Bardon Mill to Bellingham (part 1 of the cycle route to Redesdale)

Living as we do by the South Tyne, it is inevitable that you have to go uphill before you can get to any other landscape than our own river. So up to Hadrian’s Wall to begin: the high point being Steel Rigg (a climb of 200 metres, to 288).

 [view back South from Steel Rigg]

Then it's a nice long freshening cycle downhill, with the gorgeous Winshield crags on your left, first exposed and geometric, then the even more nicely wooded Cawfield crags. On the right meanwhile, the open valleys of the feeder burns into Haltwhistle have farms dotted at equal distances around their low rolling fields.

It’s a nice area, used to have a Roman aqueduct through it, and at the junction near Caw gap you turn right, and north.

When we returned this way 2 days later, we had forgotten all about this section and it felt new again: it is minor roads, good surface, a little up and a little down as you cross Caw Burn then Pont Gallon Burn, and go up a little rightward at Edges Green to meet the sheep and cattle of Herding Crags (see warning sign below).

Here you cross the first sniff of moorland before you hit the plantation edge. 

This plantation carries on north to a massive extent, Wark and Kielder and Redesdale and Kershope forests all merging and both sides of the border. Never trust the white forestry tracks on OS maps, but the ones black dashed alongside are pretty reliable, and you can cycle in loops of miles and miles in here without covering the same ground twice.

We stuck to the 68 cycle route, and this took us over three quite distinct types of forestry track area. But first you get this view of the hills that are your destination, above Redesdale.

Type one, from the southern edge by Scotchcoulthard & Robinrock Rigg, with the distinctive mast of HopeAlone to your right, was 3km of great fun for speeding down at the stretch ahead of you (till puddles or narrow bridges cross the sikes). You have it to yourself, no one around, and the tall trees close in your route like a tunnel which, nonetheless, has a fairly open aspect with views to the Cheviots bangon ahead of you North. Great fun.

Type two, 4km with HopeAlone visible again to your right as you turn to the northeast, crosses more active and worked forestry lands (recently felled, open squares, huge scales, a portacabin by the side of the road, feels more industrial. IN that particular forestry style of an open, countryside industrial. The surface of the road was less firm and narrow tyres would risk a skid.

 

Plenty of orchids around : I counted 5 varieties.

Type three, just a couple of km, has inhabited farms and a pastoral feel: surrounded by forestry but itself consisting of lush meadowland grass and the sweet conjunction of streams: Warks Burn, Marl Sike, Saughy Sike, and of paths (I had walked past here in a completely different direction one week earlier, searching out Green bothy).

Stonehaugh –  what with covid19 we did not venture in, but you get a sense of the nice crags even as the cycle route ignores the righthand turn into it. A good place to camp and picnic in other years.

Instead, we picnicked on a bit of rock sheltered by spruce, and enjoyed the foxgloves and orchids. Somewhere near the wonderfully named Lousy Bog. The nearest dwelling calls itself Roses Bower, perhaps in protest.

Then it’s a quick turn of the map as the path does a rather bewildering right angle turn as it goes East on a narrow road between two burns, Blacka Burn and  Warks Burn, briefly joins the Pennine Way at Leadgate, ignores it and then swiftly rejoins it at Hetherington: check your signposts and your maps in this confusing little section: you end up heading Northwest. And I liked this spot: it was new to me and fully on the outside of the forestry, with views down to the North Tyne.

The cross and evidence of fortified farmsteads and Peel towers brought to life the Reiver history that I was inspired to read up on when we returned from our cycle trip.

Plus we saw a Green woodpecker. One each in fact. I’d known they were around Northumberland for years but had never ever seen one here. Caroline cycled down a hill and spooked one up making its loud and distinctive cry. I missed it, but then cycled fast up the next rise and spooked off a second one, its fat little partridge-like bottom giving it take-off power from the ground that a great spotted woodpecker could never even dream of. These are all shared roads by the way, and there are blind summits and winding descents to be wary of, but they are really fun and being alongside water and woodland in June is just lush.

At this point we leave the OS Explorer map for Hadrians’s Wall (OL43) and join the one for Kielder (OL42).

From the peaceful straight line along by Hindrigg, dark neat trees all alongside your left side and flowers too, you take an important (signposted) right-angled turn to your right and are back on the northern line to Ealinghamrigg Common.

There’s a nice view of Shitlington Crags to your right. This is a down and then an up from the Slade Sike and although that’s only an extra elevation of 60 metres I confess I got off my bike to push. Then from the cattle grid you get a good vista of the landscape around Bellingham ahead of you: the North Tyne and Hareshaw Burn and also the mixed woods that mark the River Rede’s valley as it joins the North Tyne at Redesmouth. We encountered friendly faces and then had a lovely freewheel down Ealinghamrigg Common to the junction at Dunterley. 

From there a tree-darkened straight line (with some traffic) points straight to the church and the field south of town which has that landmark sign for the Bellingham Show. Bellingham is a proper rural centre – and it makes sense that it used to have a railway going through it – it is a real shame that these events are wiped off the calendar for 2020 as without them it feels a bit like a pretty thing sat alone at a table, stood up by their date.

Turn a sharp left at the church, bewaring traffic. You have right of way as you cross the bridge before immediately turning right at the junction which is left for Kielder, and then sink into the embrace of pubs, cafes, co-ops, bakers, butchers and everything you might need.