eider Duck (known locally as Cuddy’s Duck after St. Cuthbert) and I won’t lie, lots of cow pats!

The castle itself, on which building commenced in 1313 by The Earl of Lancaster, sits alone, fringed on two sides by the North Sea, looking bleak and imposing. A great deal of the castle sits in ruin but it is still possible to climb (some very steep stairs) to the top of one of the towers. Once at the top it offers imposing views out across the North Sea, back to Craster and in the distance Bamburgh Castle.

As you walk the perimeter of the grounds you are rewarded with more magnificent views down into Gull Crag, whose 30 metre high cliffs provided ideal defences for the castle, and Queen Margaret’s Cove, where the waves crash in and over where the medieval builders placed the latrines!

Although it is in a ruinous state Dunstanburgh remains steeped in history and for all of its bleakness it is a stunning, peaceful reward at the end (or the middle) of your walk.

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On the National Trust website, Wallington is described as “Magnificent mansion with fine interiors and collections, set in an extensive garden and parkland”. It is an accurate description of what was once the home of the Trevelyan family, in Border Reiver country.

As you approach the estate,one of the first sights to greet you are the Griffins on the east lawn.

However, these stone heads do not mark the entrance to the site, you will have to continue a few hundred yards to the north to find the car park and entrance. The estate now owned and managed by the National Trust, is at the centre of a number of working farms which supply produce the farm shop at the southern end of the car park.

Having paid your entrance fee, or shown your National Trust membership card, you enter the Courtyard by walking through the archway under the clock. The Courtyard is a mis-leading description for this area of the estate as there is a large grassed, well tendered lawn to cross or walk round before reaching the big house itself. This area provides an ideal space for a picnic if the weather is nice, whilst other took the opportunity to kick a ball around during our visit.

Formal stable blocks house displays showing the history of the estate, some carriages, as well as the obligatory gift shop, tea room and restaurant. During the visit I stopped for a cup of tea and a scone, very reasonably priced and served quickly with a smile.

The house itself did not open until 1pm, so that provided ample time to take a look around the extensive grounds and woodland areas. One of the highlights was the walled garden, whose formal displays were clearly the result of many hours work by skilled gardeners. However, all this work was upstaged by mother nature herself, when a dragonfly made an appearance at the pond.

This rare sight drew cameras from bags and pockets from everyone in the area.

After the walled garden came a long walk in the extensive grounds of Wallington, though be warned, make sure you are wearing appropriate footwear. Thick soled shoes or boots are best as the paths vary in quality. That said virtually all sections are accessible to those who use wheelchairs.

Overall, you should allow yourself a good four hours to get the most out of your visit which includes the interior of the house itself. Contrary to the plaintive cries of one young man who said “What are we doing in here, it’s all just old stuff?” there is plenty to see and do.

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Acquired by The National Trust in 1983 Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal are part of a huge site just outside of Ripon. Fountains Abbey was established in 1132 by 13, French, Benedictine monks who left their order due to their outrage at the way their order was being broken. The monks originally travelled to York but were given the land on which Fountains Abbey now stands.

We spent much of the morning on a guided tour of the abbey with our most informative National Trust guide, John. All the while trying to avoid a large group of school children who were being taken on a tour, dressed as monks, by guides who were also dressed for and acting the part, complete with bell ringing, fighting and singing in the abbey!
Lunch was eaten in the grounds of the abbey which is incredibly tranquil.

After lunch we moved on to walk along the banks of the River Skell to the Studley Royal Water Gardens. Studley Royal was inherited by John Aislabie in 1693. He became the first Tory MP for Ripon in 1695 and 1718 became Chancellor of the Exchequer. The water gardens were influenced by the work of French gardeners but the design in entirely original.
Also in the gardens are several temples. These include The Temple of Fame and The Temple of Piety (which became known by us as the temple of pie eating – sorry).

You can also wander the cascades, formal canals and various bridges.

Our walk back to the visitors centre was via the deer park (not a deer in sight!) and St Marys Church, with a quick stop for a clotted cream tea at Lakeside.
All in all we spent a very pleasant day at Fountains. If you do go for a visit then I would highly recommend joining one of the guided tours, be it of the abbey or Studley Royal. Take a picnic and just enjoy.

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Today you are more likely to see leisure cruise craft, ferries or speedboats on the river, however in years gone by you could have seen keelmen loading all types of different cargo on to ships bound for ports worldwide.

The tradition of shipbuilding remains alive albeit on a much smaller scale. I’ll never forget seeing my first ship launch on to the river. For months the structure had been built at the Swan Hunter yard. Initially you could only hear the men working, then came the steel poking up over the railway line at the bottom of the terraced street. As the ship neared completion the light started to be blocked out and the ship dominate the view down the street. 

On a boiling hot sunny day it seemed as though the entire community had turned out to send the ship on its way. With a smash of a bottle of champagne on the steel side of the ship, a cheer from the crowd went up, as the massive structure slowly slide into the Tyne. Before we knew, the ship had been turned and sailed out to sea for it trials. Then the process began all over again with the next order.

The river has changed a lot since those days.

River-side apartments have sprung up on the north and south banks of the river. Even a new tilting bridge has been added that looks like a blinking eye when it is raised to let vessels pass up or downstream.

The arts have arrived in the shape of the Baltic Art Gallery to the left in the picture above, sitting just in front of a world class music venue that looks a little bit like an armadillo from the outside, The Sage.

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In the middle ages, someone accused of a serious offence could claim sanctuary in Durham Cathedral by knocking on the door. Having knocked and claiming sanctuary the local constables were unable to take any further action in the precincts of the Cathedral, such was the power of the Prince Bishops.

The fugitive from justice then had a period of thirty seven days in which they had to choose whether to stand trial in front of a magistrate or judge, or whether to leave the country by the nearest port.

Whilst the fearsome looking knocker on the north door looks really old, it is in fact a replica of the original. The original knocker remains on display within the cathedral in the Treasures of St Cuthbert exhibit.

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The legend of the Lambton Worm lives on forever through the song by the same name.

The lyrics, written in dialect, are available from the Traditional Music Library 

The Lambton Worm was made famous by the 1867 pantomime song by C.M. Leumane, performed at the Tyne Theatre in Newcastle Upon Tyne.

There is some disagreement locally, whether the worm slept at Penshaw Hill or Worm Hill, however, it is agreed, the worm caused fear and destruction throughout the area during its time.

If you are not a native of North East England you will have to listen carefully to words of the song, to understand the story that unfolds.

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