Bede Walk

Some months ago, in fact, it may even be some years ago, I printed a map of a local walk, called "Bedes Walk".

The walk is between St Pauls Church, Jarrow and St Peters Church, Sunderland. According to the literature, the distance is 12.01 Miles, but more of this later.

I very much doubt there is any historical evidence to suggest Saint Bede ever actually made this walk, but let us not be spoil sports and get in the way of a good Public Relations line by the local tourist board.

I repeatedly suggested to Kathleen that we should do this walk, but always she had an excuse not to do it. Then, on a day when I was busy with the cycling group, she took my map and did the walk with her brother, Peter.

This of course, I fully understand, it gave her a chance to check out the route, and to ensure she could be "in charge" when we did eventually do the walk. Kathleen likes to be "in charge".

We have been experiencing a few spring like days recently, plus, eldest daughter, Dana, had a few days holiday (she gets almost as much holiday as a school teacher), so, it was decided we would do "the walk" today. Monday 7th March 2011.

Kathleen and myself set off to catch the (approximately) 9:30 number 9 bus, to Sunderland, using our "pensioners" bus passes.

It does not start well, as we board the bus and flash our "Pensioner" pass, the bus driver looks at his watch and informs us, it is not yet 9:30, (apparently bus passes cannot be used before 9:30). This is news to me, but I adopt my best friendly, smiling approach, explain we did not know that, we are, after all, only just pensioners, and offer to pay the fare if he wishes. Kathleen as an apprentice argumentitive, sharp elbowed, pensioner, tells him this is supposed to be the 9:30 bus. I am not sure which approach won him over, but we are allowed on the bus.

True to form as we progress through Boldon Colliery, West Boldon, and East Boldon, the bus fills up with pensioners, all of course flashing their bus pass.

We get off at "the Wheatsheaf" pub, Sunderland, this being the nearest stop to St Peters metro station.

We walk towards the Metro station to meet up with Dana, and then on to St Peters Church to begin the walk.

This being 2011, the latest technology is called into action, and Dana starts the "Cardiac Trainer App" on her mobile phone to monitor our progress.

At this point, there is a perfectly good walkway along the banks of the River Wear, away from the main road and the associated traffic noise.

But, the official route is clearly sign posted. and we must follow the official route.

As you can see from the photographs, it is a beautiful spring day. There is a bit of a chill in the air, but the sun is shining and it looks set fair.

We walk on towards Roker and the coast,  along a road I believe is called Roker Avenue.

We reach the coast, here the road turns sharp left to run along the seafront.

For any fellow pensioners who may be inspired to follow in our footsteps, after reading this, there is a toilet stop here if you want or need it.

We are "young" pensioners, with working bladder control still, (well, Dana is not actually a pensioner at all, but she is approaching a birthday with a zero on the end), we walk on.

The walk continues along the seafront, on a beautiful day like today, Roker seafront looks magnificent, particularly since, in a photograph, you cannot feel the cool wind blowing in off the North Sea.

If the tide is out, which it was for us, you can make a small detour onto the beach, and thus continue on the promenade all the way to Seaburn, but if the tide is in, you need to rejoin the footpath along the coast road for a short distance.

Because, I suppose, it is a sunny day, almost everyone in Sunderland is unemployed, and the world (well the UK) now seems to be filled with pensioners roaming about using their bus passes, there are a surprising number of people, walking their dogs, or sitting outside of beach front cafes drinking coffee.

None of this idling in the sun, reading the newspaper and drinking coffee for us, of course, we are doing a serious walk, and so we walk steadily north along the promenade admiring the view as we go.

Dana is the official photographer for today, tasked with recording the walk for posterity.

This, of course, means Dana will not be in any of the photographs, whilst Kathleen and myself will feature in many of the photographs, as you can see, as we walk past Seaburn seafront.

No need to despair, they are almost exclusively pictures from the rear, since the walk leader does not believe in pausing for any reason, certainly not something as trivial as photographs.

The route continues to the edge of Whitburn, where there are some rather nice "fishermans cottages". It is a long time since a Fisherman lived in any of them I suspect, they are all very gentrified and expensive looking now. Unfortunately the official photographer omitted to take a picture of them, so you will just have to take my word for it.

At the fishermans cottages, the route crosses the coast road and follows a footpath alongside Whitburn Park, to reach this rather imposing house.

The house is next to the parish church, and is very unusual for this area.

I must remember, on the next rainy day, to employ the ever reliable Google to find some information on the place, surely, such an impressive looking house must have some history associated with it?

The route follows the small lane, past the church and into the very pretty Whitburn Village.

At the road through the village, cross the road, turn left and then right (via what I think is called "Sandy Chare"), then follow the "Bedes Walk" signs to go slightly to the right, and then along a road lined with fairly modern houses.

Continue until you come to a lone, imposing, stone built house (no doubt once a farm house) on the right, surrounded by more modern properties.

At this point on your left, there is a well defined farm track, signposted "Bedes Walk", which takes you towards Cleadon Hills.

We have now left the coast, and, although we are just on the edge of the urban area, we are walking through open countryside, with excellent views of the countryside and the urban sprawl which is South Tyneside, as the ground rises towards Cleadon Hills, the derelict windmill and the always distinctive and  impressive water tower, built in the style of a chinese pagoda.

A picture would describe this so much better than I can, but, it is nearing lunch time  and the official photographer is probably feeling faint.

At the water tower, we turn left, following a well trodden track, called I believe "Occupation Way", which eventually brings us to Sunderland Road, on the edge of Cleadon Village.

There is a strategically placed pub here (The Ship), which is a convenient stop for a cup of tea, coffee or something stronger if you prefer. It also of course provides a useful toilet stop.

The pub also does a good range of meals, but we have come prepared with our picnic in the form of sandwiches. Kathleen cannot wait, and eats her sandwiches secretly whilst having a cup of tea, Dana and myself show suitable restraint, and opt to wait until we find a convenient seat along the walk.

At this point, we have covered just over five miles, so we are just slightly under halfway to our destination.

After crossing Sunderland Road, the track continues along the back of the houses, until it crosses King George Road.

An alternative toilet stop / feeding station is available here in the form of the White Ensign pub.

We march steadily on, past the site of what used to be the South Shields Girls Grammar School, then later King George Comprehensive School. Now a new school is taking shape on the site.

Just past the school, there is a crossing point and a sign to direct you to turn left, walking along a small road with the school on your left and the houses of Holder House Estate on your right.

Continue past the allotments at the end of this road, and then bear right along the more well defined path, initially the path is bounded by small trees, and then crosses a field, before continuing along the back of more houses. 

Continue straight ahead, until you cross the bus turning circle at the end of Whiteleas Way, continue straight ahead with an infant school on your right, this portion of the path is actually called (and signposted Linnet Way). The path eventually crosses the old South Shields / Sunderland Railway line (now a footpath / cycleway).

At this point we go wrong. What you should do, is turn left along the old railway line, to Tile Sheds, then turn right over the Sunderland / Newcastle metro line and walk along New Road to Boldon Comprehensive School. At this point you turn right into Colliery Wood, follow the path until it comes to the River Don, turn left and follow the banks of the River Don. We will get there eventually.

I am told it was my fault we went the wrong way, if you are reading this, I am sure you will agree from the photographs, at no point am I, "in the lead", it is quite clear who the walk leader is, and remember, only one person has done this walk before, and that is not me, or Dana.

I leave you to draw your own conclusions.

We continued straight across the old railway line, to Benton Road, crossed the road and then turned right and then left to follow the continuation of "Linnet Way" toward Biddick Hall and Brockley Whins Metro Station. 

At this point, Kathleen and Dana have recognised where they are, and scenting that the finish line is in sight, they have put on a spurt leaving me puffing along behind, breathless old man that I am.

To be fair, this route is probably more quiet and pleasant, than the official route, I am sure Bede would have come this way if he had known about it.

As I said, I have fallen behind, but the walk leader takes her duties seriously and waits patiently / impatiently (delete as appropriate) for me at the point where the path turns to the right.

The route then passes through the houses, but always keeping parallel with the metro line.

Just after the point where the road begins to curve to the right, there is a blue cycle track sign, which leads to a bridge under the metro line, the path then turns right and continues until it comes alongside the River Don, at the point we would have been, had we followed the official route.

Here, stay on the right hand bank of the stream, and take the wooden duckboard walkway over the swampy part, the path then bears left rising slightly, and then down, still keeping left, until you come to a footbridge over the stream.

Cross the footbridge, and follow the tarmac path alongside the left bank of the stream.

I have fallen behind again on the incline, the walk leader waits patiently / impatiently (delete as appropriate) for me to catch up.

I think in this case the body language says it all, the camera never lies.

The tarmac track follows the stream, and then climbs steeply out of the dene, continue on along the gravel path between the metro line and the back of the houses, until you reach a set of steps down to a tarmac path alongside the main A19. Continue, north, to the footbridge, cross the bridge over the A19, turn left and walk south alongside the A19 on the tarmac path until just before the metro line. At this point, turn right following a track alongside the metro line which takes you first behind some houses, and then through the houses, to emerge at the Greyhound Pub (another likely stop if you need it).

Cross the road and head down the hill, taking the footpath on the left which follows the river Don, towards the Robin Hood pub (more toilets, probably necessary if you have availed yourself of all of the stopping points so far).

Cross the road, and again take the tarmac path, following the stream on your right.

A short distance along here is a convenient seat to have a short rest, a drink, apple whatever you fancy, and have with you.

Then you come to a pond, formed as part of the stream, where there are ducks, geese and today even a couple of swans.

There was, in the past, a "community farm" here with rabbits, goats etc to amuse children, but it appears to have met it's demise, all that remains is a sign saying "do not feed the animals grass cuttings", but there are no animals.

The path continues with the stream on your right, and you need to bear right at the junction with another path to your left, until you come to some houses on the left and then to a footbridge, cross the bridge and turn left.

Cross another footbridge and bear right, still following the stream until you emerge onto a road (generally called "cemetary bank", not sure if that is it's official name.

Cross the road, and follow the tarmac path with the cemetary on your right, the track eventually passes beneath the A19 road, just before the Tyne Tunnel, follow the path around until you are walking alongside the A19 (heading north) and just after passing under the railway bridge, turn right through a gap in the low wall, following a tarmac track parallel to the road to South Shields.

A new Tyne Tunnel has just recently been openned and here at the moment, major works are underway, as you can see from the photograph, to realign the approach roads for the new road tunnel under the River Tyne.

The disruption is short lived.

Soon we are walking alongside the River Don again, along a section which I always think is quite amazing.

It is within a few hundred yards of one of the most shabby parts of Jarrow (and that is saying something, since Jarrow is quite shabby), but if you just forget that, it really is quite pretty, here, in this particular corner.

In fact you can almost imagine St Bede and the other monks walking along here chanting their prayers on a nice sunny day like today, well that is assuming St Bede ever actually walked along here.

 Finally we reach St Pauls Church.

The magic of Cardiac Trainer and GPS tells us we have in fact walked 13.7 miles.

Now we have another 2 miles or there abouts to walk to Jarrow bus station.

Here we indulge in Kathleen's favourite passtime, and get the bus (free), back to home.

Dana, not yet being 60, must pay, one of only two people who did so as far as I can see!