Day: 028
Date: Tuesday, 28 June 2022
Start: Haltwhistle
Finish: Alston
Daily Kilometres: 22
GPX Track: Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos
Total Kilometres: 814
Weather: Cool to mild and overcast all day with a few spots of rain and a gusty wind in the afternoon.
Accommodation: Guesthouse
Nutrition:
Breakfast: Pastries
Lunch: Tuna & salad roll/Chicken & bacon sandwich
Dinner: Fish & chips/Chicken nuggets & chips, chocolate pastries
Aches: Dave - bruised right heel bothering a little. Julie - nothing to report.
Highlight: Maybe the Lambley Viaduct, which was built in 1852 and spanned the River South Tyne at a height of 33 metres. It used to carry trains but is now part of the South Tyne Trail and we walked across it, impressed with the skills of the engineers and by the views it gave up and down the valley.
Lowlight: None really.
Pictures: Click here
Map and Position: Click here for Google Map
Journal:
Our plan for the day was to follow the South Tyne Trail for the 21 kilometres from Haltwhistle to Alston where we have accommodation booked for two nights. Given the relatively short distance, and the fact that we could not check-in to our guesthouse in Aslton until 3:00pm, we made a slow start to the day. Julie had time for a short run and picked up some pastries for breakfast on her way back to our room and it was 9:15am before we began walking out of the village.
Initially, our route was along the banks of the River South Tyne on a sometimes quite technical and hilly single-track trail, followed by a section of overgrown field path, before we joined the old rail line path. From there, the walking became quite easy on the quiet trail, with pleasant rural views and occasional glimpses of the river all day.
Late in the morning, the rail trail crossed the impressive Lambley Viaduct (see above), Surprisingly, at the opposite end of the viaduct, the line of the old railway passed through what was now private property, so we had to descend steeply on steps to near the river, pass under the viaduct, and then climb back up steeply to the rail trail past the private property. Would make it very tough for any cyclists trying to follow the trail which, otherwise, would have been a lovely ride.
We stopped around noon for lunch, sitting on a large rock beside the trail, on what had become quite a breezy day, though not breezy enough to keep the midges (or, perhaps, their English cousins) away. The Pennine Way crossed the South Tyne Trail nearby and we saw some hikers climbing a hill from where we were sitting. For the rest of the way to Alston, the Pennine Way paralleled and occasionally crossed our route but we decided to stick to our trail, which continued to offer lovely views.
At the hamlet of Slaggyford, the railway became real, with tracks used by a volunteer-run heritage train that operates on weekends. We followed the line along a narrow adjacent path and passed several of the tiny restored stations en route, eventually reaching the end of the line at Alston.
From the station, it was a short walk to our accommodation in the centre of the village, where we arrived shortly after 3:00pm. Although rain had been threatening, and we did get a few spots, we finished dry, which was a bonus, and are now looking forward to a day off tomorrow.
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