Bellingham stands on the north bank of the River North Tyne, about 16 miles NNW of the Tynedale town of Hexham. In 1872 it was said to have “a station on the railway, a post office under Hexham, a town hall, a church, a U. Presbyterian chapel, a R. Catholic chapel, and three public schools; is of small extent, but of local importance; a seat of county courts, and a polling-place; and has had much recent change in connection with iron-works and the railway”. The railway closed in 1956, but Bellingham is still very much the capital of the North Tyne valley.
Nearby is the noteworthy waterfall at Hareshaw Linn, which can be accessed through what is described as “a magical walk through an ancient woodland, crossing no less than six bridges to reach a beautiful nine-metre high waterfall”.
The area is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) which was chosen for its rare ferns and lichen, with more than 300 different types of lichen, liverworts and mosses found there. Meanwhile, it has also been noted that, “the oak, hazel, elm and ash trees that grow here are great for wildlife. Keep a look out for red squirrels, great spotted woodpeckers, redstarts, dippers, badgers and Daubenton’s bats.”
Just up the North Tyne valley from Bellingham and Hareshaw Linn is Kielder Forest and the large reservoir of Kielder Water. Kielder Forest was established by the Forest y Commission in the 1920’s, on what had been bare fells, which like many other areas nearby had seen their fair share of reiving in the Middle Ages. Kielder Water was officially opened in 1982 and is said to be “the largest man-made lake in northern Europe and is capable of holding 200 billion litres of water. It has a shoreline of 27 miles and is 170 feet at its deepest point (taller than Nelson’s Column).”
Hareshaw Linn
Every year, as the shadows begin to lengthen and summer prepares to bid us farewell for another year, I like to go on a special trip out into the wilds of Northumberland and over the border into Scotland. So it was that on the August Bank Holiday Saturday, I made my way along the familiar roads to the capital of North Tynedale, Bellingham. Having parked the car, I began to make my way along the well-trodden path to the dramatic Hareshaw Linn waterfall, on the edge of the Northumberland National Park. As I did so I noticed that there was a special addition this year. On the left-hand side of the route, was a long line of winding, painted rock stones, under a sign next to it, explaining that this was Reiver the Bellingham rock snake.
Before long the path entered the dense woodland of the small valley in which Hareshaw Linn is found. Just before entering the woodland there was a sign, stating that this was the site of an old iron works and that, “in the early 19th century, this area rich in iron stone, echoed to the sounds of two blast furnaces, 70 coke ovens, 24 large roasting kills for calcining the iron ore and the hammering of iron from a blacksmith shop nearby.” It was also noted that just before the iron works closed in the late 1840s it had provided iron for the building of the High Level Bridge in Newcastle which was opened in 1849.
After the usual delightful walk through the dappled woodland, as the sun struggled to break through the cloud cover, I finally reached the viewpoint for Hareshaw Linn waterfall. I could tell that it has been a dry summer, because although it was still well worth walking to, it was not as dramatic as it had been in previous years. That said there was still something special about sitting in the natural amphitheatre, formed by the gorge in front of the waterfall and the layered rocks of sandstone around me.
I walked back to the car and then made my way to the excellent (and free) Bellingham Heritage Centre. I have always liked this place. It is the kind of museum where you can go and really learn something from and it provides a very good service to visitors, helping them to understand more about this beautiful, now peaceful part of Northumberland. Here you can learn about the rivers, the railway that used to connect Bellingham to Hexham and Newcastle, the agricultural life of the area and how life has been documented in photographs. There is also a wonderful painting representing so much that is important and worth celebrating in our Northumbrian heritage.
Following my visit to the heritage centre, I was then able to walk a few metres and have a very pleasant cheese scone and pot of tea in an old train carriage adjacent to the shop. Both the heritage centre and the tea shop are found where the old train station at Bellingham used to be.
Kielder Water
Leaving the grey stoned town of Bellingham behind, I made my way up to the Kielder Water reservoir. As I had just told one of the staff at the heritage centre, I can still remember staying at the caravan site at Kielder at this time of year, the last week of the school summer holidays in 1972. The place where the caravan site was is now underwater, and I remember going to a village hall in Kielder all those years ago and seeing the plans for what would become Kielder Water.
There is some controversy about Kielder Water, as homes were flooded and farmland likewise, and it is true that no sooner had the reservoir been opened in 1982, than it became clear that its main purpose, to provide extra water for the expanded chemical industry on Teesside, would no longer be needed, as the chemical works were not going to be expanded.
However, there can be no doubt that on a sunny day in the summer, the blues of the sky and the water, the green of the forest and the purple of the blooming heather, make for a beautiful sight. And as the man at the heritage centre pointed out, we are never short of water here in the Northeast.
Even on a cloudy day, like that which I had chosen to visit Kielder on this year, I had a most pleasant view, as I sat in the car and ate my lunch.
Over the border
From Kielder Water, I made my way through the village of Kielder and onto the border with Scotland at the intriguingly named Deadwater. I say intriguingly named because, in reality what happens there is a birth not a death, as the source of the North Tyne rises among its trees and fields.
I was then into the wonderful solitude of Liddesdale, which was as quiet and green as ever at this time of year. Considering its natural beauty, the area around Kielder and Bellingham can seem very quiet, even on a bank holiday weekend, but when you cross into Scotland, the number of people at Kielder Water can in comparison to Liddesdale make it look like the Lake District.
It is that sense of peace and tranquility which always draws me to Liddesdale. However, when I visited the remarkable Hermitage Castle I was reminded that this dale was not always so peaceful. Hermitage Castle is well worth a visit if you’re in the area, with its sturdy keep still largely in place. I can still remember seeing it as a child on a misty day and somehow that still seems to be the best time to see it, with the mist somehow representing the dramatic history of the past and allowing for an air of mystery, with the keep looming out of it, demonstrating its strength and importance.
And if you go to Hermitage Castle you are unlikely to have to battle your way through the crowds. I spoke to the man in a small hut run by Heritage Scotland, and he was delighted just how many people had visited that day, by about 3 o’clock in the afternoon. A whole thirty-seven.
The view over the borders
From Hermitage Castle I went on up the valley, a delightful drive with barely another car all the way, until I came to the right hand turn for Bonchester Bridge. Along that road I came to a cattle grid, where it is possible to park facing north and I was able to see one of my favourite views, that up to the hills in the borders, stretching north towards Edinburgh and Glasgow.
While I wasn’t seeing the view at its best as it was a cloudy day, it still touched my soul somehow, with the layers of hills, one on top of each other. On sunny days I have seen the same view and it has been truly a sight to behold, with the sun breaking through the clouds to the west giving the view an almost spiritual sense, with mysterious fluffy white clouds sat on the horizon to the West.
Then it was on to Bonchester Bridge, back over the border at Carter Bar and a lovely drive back through Northumberland.
Comment
This was a journey through a truly remarkable land that never fails to sustain my soul and my imagination. It is a land of so many memories for me and of course so much history of rivers and battles, when farms had their own towers and when the area was its own little land, untouched by either London or Edinburgh. In many ways it still is…
