Run seven: Thropton round (5+ miles). I confess this was eighth day but I wanted to wait for D to come with me! It was lovely!! Run from the village, up Gravelly Bank past the Catholic Church. Up and up. at the crest of the hill, continue straight on through the houses. At a left hand bend, stop following the road, and go straight on onto the footpath. This takes you through fields, over stone steps in the walls, via some ironage burial mounds. You then come out into Physic Lonnen (Lane), turn left down hill, and right at the end through the little housing estate. With the Cross Keys pub on your right, go over the footbridge, parallel to the road bridge, cross over the road, and run down the side of the small river, turn right at the end, left over the footbridge, and across across across the fields again, until you hit the road. Turn left, along, and then head down left past Tosson Mill, onto the river bridlepath again, along, over Lady’s Bridge, and back along the cycle track.
|
||||||
|
Run five: Short and sharp (3 miles). This is a modified version of our dark nights, winter run. Cross the road bridge from the village, onto the Hexham road, and run up Garleigh Bank. Turn right at the top, run past the swimming pool, and middle school. Follow the road round, straight on at the T junction, past the first caravan site again on your left, and then turn right after Carterside Cottages into the golf course. Follow the footpath down and then right through the golf course, and it brings you back into the Haugh Car Park. Run six: Cheeky trail (3 miles and a bit). It was a lovely night tonight – and trying to run somewhere different has certainly made me a) do it each night and b) try different terrains. I hadn’t run this before – although I have done it as a walk. It’s quite hilly – and I must confess I did a bit of walking, I think when I do it again, I’d be better! So …. run down the north bank of the river, east, past the Steppie Stones, past the donkeys, towards Thrum Mill. Run through the houses at Thrum – the river here is lovely – a friend of ours has taken some beautiful photos of the different movements of the river here swirling round and down the rocks. You can swim in the river at this point too … although it wasn’t quite warm enough tonight! Then run out onto the road – briefly turn right and then left again into Cragside. It does say no entry. Run (confidently) along, left over the wooden bridge after the water wheel. Up and up (first walk) and over and down into a woodland glade. Up (again) and over the renovated iron bridge. Left onto the drive. Run as if you’re heading out of the entrance, but drop down to the right and run along the edge of the lake, and then out onto the Alnwick road, over and up the hill up a footpath (up again – needed some scouts pace again). Straight over the top and down down down the hill – with a small farm on the left that Tim and Ian always call The Hen Farm, but I think really is called Addycombe Farm. Through the kissing gate at the bottom, turn right … run along here for a bit, and then turn left whenever you want really – there are a few ways down from Hillside back to the village. My tea was awaiting again, so I took the first left I could, through the field, into the houses, which brought me out past The Queens pub, and back home. Managing it! Run three: River run anticlockwise (across Whitton field for tea) (3 and a bit miles). Head down to the the bank of the Coquet. Go up stream, towards the Cheviots, along the new cycle track (nearly finished). Don’t turn left over the river to the golf course. Head through the gate, and across the stream. Turn left, down and across the field (no cows in it today – if it’s full of cows I follow the bridle path the slightly longer way down), over the Coquet via Lady’s Bridge. Turn right, and head along the field to Tosson Mill houses (a collection of about 4 houses) – run up with them on your left, left at the top. Head home along the road, with the river down in the valley on your left. Look out in the fields on your right, as there are sometimes hares in there. Admire Simonside on your right! Past the two Caravan sites on your right – with the golf course on your left. At the top of Cemetery Bank head into the field on the other side of the road, past the Shepherds Hut, down and along the field and out at the top of Cinders Bank – and sweatily to D&N’s for birthday tea. Chicken Korma and Chocolate Fudge Cake! Alternatively – you could run back down into the village! Run four: Above clockwise (3 and a bit miles again). Head over the river by the footbridge, from the park. Run over the Haugh car park, past the cottage hospital and up Cemetery Bank. I did walk briefly (it’s fairly steep), until I saw another runner running down – and so pride started me up again quickly! Turn right at the top – along the road with the caravans (and Simonside and the Hare fields) on your left, golf course on your right. Turn right down to Tosson Mill – turn right along, over Lady’s Bridge, and then along back to the village (past the allotment by the way – a spot of weeding would be helpful!). There were new people in the cottage on Saturday as usual – from London this time – and one of them asked me where was nice to run in Rothbury. Those of you have been here know we’re in a valley – so the tempting, flat routes are only either up or down the valley, but hills are good for you I know! So this is my challenge – to myself! 7 different runs over 7 days. I’m hoping my achilles tendon will cope! It’s Sunday today – and I’ve done two flattish ones. I’ll see whether Tim can upload maps for me when he’s back. He’s currently away again guiding the second of the season’s Lands End to John o Groats with Saddle Skedaddle. Run one: The Disused Railway to Brinkburn Station and back (5 miles approx). From the centre of Rothbury, over the road bridge towards Hexham (they’re currently undergoing significant repairs on this bridge – which will take 4 years!). After about 5 minutes up Garleigh Bank, swing a left into the industrial estate. Run past the new firestation/Surestart to the end. Keep the river down on your left all the way. Keep going past the farm, all the way to the end … Brinkburn Station. Turn round run back (a little bit down hill coming back). Fartleks to the gates to open them and let D through! Stop to pass the day with any likely passing dog walkers. Admire the chunky lambs! This is a bridleway by the way – so great for taking kids who are just learning to ride bikes! Run two: A variation on above with a little loop back through the fields, to the tumble down house (possibly very slightly more than 5 miles). Run to Brinkburn Station, again. Turn left down the road, and left again at the bottom towards the farm, and left again when you have just got into their yard. Run parallel, but below the railway line, following the handy footpath signs, through the fields. It did start to rain at this point, and D was squelching rather! The path eventually heads up past a lovely old tumble down house, which one day I’ll persuade Tim he needs to renovate. Up and out onto the railway line again. And home. What a strange week. The village was besieged by police and journalists – with guns and cameras. The week as you all know by now ended very sadly. I was wonderfully looked after – as ever – by R&C and their two canines. We’re nearly back to normal now. I have been running round the river by Lady’s Bridge – progress is being made on the new bike path. I feel I need to reclaim all our running and bike trails over the next few weeks and blow out their sad cobwebs!
Bee has rediscovered her ability to ride a bike! Becca shamed her into a quick evening spurt round the Carriage Drive, with glorious warm sunshine, and only a suggestion of midges. Tim provided excellent backup! Tom babysat. Friday evening was fish & chips from the van, 11 of us round our breakfast room table. We’ve told you before I think that every Friday evening, 20.15, we are the last stop on a very good fish & chip shop van – they stop outside our backdoor! Both fish and chips are good – and the cardboard containers make me so much happier than the old polystyrene ones. Bee tried hard to kill the US contingent off at the beginning of their week, by doing a (7 mile, hilly) circular walk via Windy Gyle. Windy Gyle is the second highest, and prettiest hill in the Cheviots. It lived up to its name on the day of the walk – and the UK insistence on wearing shorts also forced UK speed of walking to keep warm! The Cheviot wild goats were spotted with UK excitement – the US contingent were mildly bemused at the excitement. We finished in Eunice and Ian Tait’s cafe on their farm at Barrowburn, which as usual was lovely. We met up with Ross and family for a surprise beach barbeque the next day on Ross Beach, between Bamburgh Castle and Lindisfarne. If you follow the link I would like to reassure you all that we fall into the camp of ‘textiles’, and in fact there were only us texties out that day! The beach is amazing, and for those of you who don’t mind a 20 minute walk from your parked car through dunes and bog – you will be rewarded by miles and miles of unpopulated sand. It was warm – but we didn’t swim, I confess I have never swam in the north sea, and Tim will only swim if the outside temperature is at least 35 degrees centigrade. On small patches of the beach there were shoals of beached jelly fish – which just added to the interest of the day! We had checked the tides before we left, and so went back to our car and crossed the causeway to Lindisfarne – the ruins are amazing, and were added to by one of the members of staff with passion pointing out two particularly interesting sorts of pillars (don’t laugh) – one lot with chevrons on the pillars and one which was a pillar made from many pillars. She told us to look out for them when we visited Durham Cathedral later in the week – which we duly did. Tuesday found us having a cake focused day, with a little bit of Roman pottery thrown in. Graham Taylor of Crown Studio Gallery, here in the village, is an archeological potter, or a historical potter, or potted historian… or something. We went back to Rita’s in Elsdon. In the back of her cafe Graham has made a pottery. We spent the day throwing pots on kick and stick wheels and pressing Roman lamps, godesses and votives (Bob took the eye back to try and cure Michael’s chronic iritis) – in between eating cakes and scones that is! As it was another gloriously sunny day we finished off with blankets on the village green – with tea and cakes. Graham is a very very patient teacher, and Rita’s cakes are fantastic (did I mention the cakes?). A quick northern tour ended at Beamish open air museum. Bee thinks she may have found her second career – in interpretive museum curating. The farm was great – but the vegetable gardens could have more learning extracted from them.
I haven’t done that much preparation so was really please with my time of 1:57, thanks to our friend Gail for motivation and company And… we’ve been boiling up our hedge of rhubarb. A few years ago Tim dug up some crowns of unspecified rhubarb from my old friend PamS in Culgaith. They have flourished since! We hit upon this lovely – and simple – recipe for rhubarb jam, which after a few trials, we have perfected, I think, into a French-style soft set concoction. It’s from a W.I. book last reprinted in 1967. 8lbs rhubarb (it says peeled, I never do) 6lbs sugar Juice of 4 lemons Boil the rhubarb cut into chunks with the lemon juice, until just cooked. Try not to stir it up very much as you will break it into mush and lose all the chunky texture. Add the sugar, bring quickly back to the boil, and boil for about 20 minutes. In the meantime put a plate in the fridge, put a little jam on the cold, cold plate and it should wrinkle when you push it. You’re not aiming for hard set remember. If you boil it too much at this stage (we did once) it will taste like boiled sweets. Makes 10lbs (we’ve done two evenings of it – so 20lbs for the asking!!) If anyone coming to the cottage would rather this than marmalade – just ask! It is absolutely scrummy with fresh scones and clotted co-op cream!!!!
We’re back home after a ’stay-at-other-people’s-houses-cation’. First I will just bring you up to date on the allotment – and then Tim will update you later with a bit of bikey and/or walkey nonsense! We did have a lovely sunny walk along the river and through our local National Trust property Cragside and back via the Carriage Drive this afternoon with friends from home and Sunderland, and their Boxer, who has never grown beyond half size! I am hoping for 100% growth in the allotment though! We are still likely to have another two or three weeks of frosts, so I’m trying to cautiously get on with it! The broad beans and all the garlic are poking their heads out nicely now, and some of the red onions’ sprouts are just visible. I have put in some ‘first earlies’ – Winston and Marris Bard, and some beans in pots in the back yard – Runner (White Lady and Red Knight – hopefully they won’t run off together!) and Climbing (Blauhilde). There isn’t a lot of blossom on the plum trees. Last year the little Victoria was absolutely laden, and the cherry plum had a few. We have not as yet had any luck with damsons or gages. A couple of the apples look well endowed, and one of the pear trees. We’ve had the first of the rhubarb and now need to make lots of jam and chutney. |
||||||
|
Copyright © 2010 Rothbury Musings - All Rights Reserved |
||||||
