We
plan to do the second half of the Hadrian’s Wall Path (HWP) from East to West
as this will take us through the built up, flat, wall-less areas first and give
a more satisfying climax back at the remote, hilly, thoroughly be-walled
Housesteads.
As
a taster and to get the legs working again we decide to first knock off the
five miles between Wallsend and Newcastle-upon-Tyne before embarking on the
final three day hike in April. To that end we head up through the Tyne tunnel
in Pete’s ‘plumber’ van and park outside the relatively new (c2000) Segedunum
Museum.
We
eschew its attractions for the time being and hit Hadrian’s Way, which combines
the HWP with cycle route 72 in a tarmac ribbon just north of the river.
Starting at the once mighty Swan Hunter shipyard, now eerily quiet and almost
unnoticed behind the shrubbery, we head west with snow flurries at our back.
After
about a mile of industrial scrubland we emerge onto the concrete river
embankment and at least get a view across the Tyne; although only of the paint
warehouses and cement factory. A sign warns us off the riverbank itself which
retains contamination from the St Anthony’s lead works. The near bank displays
the slowly rotting hull of a bygone ship, its remaining timbers reminiscent of
a whale’s ribcage.
About
half way to the city centre, new developments begin to emerge including the
bijou St Peter’s Basin, full of yachts and surrounded by posh waterfront flats,
serviced by a swish and curiously named bar restaurant. Unfortunately it is a
little early to sample the Jennings ale on offer at the ‘Bascule’, presumably
named to reflect the type of bridge we had unconsciously just traversed at the
marina entrance.
Pushing
on, the famous Tyne bridges come into view, along with the impressive Sage and
Baltic buildings on the Gateshead side; although the view is a little
unfamiliar when approaching from the east.
From
the Quayside it is the climb of the day up to the town and onto Grey Street
where, amid the yuppie wine bars and trendy eateries we find the Blake’s Coffee
House, where the décor looks as distressed as us. Here sitting at the old
wooden tables we get lunch, an all-day breakfast (‘no mushrooms’), a bacon
& egg ‘stottie’, and two pots of real tea for just over a tenner. Good
food, good tea, good value.
Refuelled
we head into the Metro at Grey’s Monument and a few stops later emerge in
Wallsend and walk back to the museum.
There
is still an hour to closing so claiming our concessions (student/pensioner) we
purchase entry and whizz off to the reconstructed Bathhouse, back round the
exhibits, and up to the 9th floor ‘viewing panorama’. From here the
fort’s floor-plan can be seen laid out below, while a video exhibit portrays
how the site would have looked over the last 2,000 years – from fields to fort;
to ruin and burial under shipyard,
colliery and housing; before being cleared to create the current amenity.
The
Ancient Roam is back in business and though this section was short and
uninspiring, it was good to get back on the path, to visit Segedunum, and to
whet the appetite for the final legs ahead.
