Wigtwizzle - Norman Smith's Travel Blog.: August 2019

Sometimes days can be over planned. We had intended to drive down to Coniston and either go for a walk in to Coppermines Valley or walk up to Tarn Hows from Monk Coniston. As it turned out, we ended up driving a few miles down the road to Threlkeld, had a coffee and slice of cake in the excellent Village Hall Team Room and then walked up to Blease Gill, one of the many becks coming off of Blencathra.

The gill contains many cascades and waterfalls and is one of Wainwright's more direct routes up to Blencathra's summit. That wasn't to be our aim so we took the footpath following the intake wall to the Blencathra Centre and then followed the lane back to the village. Not a long walk but you get lovely views down St John's In The Vale to the Helvellyn range and also westwards across to the distant North Western Fells.

Later in the day, Sal got her Tern out and cycled from the caravan site to The Milll Inn in Mungrisdale where I met her for a pint.

A most enjoyable day.

Threlkeld selfie

Blease Gill waterfall

Heading out of Threlkeld

Blease Gill waterfall

Out on the open fellside

Blease Gill

Blencathra from Blease Gill

Blease Gill waterfall

Intake Wall, Blease Fell

Lone Tree, Blease Gill

Path in to Blease Gill

Sy John's in the Vale

Blencathra

The Dodds from Blease Fell

The Eastern Fells

Clough Head

A pint in the Mill Inn

The South Tynedale Railway was built on the track bed of the southern section of the former Alston Line, a standard gauge branch line between Haltwhistle and Alston which was closed by British Rail in May 1976. The current 2 ft (610 mm) gauge line was built on this bed and runs from Alston in Cumbria, up the South Tyne Valley, via Gilderdale, Kirkhaugh and Lintley, across the South Tyne, Gilderdale and Whitley Viaducts to Slaggyford in Northumberland, a total length of just over five miles. The South Tynedale Railway Preservation Society has in its principal aims, a hope to completely reopen a branch line railway all the way to Haltwhistle as just about all of the bed is still intact so that could be something to look forward to.

I didn't actually travel on the train but just walked along a short section of The River Tyne Trail which runs adjacent to the South Tynedale Railway track at Alston. The full trail runs from the two sources of the River Tyne; one from near The Scottish Borders above Keilder Water and the other (The River South Tyne) from Tyne Head above Garragill in Cumbria. They both converge and reach the North Sea at Tynemouth, total of 137 miles.

It was a pleasant walk and a good short introduction to the South Tyne Valley but the real gem is the railway.