Hadrian's Wall, Day 1

[purplecat]

17 miles today, some nice bits but an awful lot of urban cycleway through the suburbs of Newcastle, which is nice enough for a while but becomes a bit dull after six or seven miles. I have also acquired blisters which is a bit of a blow and made particularly annoying by the fact that I've had these boots for years and not had trouble before. I blame my new socks.

Comments

[thisbluespirit]

Aw, Newcastle! <3

Sorry about the blisters, though - good luck with the rest of it!

[purplecat]

Thanks

[sir_guinglain]

I apologize for the last half-century's scorched earth policy in much of Newcastle's west end. Admittedly most of the housing removed in the 1960s was of a type most wanted to see gone, but recently a lot of serviceable 1920s and 1930s homes in Scotswood were swept away. Was the cycleway you were on the former Newcastle-Carlisle main line through Scotswood? I've never walked it but don't think there's much of its railway heritage left...

[purplecat]

To be fair, it was clear a lot of work had gone into making a pleasant cycleway and providing numerous information boards detailing the industrial history of the Tyne. We went along the path of several railways and the Wylam Waggonway at various points. I'm not sure if that's what we were on in Scotswood - we were just north of the A695, before turning briefly up the A191 and then into Denton Dene.

[sir_guinglain]

You were indeed on the old Newcastle-Carlisle route via Scotswood. I can picture the Denton Dene bridge.