Along the Wansbeck

[shewhomust]

Plan A was to walk along the Wansbeck into Morpeth, enjoy whatever entertainments the Gathering might offer (at perhaps a drink) at lunchtime, and then back to wherever we had chosen to start our walk.

So we called in at Borders in the Team Valley, where a friendly and helpful member of staff directed us to the several shelves of Ordnance Survey maps of various parts of the country. We couldn't find Morpeth among them, so I returned to our staff member:

"We can't find the Morpeth map."
"We don't have it."

- so prombly and certainly that it sounded like a policy decsion.

"Why, what have you got against Morpeth?"
"Nothing...
"Someone asked for it last week, and I checked then. We don't have it."

Plan B took us in to Morpeth, where we watched a mini procession (a morris side, a brass band, people in various degrees of historical dress) and then bought our map at W.H. Smith's before setting off along the river in the direction of Bothal. An angler saved us from persisting down a path which was a dead end, told us wistfully that he used to go walking before he had his heart attack, pointed out where the kingfisher nested and set us on the right path across the fields.

After that, the walk was entirely successful: the cross-field paths were broad and clear, we avoided a steep descent on the road by following the (only slightly muddy) track through the woods, there was a wall by the mill-race where we could sit and eat our sandwiches, and the path back along the river lead through constellations of windflowers on a carpet of wild garlic about to burst into bloom.

I can recommend the public conveniences at Morpeth Bus Station, too.

Comments

[sovay]

After that, the walk was entirely successful: the cross-field paths were broad and clear, we avoided a steep descent on the road by following the (only slightly muddy) track through the woods, there was a wall by the mill-race where we could sit and eat our sandwiches, and the path back along the river lead through constellations of windflowers on a carpet of wild garlic about to burst into bloom.

That's lovely. So is the photograph.

[shewhomust.livejournal.com]

Thank you.