Free walks this weekend
Alice Massey
From: Michael Collier [mailto:mike.c...@sunderland.ac.uk]
Sent: 02 June 2011 11:23
Subject: Walks this weekend
Importance: High
Hi All,
OK the details for the walks are as follows!
On Saturday 4th June (Riding Mill - Hexham), we will all meet at the car park in Riding Mill station at 10.00am. Having done a recce of the last part of the route, I have decided to finish the walk at Kingswood (Dukeshouse Wood) Activity Centre. This is just off the B6306 opposite Lime Way, (which is the last track of our walk). From here we will drive into Hexham and finish with a cup of coffee/tea/Glass of wine or beer at the Queen's Hall and a look around the exhibition 'The Nature of Clay' by ceramicist Sue Dunne and poet Linda France (a poet who is well published). The blurb on the Queens Hall website says
'Sue Dunne's work directly reflects her year-round fascination with plant-life, especially when it's wild, with the intermittent presence of birds ... included are pieces from from a collaboration with local poet Linda France based on a flowering year' - so this should be very relevant! I went on Monday to get a look at the show not realising that the Queens Hall was closed on Bank Holidays! Officially, the gallery closes at 4.00 pm, but the staff there have kindly agreed to keep the gallery open just for us on Saturday (assuming we get there after 4.00pm - my guess is around 4.30/5.00pm)
Steve/Tina/Liz; can we meet at 9.30am in the carpark at Kingswood (Dukeshouse Wood) Activity Centre? If we could leave Steve's car and Liz's here and go to Riding Mill in the Yaris, that should be fine.
So far, I reckon that the following people are coming on this walk
Steve and Tina; Mike and Liz; Ian, Eric, Frank and Marjorie - so we should be OK with the car arrangements suggested above!
SUNDAY 5th June (Hexham - Humshaugh)
We will meet in the car park of Tyne Green Country Park, Hexham (adjacent to the river, just over Hexham Bridge off Rotary Way - A6079) at 10.00 am (anyone parking here, it is only £1.50 per day - not even sure if this applies on Sundays - and it is a five minute walk from the station in Hexham to the car park for anyone getting the train). Liz and I will meet Tina outside her house in Humshaugh (so a lazy early Sunday reading the papers for you Tina!) - we will end the walk at the pub in Humshaugh - a nice pub - I have recced it with Steve and Tina!!
So far, those taking part on Sunday are Steve/Tina, Mike/Liz, Ian, Eric (?), Marjorie and Dianne (poss).
I would point out that a good deal of this walk after we leave the banks of the Tyne just south of Warden is on minor roads (mostly along Homer's Lane) - it is just not possible to get onto the banks of the North Tyne along this stretch. So ... this is not to put anyone off - just so you know! However, it is quite likely that we will see a great variety of flora and fauna along the roadside, as minor roadside verges and hedgerows are often great for wildflowers and birds!
Hope I have covered everything here!
very best wishes,
mike