I have to say though that I felt very self conscious arriving at Segedunum to begin the walk. 'Aren't you a bit old for this?' I imagined the reception staff saying. Or maybe the Hadrian's Wall Walk fashion police would leap from behind the desk shouting 'She's not wearing Berghaus! Stop that woman!'. Neither of these scenarios came to pass and at 10. 35am I was striding out between Swan Hunters and Segedunum heading for Newcastle.
The way is well signposted but I carried my trusty guidebook on loan from the local public library, and learning from my previous walking experiences, I carried some lunch, plenty to drink, and worn layers of clothing. I am not, though, a seasoned walker yet - no base layer for me, no map in a plastic cover, no labels worth a second glance. If I do walk the whole wall walk I will have to consider kit. I realised today that I would need to carry waterproofs, an extra jumper, who knows what else. Today, in the sunshine, I walked in shirt sleeves, remembering how uncomfortable I had been on the Durham walk when I got too hot.
The goegraphy of the walk is well laid out in books and signposts. For me it turned into a bit of a walk through time. Walking along the riverside path I remembered river trips in the Shields ferry, I remembered by first walks along the Quayside as a new resident of the North East. I enjoyed hearing the kittiwakes, being able to name the buildings and the bridges, having a bit of a back story in the area now. There are some lovely houses at St Peters Basin too (sigh).
The west end of the city is special to me and the walk along the site of the Armstrong works towards Scotswood Road is lovely. I'd seen cowslips earlier on, and saw more here (The North East's regional flower?). I tried but failed to imagine the Scotswood Road I had seen in old photographs, alive and bustling, now a slightly anonymous dual carriageway. The path continued along an old railway line taking me towards my next challenge.
At Denton Dene the path crossed the A1 via a footbridge to Bells Close. I had thought the bridge had solid side - it had railings. I'm not good with heights, not good at all. No one else was around to help me. I dithered for ages. I gave myself all the pep talks, I tried to walk the bridge but turned back. The next signpost was tantalisingly visable across the bridge if only I could get there. I considered going back to the riverside and continuing along there, I considered walking up to Denton Burn and crossing the road there. Too much precious time would be wasted. Suddenly I surprised myself by putting my head down and walking across! I didn't enjoy it, but I was quite euphoric about it and promised myself an icecream at Newburn Riverside.
I'd been good to myself with a lunchbreak and a sit down at the Quayside, by the time I got to Newburn I was ready for more rest. Sadly, the icecream van wasn't there, but I had more water and a piece of cake and wondered if I should stop now, or continue on to Heddon. I was conscious of the time I'd lost at the bridge. The sight of two elderly walkers (in regulation gear and striding out like youngsters) decided me to carry on. I was feeling slightly stiff and as I had passed the 10 mile post as it were, I was into new walking territory for me. I managed the last section uphill to Heddon without much trouble, though I had definitely slowed down, and was in time to catch the 4pm bus to the city centre.
Well, one section down, five more to go. How will I cope with the more challenging middle sections?
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| Segedunum |
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| beside the Tyne |
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| The Three Tuns at Heddon |
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