The walk starts at the end of Tynemouth pier at the mouth of the Tyne.
It was a sunny Saturday and first impressions were of how well-used this part of the river is for leisure: anglers, sailors, in-line skaters and joggers as well as walkers. We were also struck by how cosmopolitan Tynemouth was: a Japanese family was picnicing, we heard several foreign languages and even more non-local accents.
The fish quay was especially lively. There are still signs of the industry which made North Shields famous: a wide choice of places to buy wet fish and seafood and an even greater choice of places to eat chips. We succumbed.
We crossed the Tyne on the busy pedestrian ferry. From the ferry landing we watched two huge container ships leave the river: one assisted by two tugs, confirmation that the Tyne is still very much a working river.
Where the River Don meets the Tyne was a highlight. Lots of tranquil greenery and the ancient church of Saint Paul and the monastery where St Bede lived. We saved Bede’s World for another day but had yet more refreshments in the old Jarrow Hall where a local chap told us that Turner had painted a picture, now in Washington DC, of this part of the river. It’s Keelmen Heaving Coals by Moonlight. It was painted in 1835 for a Mancunian, Henry McConnel, and may have been based on an earlier work Shields on the River Tyne of 1823. Also painted in 1823 was Newcastle on Tyne. There is mention on the internet of a short film Turner on the Tyne, a collaboration the National Gallery of Art, Washington and New York filmmaker, Grahame Weinbren.
We crossed back via the tiled pedestrian tunnel, opened in 1951, which incorporated the longest wooden escalators in the world. We would have spent longer here had we not offered to escort two young boys on bikes through to the other side. They had been frightened by some teenagers and were considering swimming across to get back home.
The final memorable part of this first leg of our journey was Willington Gut where lots of leisure boat owners were pottering about in the evening sunshine. We wondered where the waggonway from here ended up but continued to Hadrian Park Metro. We reckon we had walked about 10 miles including the walks to and from the walk. It was fascinating and hugely enjoyable. Can’t wait for the second leg…
Fauna and Flora
Birdlife on this stretch included turnstones, cormorants, oystercatchers and a family of linnets, as well as various kinds of gull. Some of the blackheaded gulls were going into winter plumage. The number of bees on the pier surprised us. We were also struck by the pear and apple trees on the headland, maybe the remains of a garden? Also notable was the sea buckthorn along the path towards North Shields.
Transport at both ends
We have decided not to follow Jonas slavishly. We want to use public transport as much as possible so that we can do linear walks. On this occasion, the easiest, if not quickest, option was the bus from Heaton to Tynemouth. We caught the metro from Hadrian Road to Chilli Road and walked from there.
