Introduction
When we finished the first leg of the England Coast Path last May, having
walked from Berwick to Blyth, Mike had shown little enthusiasm for the next
section through the more industrial and suburban landscapes of Tyneside and
Durham. So, it was to be a solo effort from now on, an ideal project for the
autumn months. I was due a visit to see my daughter and her family in Scotland
in November so I combined my trip to include a return journey via the east
coast. Having said my goodbyes to the grandchildren, I slipped out of the house
in Ayr and caught a bus to Kilmarnock, this seeming my best choice as the local
railway station had been burnt down. The bus was running late and I had to make
haste to the station to catch the Carlisle train. This also ran late and
arrived in Carlisle leaving only a few minutes to race up the platform and leap
onto the Newcastle connection. For my pains I was then informed that my senior
rail card was not valid from a station having ticketing facilities, even though
the train service had left me no time to use them. Life is not meant to be
fair.
An entrance to the Newcastle Metro system is right outside Central
Station and a kindly lad talked me through using the ticket machine. The train
to Whitley Bay seemed to go a long way round and a change was needed before I
arrived. The town looked very quiet, not what I had expected for a Saturday
night. At the Windsor Hotel, my pre-booked accommodation, the receptionist told
me that their restaurant was fully booked. She also added that I would do
better anyway over the road in an Italian restaurant, the Glass House. Here I
was made most welcome and enjoyed a dish of chicken bordelaise and a couple of
pints of Staropramen. I was fed and watered and, with an early night, in a good
place to begin the next stage of the
England Coast Path.
Sunday 5th November 2023 Blyth South Beach – South Shields
Fireworks on Tyneside
No breakfast was on offer so, on a
bright and breezy morning, I made an early start from the Windsor Hotel and
walked up into Whitley Bay town centre. I grabbed a coffee from Greggs and jumped on the Sunday morning bus to Blyth. At South Beach, just a mile or so
before the town, I dismounted, crossed over the grass to the promenade and
regained the point where last May’s walk had terminated. I was back on the
England Coast Path. Pausing firstly to look at the gun batteries above the sea
front, and secondly to grab another cup of coffee from a mobile cafe, I was away
along a made-up path behind the dunes and over grassland to Seaton Sluice. Crossing the sluice bridge, a road to the left
headed back to the coast and a section of easy cliff-top walking to Whitley
Bay. The promenade was quite busy, the morning sunshine bringing out day
trippers. As I passed the end of South Parade, I was back to where I stayed
last night.
It got even busier on the headland
round to Tynemouth. The square in front of the priory and castle was packed out
and there was little chance of getting a quiet lunch in one of the many cafes
in Tynemouth Village. Traffic was at standstill and all the outside tables were
occupied. I had no alternative but to keep going down the hill to the river and
along the riverside promenade round to Clifford’s Fort. No cafes appeared on
the seafront but there was a row of restaurants and pubs along Fish Quay and
one of these, Allard’s on the Quay, offered a flatbread sandwich and a drink of
Neck Oil. The chicken platter was huge so I was not in any need of further refreshment
before the crossing of the Tyne.
The ferry terminal was only ten minutes along
the river and I was in perfect time for the 2pm crossing. In the sunny
conditions the river, its boats and riverside buildings all looked a picture. The south bank was a regenerated
area of new domestic developments, rather soulless and short of people and infrastructure. The signed route took to riverside streets and I was soon back
at the mouth of the Tyne at a hotel at Little Haven. Here the main promenade
was picked up, covered in sand and pebbles from the last storms to hit this
coastline. At the junction with South Pier, I called a halt to the day’s walk
and set off inland, passed an indoor swimming pool and through North Marine
Park, in search of Urfa Terrace and my accommodation for the night. It had been
a good start to the week.
Blyth South Beach dep. 09.06, South
Shields arr. 15.00
GPS 12.47 miles in 4hr 37mins 39secs
walking time and 45 mins in Allard’s restaurant at Fish Quay.
Stayed in Kingsmead Guest House,
Urfa Terrace, South Shields. As it went dark I ventured down to Ocean Road and
the centre of town. It was pandemonium. It seemed that half of Tyneside was
walking towards the park and the firework display and it like walking against a
football crowd as I explored the pubs and eating houses. The real ale pub was
full to the gunnels but I eventually found a quiet Indian restaurant, Delhi 6,
where I ordered lamb curry and two pints of Cobra. Bangs and flashes went on late
into the night.
Monday 6th November 2023 South Shields – Seaham
A Bridge for the Mackems
It was a beautiful morning. I had a full English breakfast cooked by the
owner of the guest house, a Cornishman who had moved north because he found the
climate and the people more clement. I returned across the park and passed the
swimming pool and walked some way down the pier. A right turn took me onto
another storm-littered promenade and a traverse of boggy grassland led into the
dunes and cliff-top path. A guy walking towards me pointed out the boats behind
emerging from the River Tyne. One, he
was sure, was a Type 23 frigate, the Iron Duke, heading out to sea. The section
round to Souter Lighthouse and beyond was a magnificent piece of coastal
walking. The houses of Whitburn were inland as the path gradually converged
with the road at South Bents. The shore-line rocks were alive with seabirds
feeding in the shallow water. Then it was more promenades and holiday makers.
Here were a few cafes but it was too early for a coffee so I walked on, a
decision I would come to regret.
Soon the mouth of the River Wear came into view and the coast path turned
into the marina and all the new residential developments. A momentary return to
street walking was soon ended by a passage down to the river and the university
buildings. The route was blocked at the glass museum and, with no diversion
route indicated, some locals directed me through a car park and beyond. The
bridges of Sunderland now dominated the river landscape and, having passed an
amazing metal tree, a steep road led up to Wearmouth Bridge. My search for a
town centre café was thwarted as the signed route turned immediately left along
the south bank of the river and into back streets and little used buildings. A
sign indicates the turn into Old Sunderland. It was just as deserted and
café-free as the rest of my passage through Sunderland. A lovely church, Holy
Trinity, stood on the Town Moor and within half a mile, I was on the main road
out of the city.
Fortunately, there was a small shop, Asian run as they all seem to be,
that sold me a sandwich and a cake. I carried these for a further mile passed
the Raich Carter Sports Centre and under the railway back to the coast at
Hendon Beach. Here was the ideal spot
for a rest and the long-awaited refreshment stop. The day’s walk finished with
a straightforward three mile stretch of cliff-top grassland broken only by two
inland diversions to avoid steep-sided valleys of emerging streams. At the
outskirts of Seaham, a road-side promenade took the route passed East Shore
Village, a new development of shops and houses built on an old colliery. The
town centre is dominated by a square, a war memorial and the huge metal
sculpture of a soldier, ‘Tommy’. Further on was a large shopping development
and right in the centre of this was my accommodation, Londonderry’s, an
unmanned guest house above an Indian restaurant.
South Shields dep. 09.12, Seaham arr.16.00
GPS 17.59 miles in 6hrs 25mins 17secs
walking time plus a 15 mins stop at Hendon Beach.
Stayed at Londonderry’s Bar &
Accommodation in Seaham and walked back along the coast road to the Crows Nest
at East Shore Village for steak pie and chips and more Neck Oil.
Tuesday 7th November 2023 Seaham – Seaton Carew
Hanging the Monkey
The one certainty of an unmanned hotel is no breakfast. However, a Costas
café was across the road so I was easily able to find a bacon bap and an early
morning coffee. Just before 9am I was striding out down the seafront on another
bright morning. The weather was behaving itself remarkable well. In planning
this stage, I had been aware of the length of the days walk but it all looked
very straightforward, an easy trek along a rather featureless coastline. Little
did I know what I was in for. It started mildly enough with a gentle and flat
walk beside the coast road and then beside the railway after the road had
turned inland, but then the fun started. The coastal cliffs were punctuated by
a series of steep-sided valleys where streams flowed through the cliffs and
down to the sea. In these valleys, similar to the clines of the south coast,
were impenetrable woodland and scrub, wildlife habitats called denes. Some of
these denes were avoided by long detours inland to the railway and even to the
coast road. Others were crossed by steep and slippery steps, descending into
the jungle and then scrambling up the other side. One had no steps, just steep
muddy slopes where a dignified passage was impossible. I still have the thorns
from hauling myself up through the brambles. So, what was to be a long but
pleasant stroll turned out to be an epic expedition, one of the biggest
challenges I have faced this year.
The most extensive of these areas was Castle Eden Dene, a National Nature
Reserve, a flat and marshy outlet for two steep-sided streams. A spectacular
viaduct carried the railway over the gorge. Having just climbed out of here, I
met a walker, a pigeon fancier, who told me that there was a café at the end of
this section of coast path. With renewed enthusiasm, I negotiated one last dene
and sped down through a holiday park and into the car park at Crimdon. There,
as promised, was the Dunes Café, a lovely place for a well-earned coffee and
cake. Then it was downhill to the county border and across into the area now known as Tees Valley. I had
taken longer than expected to complete this section of the coast and the sun
was low in the autumn sky.
By the time I reached Hartlepool Headland and its white wind turbines shining in the bay, the afternoon was well advanced
and I still had many miles to go. I turned around the fort and lighthouse,
through a lovely area of old houses and then into a dreary industrial zone
alongside a busy and featureless road. It was a relief to turn into the marina,
passing an old sailing ship and many new hotels and office blocks. It was
nearly dark as I skirted round the rather lovely yacht marina and out past new
flats onto the promenade This wide walk and cycle way, lit all the way by
street lights ran the two miles or so into Seaton Carew. And just when it re-joined
the coast road, there on the other side of the busy carriageway, was my
accommodation for the night, the Staincliffe Hotel. I was given a lovely
welcome by the staff and looked forward to a nice stay.
Seaham dep. 08.55, Seaton Carew arr.17.05
GPS 20.31 miles in 7hrs 33mins 33secs
walking time plus 35mins having coffee and cake in the Dunes Café in Crimdon.
I staying in the Staincliffe Hotel
on the seafront at Seaton Carew. My Google enquiries indicated a pub called the
Drunken Duck, inland in a suburban housing estate, to be my nearest eating
house. I set off in the dark up quiet streets and had to ask directions. I was
pointed towards a tiny bar in a row of shops where everyone was watching
Newcastle United on TV. I found a quiet corner and enjoyed a barbequed chicken
pizza and a couple of pints on Staropramen. An early night was very welcome.
Wednesday 8st November 2023
Seaton Carew - Middlesborough
Dinosaurs by the River
Wandering down for an 8am breakfast, I found the hotel manager on his own
in the dining room. The chef had burnt his fingers and was off to hospital so the
manager himself cooked a full English. He was a lovely man and we chatted for
far too long. I had a walk to do and, as I left the hotel, he whispered ‘Baker
Street in Middlesborough for micropubs’. The forecast was for rain before lunch
but it was dry with a biting wind as I started off down the seafront and onto Seaton
Dunes Nature Reserve. Then a heavy shower came through and waterproofs were
donned but by the time I reached the power station, it had passed over and the
sky appeared to be brightening. As I passed the entry road to the power station
and Teesmouth Field Centre, many happy memories flooded back from my time
working here. But I did not have time to call in. There was a long road ahead.
The Transporter Bridge was visible from miles around so it seemed to take
an age to reach it following the very busy road, sometimes on pavements, sometimes
on a grassy verge and at other times on paths that ran through the adjacent
fields. South of Saltholme, the signed path looped round a factory and onto an
old railway track that came out at the access road to the Transporter Bridge.
This was closed to traffic and the high-level crossing of the walkway had to be
pre-booked. I was faced a horrendous road walk through Billingham and round to
Newport Bridge. Firstly, however, I came across a post office and Londis store
and popped in to buy a sandwich and coffee. During the hour-long tramp through
in industrial parks, I had time to book a bed for the night in Middlesborough,
my target for the day. It was a heartening moment when I crossed the Tees and
turned away from all the traffic and onto the south bank of the river.
At the tip of a bend in the river, the coast path turned into the Port of
Middlesborough passing through a delight full, Teessaurus Park, featuring
amongst other steel dinosaurs a colourful Stegosaurus. A lovely old diesel
engine called ‘Eleanor’ was on show in front of one of the factories. The
Transporter Bridge overlooked this industrialised area. It had taken six miles
and two hours to walk round from one side to the other. Then the football
ground came into view and I chose the Riverside Stadium as the point to finish
today’s walk and head into the city centre. Paths under the railway and major
roads brought me out into the city and I soon found the address of my guest
house. But I had no idea how to gain access. I had to ring the owner and obtain
the key code and entry procedures: my booking website had not yet sent the
details.
Seaton Carew dep. 09.01, Middlesborough
arr.15.10
GPS 16.00 miles in 5hrs 51mins 44secs
walking time plus 15min outside a shop in Port Clarence.
Stayed in a guest house in the
city centre, 143 Albert Road, Middlesborough.
The next street was Baker Street,
the place recommended to me last night. I popped into the Twisted Lip and
nearly spent all night there. A micropub with three hand pumps and a fantastic
bottled beer collection. I first tried Can’t Let Go (3.8%) from Wensleydale
Brewery, Leyburn, then Blonde Star (4.1%) from Anarchy Brew Co., Newcastle, and
finished with a Tonkoko Milk Stout (4.3%) from Brew York. When I asked about a
local eating house, the owners Erica and Saul recommended Uttapam, an Indian in
Borough Road just round the corner. Erica took me round and Saul came and
joined me for a meal. I had their fish curry and garlic naan and a small bottle
of Kingfisher Premier Lager.
Thursday 9th November 2023 Middlesborough
– Saltburn
End of the Line
Once again there was no breakfast on offer. But I had a train to catch
and this provided an opportunity for a very early start and take breakfast
on-route. Soon after 8am, I was back on the streets of Middlesborough looking
for a take-away coffee. Very little was open and a queue had formed in the only
café I passed. I pressed on, back under the road and railway and out to the
Riverside Stadium. The signage led me passed the football ground and onto an
industrial road running parallel to the train track. The route switched to the
other side of the railway line via a level crossing and then ran for miles and
miles beside the track in an endless narrow passage which became quite claustrophobic
after an hour and a half. South Bank Station was bypassed and many road
junctions could be sensed overhead. The Teesdale Way also used this passage and
periodic metal sculptures lined the route. Then a pipeline formed the right-hand
margin and heavy industry was all around. The path was waterlogged in parts and
I did not escape with dry feet. Eventually an industrial metal walkway crossed
over the pipeline and a muddy path led away from the railway. It was a great
relief to reach some steps and climb back into the upper world.
A few yards up the road was a mobile café from which the smell of bacon
emanated but the queue was even longer here than in town. Pressing on towards
Coatham Marsh, I was taken aback by the blocked entrance. It was nearly half a
mile to the next gate and then the route across the rough grassland was
unsigned. From a low ridge, I finally spotted the footbridge over the railway
and from thence, crossing of the marsh was straightforward. In a small
industrial site at Warrenby was a small café in a wooden hut. Although the lady
had no proper coffee machine, she made a mighty bason and sausage bap and my
fast was over. Much energised, I speeded over Cleveland golf course and along
the dunes into Redcar. The sun was shining and the promenade was busy with
holiday makers. More metal sculptures lined the seafront, these much larger than
the earlier ones.
I now was happy that I would catch my pre-booked train home, so I started
looking for another café but none appealed along the promenade until a square
building on the links grassland tempted me off route. The café inside was
heaving with tourists and day trippers and I moved disconsolately further down
the coast. A guy carrying a coffee told me that a mobile van was just ahead but
I failed to locate it in the bustling car park. On I went and was soon at
Marske, where I knew from Google that a cafe lay half a mile inland. ‘In The
Dog House’ proved a worthy diversion and a toastie and chocolate café were
wolfed down. Returning to the coast path at St Germain’s churchyard where the
tower and gravestones looked quite
picturesque in the afternoon sun, I suddenly realised that I had spent
too long in the café. When a lady walker warned me that the path ahead was virtually
impassable, I began to panic. After having all this time in hand, I was now in
danger of missing the train. I ploughed on through bottomless muddy gateways
and jogged along the cliff top path. Then there was an endless set of steps
down to Saltburn Sands. Along the promenade and passed the pier, I paused
momentarily to assure myself of the route to Saltburn Station then it was up a
steep road and more concrete steps to the higher part of the town and the
approach to the station. The train was standing at the platform and I had
hardly time to settle into my seat before my journey home was underway. The
second section of the North East Coast Path had been successfully completed.
Middlesborough dep. 08.03, Saltburn arr. 14.45
GPS 15.35 miles in 5hrs 36mins 12secs walking
time with 35 mins In The Dog House in Marske.
Conclusion
The TransPennine Express, not my
favourite rail company, did the business and, despite a landslip line closure
at Dewsbury, managed the re-routing via Wakefield and was not too late into
Manchester. Lots of trains at rush hour so I jumped onto a Cross Country to
Macclesfield and was rather pleased to be reunited with my wife. I had been
away a long time.
Walking 81 miles in 5 days pleased
me greatly, 78 miles of these were along the England Coast Path. In four visits
to the coast this year, I have probable done 300 miles of coast path or so.
This section I had just completed provided far superior walking than I had
expected. The Seaham to Hartlepool section was as good a coastal walk as you
can get. And I met such a lot of nice people, perhaps it is true that the North
Easterners are some of the friendliest in Britain. I shall be back next year
(DV) to tackle the Cleveland Way and the high cliffs of the North Yorkshire
Moors.
