Weekend walks: Following in miners’ footsteps
PITMEN'S PRIDE ... a monument to those who toiled at Craghead Colliery. Inset, a mysterious pyramid at Edenhill Plantation near West Pelton.
The coal man still does a healthy business in some places.
I noticed the fireplace in the Punch Bowl at Craghead, County Durham and asked the barmaid where they got the fuel from. I didn’t think there were any coal traders left.
She told me that the fire burned both wood and coal and this was supplied by a firm in Stanley. It was quite a thriving little set-up.
Sipping my pint, I gazed into the crackling flames and thought about how a century ago the area bristled with pits.
There were collieries here in Craghead and nearby Stanley and Twizell. There was also a pit at Beamish, which was the start of my seven-mile walk.
I’d crossed the A693 and joined the Tyne Wear Trail at Eckmy Law.
There was initially a steep climb, but then the track levelled out and took me through Edenhill Plantation.
It made for some glorious woodland walking; rich warm reds and browns, eddies of sunlight and green tree tops swaying gently in the wind.
The forest floor was covered in pine needles, so much so it was like walking on air, my boots barely making a sound.
As a result, there was all sorts of wildlife to enjoy because my approach wasn’t heard; a squirrel chewing a berry, rabbits sitting in the sun, all manner of birds sweeping soundlessly through the forest.
I hadn’t gone far before coming across a most curious landmark: a small pyramid.
Fascinated, I studied the structure. There was no way of telling how old it was or what its original purpose had been or if it was a public artwork. But there it sits, amidst the forestation and seems somehow perfectly suited to its location.
A short distance further on from the monument the footpath breaks free of the trees and crosses fields to West Pelton. Now were the first spectacular views of open countryside, miles of green, brown and in the distance there were moors that were like pools of gold under the sun.
From West Pelton the Tyne Wear Trail heads south to Chester-le-Street but my route took me along the high street to Twizell Hall.
I stopped here for a break, sitting on the roadside, stretching out my legs and enjoying the sun on my face. The morning was warm and dreamy, becalmed. Chewing on a blade of grass I mulled over the unusual name of Twizell.
Its origins are medieval and mean either Twisel or Twisla, referring to a fork in a river or perhaps a road. A perusal of the map revealed numerous streams in the locality so it seemed safe to assume that the medieval settlement had been close by.
It was such a pleasant spot I could have sat there all morning, watching clouds drifting lazily overhead and sunlight playing on the hillside.
But, cup of tea finished I decided I’d better make a move, putting the flask back in the rucksack and getting to my feet.
After vainly searching for the footpath from Twizell Hall to Craghead, I sought help from a young woman who was walking a horse from the stables.
She was able to put me back onto the right tracks but said to look out for the signposts as it was quite easy to get lost. I set off across the hill and past grazing horses.
The farm girl was right, the route marks are not easy to spot but I was able to follow them, the path skirting a copse of trees before heading down into Twizell Wood.
This lies in a gully and the steep descent was made more challenging by the fact that the ground was rather muddy, the wooden steps gleaming and slippery.
I made it safely to the bottom of the ravine and crossed Twizell Burn via the wooden footbridge and there was more treading carefully so as not to fall into the water!
This hurdle also successfully negotiated and feeling pleased with myself, I started climbing a steep flight of steps.
And that’s when things stopped going so smoothly!
There had been several heavy showers earlier on and the terrain was decidedly muddy.
It wasn’t long before I was slipping back down the bank! Fortunately, I was able to grab a fencepost and stop my slide.
When I tried moving the same thing happened again and I suddenly had visions of being stranded here for eternity. “This is ridiculous,” I muttered. I couldn’t go back and couldn’t go forwards!
Finally I took breath, grabbed hold of another fence post and climbed further up the hill. I grabbed another post then another and so was able slowly clamber the hill to Craghead.
At the top of this rather formidable climb – I mentally shelved it under ‘classics’ – I took breath and enjoyed the views over Twizell Wood, the densely wooded gully looking like a long tendril of smoky flame in the bright wintry sunshine.
Further north, beyond Twizell Hall, could be seen the route of a dismantled railway. I wondered if it had served the pits in the area.
“Right, on we go,” I said to myself, “and here’s hoping there’s no more epic climbs!” I hitched up my rucksack and walked through the town centre to the Punch Bowl inn.
Before heading into the pub, I had a look at a rather striking sculpture. It is the work of Jim Roberts and was installed in 2002. The sculpture, of a pitman, is entitled Looking In Looking Out. It provides an evocative reminder of the collieries that played such an important role in the life of the region for so many decades. Craghead’s mine had a particularly long working life, from 1839 to 1969.
The second half of the walk took me west up Wagtail Lane to Windmill Hill. This is appropriately named, with several wind turbines on the summit.
Studying the map, I realised just how many streams there were. They ran like veins across the landscape and it occurred to me that many towns and villages probably began life as a hamlet or farm, a trading post, on the banks of a stream. This would have provided an invaluable source of fresh water.
From Windmill Hill a public byway called West Ousterley Road took me north and it was quite pleasant to be going downhill for a change! The track passes the golf course then arrives at The Middles.
My trek then took me into the South Stanley Woods Nature Reserve. This was very pleasant walking, following a trail through forest glades and within sight of yet another burn. It was now like a spring afternoon, quite lovely.
I wandered unhurriedly along, enjoying sights and sounds, of red-brown bracken and mossy boughs and the peaty burn.
The final part of the walk saw me heading up the B6313 to Stanley town centre – and it was another corker of a climb. “Not bad going,” I gasped, “two Classics in one day.”
Halfway up the hill, I stopped and gazed back over the hills and the wooded gullies I had journeyed through.
The walk had taken me through a landscape once shaped by the coal industry that made the North East famous. I’d been particularly impressed by the statue of the pitman in Craghead. But equally fascinating had been echoes of an even longer history. Such tantalising echoes could be glimpsed in the place names, such as Twizell, a village founded on the fork in a stream so many centuries ago.
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Weather for Jarrow
Tuesday 22 May 2012
Today
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Temperature: 8 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North east
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Sunny spells
Temperature: 10 C to 17 C
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