Fenham Circular - no miles - no pedometer!!

So, week two and the resolution is still strong!  I took this walk during the afternoon, it lasted roughly an hour, allowing for dawdling and photography, so could be done in a lot less.  It felt good to be out pounding the streets!

Fenham Hall Drive, where it all began



I walked down Fenham Hall Drive towards the junction with Wingrove Road.  I stopped at the church of St Basil and St James and went in.  It must be one of the few churches that is open all day and it is lovely inside - quiet, airy, lovely stained glass - well worth a visit.

From there I continued up Wingrove Road towards the junction with Nuns Moor Road.  Some lovely houses along here, and I resdiscovered the pleasures of being nosy and seeing what people had in their gardens/front porches/drives.  I must make special mention of the householders that have made a tiny replica of Stonehenge around their ornamental toad (or did they make Stonehenge and then drop the toad into the centre?)

Then it was down Nuns Moor Road past shops selling gorgeous shalwar kameez, to the entrance to Nuns Moor Park.  I've noticed the long avenue of trees as I've driven past and thought it would be good to walk here, and indeed it was.  I didn't stop to admire the croquet lawn but there seemed to be plenty of seating, a play area, a wildlife area and in general a nice place to be during the day.  I had dog walkers for company and most of them were female so it must be considered a reasonably safe place.  Here too I spotted a crocus (I think) growing under the trees, so spring is on the way.

The darling buds of Nuns Moor

There were buds on the trees too.  And what a difference blue sky makes!  I crossed the road and made my way up to another avenue of trees with allotments to one side that led me up to Cowgate  Although you could hear traffic noise along the way, I couldn't help thinking how lucky Newcastle is to have all this green space on the edge of the town.

Cowgate mystery path

From here it should have been a short hop along the side of the road to Cowgate roundabout, but I was seduced by the sight of a path leading off to the left, so I followed it into a little area which seems to be where the good folk of Fenham go to light their illegal bonfires, dump their rubbish and abandon Morrisons trolleys.  I bet the kids have a fine old time here in the summer making dens and so forth, though.  And there was the Fenham Dragon - three grassy humps which form (intentionally or unintentionally) an obstacle course for bikes.


 

The short way to Cowgate




The Fenham Dragon



     

Like most mystery paths and other things that seem seductive, the path only led me round it a circle back to the main path.  But it was somewhere I'd never been before and as with life so with walking - sometimes the journey is the thing not the destination.  And there I was, on Two Ball Lonnen, heading back to Fenham Hall Drive and the end of my second week of walking!

Two Ball Lonnen