DUNSTAN & FRIENDS
HOLIDAY to NORTHUMBERLAND
13th JUNE 2011 to 17th JUNE 2011
Preamble
Higgy and Dunstan were chatting
after browsing through the Moorsline magazine, the journal of the
North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR).
"That was a great holiday,
especially the day we spent on the NYMR", said Dunstan.
"Yes it was, and I am looking
forward to our trip on the Settle-Carlisle", Higgy replied
excitedly. "However it is just a week away from Dad and
Uncle Gerry's holiday in Northumberland, and you will be going
along of course to see Aunt Pam & Uncle Kenny."
"I can't wait, Dunstan replied.
"It is hard to believe that Dad and Uncle Brian did not go
last year. It is not often that they miss a year. It is their
favourite holiday place and Dad told me that in all they have
been about 45 times."
"Who's going with you?"
"Fred and Glad of course, and
Bramble will be taking his pal Ally. After all Bramble like me
comes from Northumberland", replied Dunstan. "Oh and I
must not forget Cheviot and his pal Archie. We are staying again
at the Tankerville Arms in Wooler, and Dad adopted Cheviot there
in 2009. As for who else Dad decides to take we will just have to
wait and see."
"Do you think Uncle Gerry will
take you on the Heatherslaw Railway?", asked Higgy.
"I hope so and I plan to take
a few of my pals too. It is just a lovely ride by the River Till
to Etal and back, and we know the guard and driver, so with any
luck we will get to sit on the engine to have our picture taken."
"Well I hope you all have a
great time", said Higgy.
The Journey to Wooler
Monday dawned, and soon Dad was
loading the luggage in the car, so my pals and I hurried to
settle on the back seat. I had been right about who was coming,
but in addition Dad agreed to take Bamburgh, who too comes from
Northumberland, with his pal Oliver, and Tess and her pal Kenny,
who Dad had adopted from the Heatherslaw Railway in 2005.
"Which way are we going?",
asked Gladly.
"Up the M6 to Carlisle then
along the A69 to turn off at Greenhead onto the road over Hadrian's
Wall to Chollerford. Then we continue on the usual route to
Rothbury."
"Oh heck that means we will
pass the Howgills, so expect Dad to start naming the fells as
usual", said Fred, laughingly.
Not just the Howgills, but all the
scenery from the M6 is beautiful and we all enjoyed looking out
as we drove along. The worst part of the journey was along the A69,
the busy main road between Carlisle and Newcastle, where slow
lorries held us up.
Suddenly Bramble called out, "look
there is the sign reading 'Welcome to Northumberland'. Great to
be in our home county again."
"It sure is", replied
Bamburgh, Cheviot & Dunstan in unison.
Before long we were turning off
along the B6318, that passes near the remains of Hadrian's Wall
and for part of its length is actually built over the wall. We
saw the Housesteads Roman Fort, and also a large tree in a dip of
the wall.
Dad said, "look mate there's
the tree."
"What's the significance of
that?", asked Oliver quizzically.
"It features in one of our
favourite films, Robin Hood Prince of Thieves", replied Fred.
"We always try to spot it every time we come along here."
Eventually we crossed the river at
Chollerford then, at the crossroads turned left towards Rothbury.
Again we enjoyed the beautiful countryside, passing the National
Trust house of Wallington. Then eventually the Simonside Hills
came into view, that set our hearts racing in the knowledge that
we were nearing the end of our journey. We did not go to the
hotel yet however, instead we went to Chillingham Castle, the
intention being for Dad and Uncle Brian to have lunch in the tea
room, run by Aunt Julie, the daughter of Uncle Kenny and Aunt Pam.
Archie, Cheviot and I went in with them.
Although it had been two years
since the last visit, the lady selling the tickets etc,
recognised them. Aunt Julie and Heather who was working too, made
a fuss and we were fussed too. They came to chat when the tea
room had quietened down. A nice lunch was enjoyed - soup and
sandwich, then Dad had a piece of lovely home made chocolate cake,
all washed down with pots of tea.
Then it was on to Wooler and the Tankerville Arms, where we were staying. When room keys are
issued teddy bears, like our pal Cheviot are attached, and indeed
that was how he came to be adopted. Dad took Cheviot with him to
check-in, to explain this, and Duncan, remembered them too, even
to the room we had had in 2009! This time we had a different room,
on the first floor, so it was easier for Uncle Brian, there not
being too many stairs to climb. We were glad to get settled in
and rest, sitting in a circle chatting about the journey.
Meanwhile, Fred & Gladly, were
sitting on Dad's bed, doing their 'Angel of the North' impression.
We nicknamed them Michael and Gabriel!
Tuesday
Today was spent visiting Uncle Jeff
at his shop in Chatton, then on to see Uncle Kenny & Aunt Pam.
I went along of course, together with Fred and Gladly. Oh how
great it was to see them again after all this time, and we sat
quietly by while they talked the hours away with Dad and Uncle
Brian, catching up on all the happenings. In the evening we
rested in the room, having our meal arranged by our pal Cheviot,
of course.
Wednesday
Dad and Uncle Brian were not
visiting any one today, so there was some excitement amongst us
when I told the rest of my pals that the first part of the day
was to be spent riding on the Heatherslaw Light Railway.
"Can Tess and I come along?",
asked Kenny.
"Absolutely", I replied.
"After all you were adopted from the shop there, after a
previous trip and you wear the name sash with pride. You and Tess
will definitely be riding the train today."
Can Archie and I travel too?",
asked Cheviot.
"Of course Lads", I
replied.
"I would like to come along
with my pal Oliver", said Bamburgh. "We are not
bothered about the ride on the train. I did hear Uncle Brian
mention going to that new farmshop and cafe at Belford, that Aunt
Pam told them about. From there it is just a short way to
Bamburgh village, which I am named after, and I am sure they will
go there as it is one of their favourite places."
All this was decided while Dad and
Uncle Brian were down having breakfast. When they returned Uncle
Brian sat a few minutes to rest, before getting ready to leave.
Excited and ready for the off we dashed down to the car and got
settled on the back seat. Dad took the main road north for a few
miles, before turning right along a wide straight road leading to
a t-junction. Turning left it was only a short distance to
Heatherslaw. We parked in the yard facing the track.
"Look Dad", I called out,
"there's Mick the guard walking along the platform."
As he walked past where were were
parked, he noticed Dad, recognised him, even though we had not
been for three years, and waved.
We scrambled out of the car and
headed to the booking office, where Dad and Uncle Brian bought
the tickets. Then it was on to the platform to settle in the
carriage.
l-r -
Dunstan with Tess, Cheviot with Kenny & Archie
Mick came
along to check the tickets, and seeing us remarked to Dad, "I
see you've got your teddies with you again".
"Yes",
replied Dad. "They always have to come for a ride on the
railway. It is good to see you again and we are really looking
forward to the ride to Etal and back."
Soon it was
time to depart, Mick blew the whistle, and we pulled gently out
of the station. The journey is delightful running by the banks of
the River Till in a wide circle towards Etal. Dad was busy with
his camera and took this shot forward.
Through the trees there were nice
views of the river, like the one below, as we looked out. At one
point we spotted a heron standing motionless, waiting for an
unwary fish to swim by and become his lunch.
Soon we were running into the
little station at Etal, with the backdrop of the ruins of the
castle.
Here the engine is detached, then
manually turned on the turntable, to then run on the loop to be
attached to the other end of the carriages for the return journey.
While Uncle Brian remained in the carriage, we and Dad leapt off
to watch the proceedings, and here is the locomotive carefully
being backed on to the carriages by the driver Carl.....
and safely attached ready for
departure.
On past visits the train was hauled
by a locomotive named Lady Augusta, which is still used when
there is more than one train running at a time. However on day-to-day
running the train is hauled by their new locomotive Bunty at 2-6-0
Tender Tank, introduced to service in 2010. The locomotive was
begun in 2005 by Neville Smith, Heatherslaw Light Railway's
founder, and completed by Alan Keef Ltd, following Nevilles
untimely death in 2009. The name is actually Nevilles
nickname for his wife, Bernice, and according to a book on the
origin of names means little rabbit!
Dad then took our picture, as he
always does here, sitting on the seat.
Mick had been busy checking the
tickets for the return journey, but now came along to talk to
Carl and he remarked to Dad, "have you got your pictures."
"Yes", Dad replied, but
then asked, "would be possible for the bears to sit on the
engine footplate"
"It's rather dirty and oily",
he replied.
However Carl said, "we can use
this rag to wipe the oil off the floor, and I can then burn it in
the engine."
This done, we quickly climbed up
and settled on the footplate. This made our day, especially Kenny,
who originated from the railway.
Departure time was near, so
thanking Carl and Mick, we trotted down the platform and climbed
aboard the carriage. Mick blew his whistle, acknowledged by a
toot from Carl, and the train pulled out of Etal Castle Station.
At one point the track curved quite sharply and there is a
passing loop, that facilitates the operation of two trains.
So, all too soon we were pulling
into Heatherslaw Station at the end of our ride, and we called
out our thanks to Carl and Mick. Then we sat and watched the
train depart once again for Etal.
We all waved our paws and Kenny
called out, "thanks Dad for letting me ride. I have had the
time of my life."
Lunch was the next priority, and
Dad suggested going to Sunny Hills at Belford, as recommended by
Aunt Pam. Uncle Brian readily agreed. Dad consulted the map and a
route was devised. This took us past the village of Ford and on
to Lowick. In about the middle of the village we took a road to
the right across country.
As we drove along, Archie remarked
to his pal Cheviot, "according to the Satnav, this road is
called the Devil's Causeway."
"So it is", replied
Cheviot. "I wonder why."
"There have been long straight
stretches, so I wonder if originally it dates from Roman times?",
said Bamburgh.
"We'll have to look it up on
Dad's laptop", when we got back", I replied.
We did, and Bamburgh's surmise was
correct. We had indeed been travelling along part of the Roman
road known as the Devil's Causeway. It starts at Port Gate, now a
roundabout where the Roman Dere Street (A68 road) crosses the
Military road. From here it can be traced through Northumberland
for about 55 miles north to Berwick-upon-Tweed.
Incidentally the Military Road is
the name given locally to part of the B6318 road in
Northumberland, which runs from Heddon-on-the-Wall in the east to
Greenhead in the west. For much of its length the road is
straight and gives the appearance of a Roman road. However the 'military
road' term comes from the building of the road by Hanoverian
forces in 1746 in order to suppress the Jacobites to the north.
The main features of the road is that it runs alongside Hadrian's
Wall for much of its length, and in some parts the road is built
on the foundation of the wall. Indeed we regularly use the
section from Greenhead to Chollerford, when we travel to and from
Northumberland.
Well after all that I'd better get
back to the day. The Devil's Causeway road eventually brought us
to a junction with the road between Belford and Fowberry. Here we
turned left , to climb steeply up, where looking back there was a
superb view of the Cheviots. Just nowhere to pull in on the very
narrow road to get a picture. Soon we were dropping down into
Belford, where at the junction we went right to come to Sunny
Hills, set back off the road.
Here Dad and Uncle Brian enjoyed a
lovely lunch. It can be truly recommended. There is an excellent
farm shop selling all sorts of goods. The meat especially looked
to be really excellent. Sunnyhills.
Cheviot had arranged for the hotel
to pack us a picnic, which we had sitting at the table in the
centre of the picture. Then while we waited for Dad and Uncle
Brian we went to look at the alpacas in the adjacent paddock.
As we climbed into the car once
again, Bamburgh asked, "where are we going now?"
"To Bamburgh, after which you
are named", replied Uncle Brian.
Crossing the A1, the route led us
first to Budle Bay a large inlet. We stopped here, and Dad took
Bamburgh, Oliver and myself to have our picture taken amongst the
grass above the bay. As you can see the tide was in.
l-r Oliver,
Bamburgh & Dunstan
Just a short drive
then brought us to Bamburgh, the pretty village dominated by its
huge castle. It is very popular with visitors and we began to
doubt that we could find anywhere to park, but finally Dad did.
He and Uncle Brian went to the RNLI shop at the Grace Darling
museum and then sat outside for a while. Meanwhile Bamburgh took
Oliver and myself on a quick tour of the village, before he and
Oliver posed on the wall in front of the church.
You might just spot someone walking
up the path in the back ground between the bears. It was two
ladies, and when they saw us and Dad, remarked that they has seen
him taking our picture at Budle Bay. He was obliged to briefly
tell what was going on.
Well, that was the end of our day
out and we now just drove via Chatton, to Wooler and the
Tankerville Arms, where we told our other pals all about our day.
Thursday
This morning we woke up to find it
was raining, so I was a little down hearted as to what we would
be doing today, especially as I had promised to take Bramble and
his pal Ally with us.
"Well let's see what it is
like after breakfast", said Dad as he and Uncle Brian headed
out of the room. Ours was delivered to the room, as arranged by
Cheviot.
After they returned some discussion
took place.
Dad said, "we have just got
the morning to kill, as we are meeting Aunt Pam, Uncle Kenny,
Aunt Julie and Uncle Colin, for lunch at Sunnyhills once again.
So how about we go to Alnwick and Barter Books, as there are
thousands of books to browse and we will be inside if it rains."
Uncle Brian's eyes lit up at this
suggestion, as he is an avid reader and loves looking round
bookshops.
We drove south along the A697, then
took a turning left, along one one of the few roads we had not
been on before in this area, to join the road from Chatton, and
so right passing along by the high wall of the Alnwick Castle
estate. Then driving through the main street and under the narrow
arch of the ancient gateway, turned right up the slope to Barter
Books, that is located in the building of the former Alnwick
Railway Station. You can see Dad's car parked in front.
Uncle Brian made his way inside
eager to get browsing, but Dad kindly took the time to take our
picture sitting on the seat outside.
l-r Dunstan,
Bramble & Ally
Just across
the road is the tall Tenantry Column. The Doric column is 83 feet (25 m) tall
and topped by the Percy Lion, symbol of the Percy family. It was
designed by the Newcastle architect David Stephenson and erected
as thanks to the second Duke of Northumberland, by his tenants in
1816, following a reduction in their rents. Buried in a cavity in
the foundations is the regimental roll of the late Percy Tenantry
volunteers, written on vellum and sealed in a glass tube.
Anecdotal history
suggests there is slightly more to the story of the column; the
local Rothbury website summing matters up thus:
During the 19th century local
farmers profited, very nicely thank you, from the high
cost of goods sold to support the war with France. The
Duke, reviewing his rents, as one does, saw fit to
suggest a small increase; double or possibly quadruple.
And everyone was happy.
Unfortunately when peace broke
out, reduced prices in the market place created a cash
flow problem and farmers were unable to meet the vastly
increased rents. They commented on this to the Duke who
reduced the rents accordingly. The tenants in their turn,
felt beholden to such generosity and erected a column,
topped by the Percy Lion to express their gratitude to
the Duke.
The Duke in his turn decided
that if the tenantry could afford such an edifice then
they could afford the rents which were promptly raised
again. The cost of this edifice was such that with the re-imposed
rental increase farmers were unable to survive and
promptly went into bankruptcy. But the subscriptions were
insufficient to complete the monument and the Duke was
forced to finish it himself. Noblesse Oblige. Also
interesting as it is reported that the Duke died before
its completion.
Now you will see that there is blue
sky through the clouds, but it was as well that Dad took these
pictures when he did as shortly the skies darkened and there was
a terrific downpour that lasted for some time. We however were
safely inside, this vast secondhand bookshop, in fact one of the
largest in Britain.
The shelves stretch away to the
distant table, and then as far again beyond. An absolute paradise
for book hunters. This part of the building is where once stood
the track and one of the platforms of the station. Before
reaching this area, there are more books, and above the shelving
is a miniature railway with trains running round.
Above is The Writers Gallery,
painted by Peter Dodd. It consists of more than forty life-size
figures, beginning with, on the Lower Gallery: Charlotte Brontë,
Toni Morrison, Salman Rushdie, Angela Carter, Jane Austen, George
Eliot, Virginia Woolf, W B Yeats, Wm Faulkner, Samuel Beckett,
Ernest Hemingway, George Orwell, Mark Twain, an intruder cat, T S
Eliot, R L Stevenson, F Scott Fitzgerald, Emily Dickinson, Ted
Hughes, John Keats, Wilfred Owen, Scarecrow, Spike Milligan, Toad,
Ratty, Alan Bennett, Mole, Badger. Upper Gallery: G B Shaw,
Langston Hughes, Walt Whitman, Oscar Wilde, Shakespeare, Tom
Stoppard, James Joyce, Doris Lessing holding Archie (owner's
moggie), Russell (ditto), Charles Dickens, Edward Lear. Many more
too are commemorated along the railing.
On the other side of the wall is
The Railway Mural, designed by Mary Manley, who with her husband
Stuart opened Barter Books in 1991. It stands in recognition of
the pivotal role played by the North East of England in the
railway, and in memory of all the Alnwick Station staff. The
mural consists of the names of all known staff from 1850-1968. It
is just possible to see that some names are singled out in red,
and these are of the Stationmasters. The design also includes the
coats-of-arms of the three railway companies that were in
operation during the Station's working life: North Eastern
Railway, the London and North East Railway and British Railways.
We were fascinated by all this, and
wandered around, while Uncle Brian and Dad were book browsing.
Unsurprisingly Dad was browsing books about walking, while Uncle
Brian was concentrating on biographies.
"It isn't half raining hard
Dad", said Ally.
"Too true Lad, so lets go and
have a snack in the 'Station Buffet'", he replied.
This is situated in what is called
the skylight room, long lost and rediscovered by chance. Adjacent
is seating in three rooms called the red, green & blue. They
were formerly the gentlemans 1st class waiting room, a passage
way between platforms 1 & 2 and the ladies 1st class waiting
room, respectively. They had tea and coffee and a cake each.
"This is a very nice addition
to the place", remarked Dad.
"Yes just up your street",
replied Bramble, laughingly.
Before leaving we sat on the table
and posed for our picture.
It was time now to be heading off
up the A1 to meet up with Aunt Pam and Uncle Kenny for lunch at
Sunnyhills. Thankfully the rain had passed over, and the sun was
coming out as we drove north. Again Cheviot had arranged a picnic
for us which today we had sitting in the car as it was rather too
breezy to sit out. Dad and Uncle Brian had a great time with Aunt
Pam, Uncle Kenny, Aunt Julie and Uncle Colin. Once again it was a
nice lunch and there was time to have a really good chat and not
a few laughs too. Finally it was time to say goodbyes until next
year and I went and said my goodbyes too. Then before we left Dad
took us sitting on the table outside.
Well we were all ready to return to
the hotel and have a rest, especially as there was the journey
home to be faced tomorrow. We took the Fowberry Road out of
Belford, the one we had come down yesterday. As we reached the
crest there was again that superb view to the Cheviots.
As we drove on, I called out,
"just look at that poppy field. It looks beautiful."
"I get the hint", replied
Dad stopping the car and then reaching for the camera, as he got
out.
Further on we came to the narrow
Fowberry Bridge.
It was built 1825 in dressed stone,
for Matthew Culley of Fowberry Tower. It consists of a single
segmental arch spanning the River Till, and a segmental carriage
arch over the drive to Fowberry Tower, which we could clearly see
over the wall.
This diversion over, we continued
to join the road from Chatton, and so to Wooler and the
Tankerville Arms. Another interesting day, and once again we
regaled the rest of our pals with the details. Going home
tomorrow, there was just one more thing to do. That was to troop
down to the garden for our usual end of holiday group picture.
Oliver with Dunstan
in front, Bramble, Gladly with Tess, Archie, Fred with Kenny,
Ally, Bamburgh & Cheviot
So ended a lovely holiday in
Northumberland. Having not visited last year, we all realised how
much we had missed seeing this beautiful county and visiting our
friends. Dad and Uncle Brian vowed not to miss a year in the
future. Friday dawned dry with sunny periods. After breakfast
packing was done and Dad took the cases to the car. We settled on
the back seat, but Cheviot went to reception with Dad to check
out. We had thoroughly enjoyed our stay and can recommend the
Tankerville Arms without reservation. There then followed an
uneventful journey home.
Thank you Dad from us all for a
lovely holiday. Dunstan.