Distance: 36.8 Miles / 59.2 Kms
Elevation: 728ft / 222m
Terrain: Trail = 27.19 miles / 43.76 kms ; Tarmac = 9.61 miles / 15.47 kms
Bike: CX / Gravel / MTB
Difficulty: Easy
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/76571025
I was looking for a nice flat ride for a change. No leg-breaking climbs, no mudfest and no getting lost. Just an easy spin on good trails with plenty to keep me interested. I knew exactly the ride for this one.
The River Tyne is tidal for a good 20 miles, snaking inland from Tynemouth on the coast (where else would it be!) to Wylam, on the border of Northumberland and Tyne & Wear. At Wylam a weir holds back the encroaching water, as it tries over and over to force its way deeper into the Northumberland countryside…but with every tide destined to fail. Almost entirely within the county of Tyne & Wear, this 20 mile stretch of water has been a vital artery for the industry of this area for centuries. It has allowed shipping to import and export goods and raw materials to and from the numerous factories and collieries along its banks, and, of course, many ships have been built in its famous dockyards. Another story of industrial boom and bust can be told around every meander. This ride would be a chance to learn a little bit more of the great history and heritage of Tyneside.
JC accompanied me for this early evening ride, following the South bank of the river from Wylam to the Tyne Pedestrian Tunnel at North Shields, before returning on the opposite side. The weather was mild and sunny as we set off from the Old Station Car Park, but as we crossed Wylam bridge we noted a moderate Easterly wind…which is not so common in August. Easterlies are normally associated with the cold wintery gales blowing in from Siberia. These winds were mild enough, and would at least give us a push home.
I gazed up at Wylam’s iconic overhead signal box as we swung into the “new” station car park to pick up the Keelmans Way towards Newcastle. Late Nineteenth century signal boxes such as these are quite a rare sight, but the Newcastle to Carlisle line is lucky enough to have two, the other being at Hexham. Standing like a grand sentry box, this ”rail traffic control tower” keeps an eye on all proceedings about the railway and it’s near quarters below. I have only ventured into this old hallowed timber box once, in my youth, when a train was well-overdue and I had clambered up the steep steps (which are surprisingly high) to interrogate the poor signalman. It is some view from up there!
Across the tracks punters sat at tables in front of the Boat House pub, enjoying a real ale in the early evening sunshine. I have many fond memories of pulling pints from behind the bar of this popular Camra award winning establishment, and I’m glad to see it is still doing well. I wouldn’t be the forgetful alcohol-seasoned inebriate that I am today if it hadn’t been for this place!
The smooth Keelman’s Way runs East on the bank between river and rails, and soon we were skirting Tyneside golf club and headed for Ryton Willows nature reserve. Note as you pass the golf club that the path swings away from the river around a fenced off area of apparent waste ground. In fact, the path has been relocated further and further from the river over recent years as an underground fire has smouldered and burned the earth to the point of collapse. You may still see smoke rising from the ground and detect an acrid burnt odour as you pass. Beware of flying golf balls here too, as the rerouted path forces you closer to the golfers firing line.
Although it may be that you have just left behind the risk of injury from flying projectiles, should you have been riding across Ryton Willows during 1610 (admittedly prior to the invention of the bicycle), then the risk of injury from projectiles would have been much greater. The Battle of Newburn Ford took place here, when an English army of 3,500 men located on the willows, faced 22,500 Scots gathered on the far riverbank at Newburn. The Scots were looking for a place to cross the river in order to attack Newcastle from the South, and Newburn ford, situated where the road bridge now stands, was their first opportunity. They waited for low tide in order to cross, and after being beaten back twice by the English guns and cannons, they succeeded in crossing on their third attempt. The English army retreated to County Durham and the Scots went on to take Newcastle. So musket balls, cannon balls and even arrows, which were used for the last time in a British Battle by the Scottish Highlanders, would have been the aerial threats in 1610. Of course, it couldn’t have been a more tranquil evening when we passed.
Further along this old battlefield is a wide promenade running in front of attractive new houses looking out over the river at Stella Haughs. This area has seen a few different faces over recent centuries. Originally named after the nearby Stella Hall, which has since been demolished, the land was adopted in 1887 as the horse race track for the annual Blaydon Races, which had moved from its original site of Blaydon Island on the Tyne. Later, the site was used as the grounds of Blaydon Rugby Club and by Newcastle University Boat Club. Following compulsory purchase in 1951, it was then used for the construction of Stella South coal-fired power station, along with a neighbouring Stella North site on the opposite bank near Lemington. The power stations operated until 1991, and were demolished soon after their closure. I remember standing atop a nearby hill one Sunday morning in the early Nineties, watching the demolition of the cooling towers. The sound of the explosives set off car alarms all over the place, but it was great to watch.
The Keelmans Way took us past Blaydon Station and deposited us onto the pot-holed tarmac of Blaydon’s industrial estates. We weaved our way through the estates, keeping an eye out for articulating artics and veering vans. Thankfully, this was only a short section before the route rejoined the riverside on gravel paths. You will know you are on the right course if you pass under the old Scotswood railway bridge, resplendent with its bold yet underwhelming graffiti…no Banksy artwork to be seen here! I’m showing my age, but I remember crossing this bridge as a child, travelling into Newcastle on the train with my mother. Beyond this vague memory, the only other overriding image I have of these trips was being dragged complainingly across the synthetic carpets of Fenwicks haberdashery department, before being jolted awake by an electro-static shock following inadvertent contact with one of the metal-rimmed glass counters. I spent the rest of my time attempting to avoid a build up of electrical charge by walking like a paranoid child with bilateral footdrop and in fear of “completing the circuit” by contacting anyone or anything. Happy days indeed…
As soon as you pass beneath one bridge you are presented with another. The Scotswood road bridge opened in 1967, replacing an older chain bridge that had been the first bridge to be completed over the Tyne in the industrial era when it was built in 1831. Just beyond is the site of the former Scotswood and Elswick Works of the Armstrong Whitworth Company, later becoming Vickers Armstrong. This company of the famous industrialist William Armstrong, built armaments, ships, locomotives, aircraft and automobiles and stretched an amazing three miles East of here along the banks of the river. The company employed 13,000 personnel in its heyday and had its own steel works and iron and brass foundries. It was renowned as one of the most important builders of warships in the world, but it also produced many important military vehicles, planes and weapons. Most notable were some of the first tanks, with the iconic 102 mkIV accounting for a large proportion of all the tanks used by the British army in World War One. The British Army’s primary battle tank, the Centurion, was built here between 1946 and 1959. The company shrank in size over the years due to a reduction in defence spending, as well as increased automation and computer-controlled technology. The buildings at the Elswick works were becoming tired and the heating bill for the whole site was £1million per year, and the system was inefficient. Eventually, in the 1970’s both sites were demolished and a new factory was built at Scotswood, producing solely military vehicles, as can be seen by the buildings that stand today. The Vickers factory in Scotswood closed in 2012, but production was thankfully restarted in 2015, under the new ownership of Reece Construction Group, and it continues today. The Elswick site is now the Newcastle Business Park. Phew…it is not easy condensing such an extensive history!
We made our way past the ever-bustling Metro Centre…Britain’s early answer to an American Shopping “Mall”. Built in the 1980’s on the site of the former Dunston Power Station, it was the mastermind project of local property-developer and previous chairman of Newcastle United, Sir John Hall. It is, however, some folk’s idea of hell to be trapped by their partner and children within the confines of this vast retail enclosure!
Pedalling swiftly away to avoid any onset of PTSD, JD and I soon found ourselves trundling freely along riverfront promenades again. We had reached the wooden behemoth that is Dunston Staiths, which is believed to be the largest timber structure in Europe. The grade 2 listed staiths were built in 1893 to allow coal trains arriving from the Durham coalfields to deliver their loads directly onto waiting colliers (coal ships). With the decline of the coal industry in the last century the staiths had fallen out of use. Serious fires have since destroyed parts of the structure on a number of occasions, however, donations of time and money by charity and volunteer groups have helped to start regenerating this fantastic beast of our industrial past.
We followed the old coal line inland for a short distance to see how it fared, and I was glad to see that it is a well kept path which is evidently well used. Before long we cut back towards the river to continue our journey. We were now close to the Quayside, and as we approached, the spans of Newcastle’s seven bridges arched across our line of sight. Successively different and further from our view, they ran for a mile, like a line of huge showjumping fences. It is difficult to imagine Newcastle without them.
Joining the road running from the Swing bridge (a creation of William Armstrong’s to allow ships to pass to and from his works upstream) we took our first left and dashed quickly beneath the deck of the Tyne bridge. The kittiwake droppings on the pavement smell bad enough without having to wear them too.
The great ballooning glass windows of the Sage Gateshead loomed above us as we rode by on our way towards the Millenium bridge and Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art. Smooth wide tarmac allowed us to look up and take in the sights and sounds. As JD and I stood talking, a siren and tannoy announced that the millennium bridge would be rotating to allow a yacht to pass in five minutes time. What good timing! I hadn’t previously witnessed this feat of engineering in action.
It was amazing to see that no apparent end of warning can stop some people from wanting to cross the bridge at the last minute! Even when every other person and a few impatient cyclists had eventually vacated the bridge, one solitary women decided to amble across. She wasn’t in any haste at all…her high heels clinking slowly and rhythmically as she strode over the metal walkway. The poor yachtsman was left dizzying himself… turning in circles on the river, whilst waiting with the gathered crowds for the Millenium Eye to slowly “blink”. The women in question didn’t even pay regard to the maintenance guy as she left and, ignoring eye contact with the general public, she powered slowly on to her destination. We laughed at the incredulity of it all.
The bridge silently and slowly tilted on its axis and the yacht slid through on its path upstream. JD and I continued on our journey. There was no need to watch it return to its starting position…there was more to see downstream.
Decent grafitti is usually welcome in my book. It certainly brightens up what would otherwise be a plain ugly wall. Who remembers Hong Kong Phooey? This artist is showing their age! We laughed as we remembered the theme tune : “Who is this super hero? Sarge? No. Rosemary, the telephone operator? No. Penry, the mild-mannered janitor? Could Be!”…
Via quiet roads and paths it was easy to navigate the route following the river East of Newcastle. Certainly, it was easy following my route map on gps too. Soon we were passing the large Shepherd Offshore Technology Park on the far bank, which offers a wide range of services to the maritime industry. Huge cranes stood ready to handle cargoes, whilst warehouse high cable reels of various bright colours crowded around their base, almost precariously close to the water’s edge. Heavy industry is fascinating. What curiously looked like a bright yellow roller coaster was actually a mechanism for winding the giant cables onto their drums, diving and twisting its way along the quayside.
It was as we approached the stretch of the river at Hebburn, with Walker and Wallsend on the opposite banks, that we became acutely aware of the disused shipyards which are now relics of Tyneside’s industrial past. Old warehouses, large areas of fenced off wasteland and flooded drydocks are all that are left of businesses like Swan Hunters and Hawthorn Leslie, which built some of the worlds finest ships and employed many of the region’s workers. Of course, other businesses have utilised land and warehouses where they could, and regeneration is slowly taking place in the form of new riverside housing, but shipbuilding appears to have left for good. Hopefully, when one door closes another one opens, but it is a big door that needs to open to replace a lost industry such as this.
Being unable to pass through the area of the old shipyards, we pedalled uphill and away from the river to skirt around them. Although you see very little evidence of it when you ride by, this area was also the site of Hebburn Colliery and it’s three pits, famous for its links to the invention of Humphrey Davy’s miners lamp. Coal trains would also arrive from the Durham Coalfields to be loaded onto ships on this section of the river. One thing that can be said is that the air and water quality today is much better than it would have been a century ago, when this area was booming with all sorts of heavy industry. I wonder what the response would have been if you were to ask a hebburn miner, or a politician for that matter, what they thought of the level of carbon emissions!?
A further mile down the road and we were dropping down to the Tyne Pedestrian Tunnel. I have mentioned it a few times on previous blogposts, so I won’t rave on about it again, but I never fail to enjoy the experience of a ride in these porcelain-lined tunnels beneath the Tyne. All I will say is try it yourself!
As you might guess, we emerged back into daylight on the North side of the river, and it was time to change direction and ride upstream. Maybe it just coincided with our timings, but it wasn’t until we faced the setting sun, that we realised time was going to be against us. It shouldn’t be a huge problem as the route was generally well lit and flat, and we had a tailwind of course.
Weaving through a housing estate we picked up the Hadrian’s Cycleway…a 170 mile route across Northern England and part of the national cycle network. With only minor deviations, the route would take us directly back to the car.
You have to admire Willington Dene Viaduct as you pass. Built between 1837-39 for the Newcastle & North-East Railway Company, it now carries the Tyne & Wear Metro rather than steam trains, but it is great to see it in all its splendour. Curiously, a woman was crouched into a ball on the wide open grassland below the viaduct. I’m pretty sure she was simply taking a photo of a flower on her phone, rather than shooting up, but I can’t say for sure and it looked pretty odd. Hey, it’s none of my business anyway!
I hadn’t realised that the cycleway runs directly past Segedunum Roman Fort until it was upon us. “Segedunum”, meaning “strong fort”, was built as part of the construction of Hadrian’s Wall in AD122. It was needed to protect the Eastern end of the wall and housed 600 Roman soldiers. A museum exhibits Roman finds from the excavation of the fort, and part of Hadrian’s Wall itself is here, as well as a 35 metre high viewing tower gives a great aerial view of the site. I imagine you get a good view of the old shipyards too. If you didn’t visit on a school trip, then go and take a look now…preferably when a school coach isn’t in the car park.
We were now making rapid progress, partly by way of smooth tarmac paths and partly by the necessity to finish before dark, though we still had time to stop and admire the things that interested us. A good example of this was St Peters Marina, with its flotilla of anchored yachts and boats, overlooked by modern apartments. I am, like many others, drawn to a life by the waters edge. It may be something to do with the idea of freedom and escape that the water seems to invoke in people.
Before returning to Newcastle quayside, we rode across the open tarmac on the edge of the old Spillers Flour Mill site. Now earmarked for major investment in the form of a £100million leisure development, this area has been given the green light to construct a 460ft observation wheel. Dubbed “The Whey Aye”, the wheel will be the biggest of its kind in Europe, and will be accompanied by a restaurant, entertainment centre, giant sports deck and a virtual golf club. There will also be a 39ft statue known as the Geordie Giant. The development will add another interesting angle to Newcastle’s visitor proposition, but whether I’ll be spinning aloft in a glass capsule on a windy day is a different matter! Maybe on a still summer evening at dusk, when I can imagine a magical scene of the lights of Tyneside reflected in the river.
At the entrance to the Ouseburn, in a building that resembles a landlocked boat, sits the Cycle Hub. This cafe offers more than just coffee and cake or even a beer and bacon butties. You can hire bikes or book your own bike in for a repair in their workshop. They may even be able to take a look at your ailing bike whilst you relax on the outdoor terrace, taking in the superb views of the Quayside with your beverage. You won’t want to leave, even though you now can with your repaired ride.
It is worth pointing out that the name of the Keelmans Way comes from the men who operated the wooden flat bottomed boats or “keels” that would travel up and down the river carrying coal from collieries upstream to awaiting coal ships, or “colliers” further downstream. The keelman would take advantage of the ebb and flow of the tide to travel, but they used oars and, later, a sail to aid their journey, if the conditions were right. The colliers were too large to operate beyond the point where the Ouseburn met the Tyne, so the cargoes of coal would be shovelled from one vessel to the other near here. This back-breaking work was done by the crew, often working after dark.
The setting sun radiated a distant glow over the cityscape from the horizon beyond. Shadows were starting to lengthen as we weaved our way between the early evening strollers on the quayside. It felt like we were chasing the light.
We hugged the Tyne as we sped along the tarmac and trail of the Hadrians Way. There is an easy sense of pleasure to be had from steadily pedalling along a flat course at an unfaltering pace. Your muscles are working efficiently yet not quite producing enough lactate to put you beyond the cusp of the pain barrier. This pleasure is enhanced by the further efficiencies gained by working with others, as you alternate periods of effort on the front, pushing the wind out of the way whilst your companions sit in your slipstream.
At Newburn, paddleboarders were taking advantage of a still evening on the river. We sped past and joined the old Scotswood, Newburn and Wylam railway line for the final roll back to the Old Station Car Park at Wylam.
Half a mile before our finish in Wylam, we passed George Stephenson’s Cottage. The famous “inventor of the railways” was born here in 1781. He lived with his parents and four brothers and sisters, all crammed into one room. The house itself was divided into a tenement, shared between four families. Not much privacy here it seems! At the time, a wooden waggonway ran past the cottage, and horses would pull “cauldrons” of coal along it on their journey from Wylam Colliery to the Quayside on the Tyne.
We had certainly sampled Tyneside’s industrial history and heritage, and witnessed the changing face of its river. Eleven bridges and one tunnel too…that’s a decent figure for any civil engineer.
