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Chipchase Castle. Built between 1370 and 1390. A fine, medieval tower house. By 1541 a house had been added to the tower, and later (1621) a Jacobean manor house. Still a family home, Chipchase is open to the public during June. Haughton Castle. The tower house at Haughton was extended and fortified in 1373, but by the 16th-century had fallen into disrepair. In 1816 work began to transform the castle into a gentrified country residence, which involved demolishing of the village of Haughton to make way for a country park. The castle is reputed to be haunted by ‘Archie’, a notorious clan chieftain. He was imprisoned in the dungeon by the Swinburn’s who neglected to leave instructions to feed the prisoner. Some days later Armstrong was found dead, having in desperation gnawed the flesh from his own arm. Chesters Fort. CILURNAM (“The Cauldron Pool”). The best remains of a Roman cavalry fort in Britain. Built astride Hadrian’s Wall and guarding the point where the Wall crossed the North Tyne, the site includes a well preserved military bath house, and the Clayton Museum of Roman artefacts. Brunton Turret. Beside the Hexham road on the opposite bank to Chesters, is the best preserved example of a turret along Hadrian’s Wall. The back wall stands 2.4m high and adjacent to it visitors can see the broad wall, and the narrow wall built on top of broad wall foundations. The villages Places of interest Wark village green is dominated by a chestnut planted in 1887 to celebrate Queen Victoria’s golden jubilee. The town hall was constructed in 1875, and the bridge over the North Tyne was built in 1878, when the toll to cross was a penny per person, and two pence for horse. In the middle ages, Wark was the seat of the “Lordships of Tynedale” and a motte and bailey castle dominated the village. From 1150 to 1295 the Scottish kings held court in Wark as the village was then part of Scotland. The lordship remained in royal hands until 1604. The lordship is now held by the Duke of Northumberland. Simonburn was once the largest parish in England stretching from Hadrian’s Wall, to the Scottish border 20 miles north. Simonburn has not seen any new developments for the past 150 years, and remains much as it was in the middle of the 19th-century, a secluded, and peaceful retreat in the North Tyne. Humshaugh lies on the banks of the River North Tyne. The village is mentioned in the court rolls of Alexander, King of Scots. This is “border country” and this part of Northumberland was then part of the Scottish crown. Houghton Castle lies a mile north of the village and dates back to the 13th-century. Hadrian’s Wall and Chesters Roman fort are within easy reach, a mile west from Chollerford bridge. Fourstones and its twins Warden and Newbrough lie on an old Roman road, the Stanegate, which runs from Corbridge to Carlisle. The name is derived from the ‘four stones’ that marked the village boundary, and were reputed to be Roman altar bases. The winding gear from Settlingstones mine has been reconstructed as a memorial to the miners and quarrymen of the area. Warden derives its name from the Saxon “weard dun” which means “Watch Hill”. On Warden Hill are the extensive remains of an iron age hillfort. St Michael’s church has been a place of worship for 1,400 years. A 7th-century cross stands in the churchyard, and the tower is Saxon. Essential information Route 4: Humshaugh, Crown Inn GR 920715. Routes 5 & 6: Fourstones, St. Aiden's Church GR 888679. The Mid Tyne is an area of quiet country lanes, wooded valleys, and open vistas. The area is steeped in history, from the early Iron Age, the Roman Period and Hadrian’s Wall, to the Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Periods with associated Bastle Houses, Peel towers and Castles. The countryside is dotted with the remains of this turbulent past. Start points 1. Humshaugh Village. 2. Fourstones; Railway Inn, or lay-by 1 / 2 mile up the hill past the post office. Car parking Hexham. Trains run on the Tyne Valley line every hour from either Newcastle or Carlisle. Trains carry 2 and 6 cycles free of charge on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. For details pick up a timetable, or phone 08457 484950 Railway station Moderate. Circular routes on quiet country lanes. Road bikes or hybrids. Routes largely follow existing National Cycle Network: Hadrian’s Cycleway , National Byway , and National Byway Loop. Allow a day for each route. Terrain. This is Northumberland, so there are hills to negotiate on all the routes, but nothing too steep Type of routes The Bike Shop 16 St. Mary’s Chare, Hexham, tel: 01434 601032, Bicycle Repair Man Unit 6b Earls Court, Low Prudhoe Industrial Estate, tel: 01434 830618, The Bike Shop, 17 Westgate, Haltwhistle, tel: 01434 322544 Don’t forget your puncture repair kit and/or spare inner tube! Cycle repair 1. Explorer OL43 Hadrian’s Wall, Haltwhistle & Hexham, scale 1:25 000, Landranger 87 Hexham & Haltwhistle, scale 1:50 000. OS maps Pennine Cycleway , Hadrian’s Cycleway , Reivers Route , National Byway Other cycle routes The Crown Inn, Humshaugh. The Post Office Tea Rooms, Simonburn. The Railway Inn, Fourstones. The Boatside Inn, Warden. Refreshments A full colour map with three easy to follow cycle rides in the North Tyne Valley CIRCULAR CYCLE ROUTES AROUND THE MID-TYNE Humshaugh - Wark - Fourstones Route 4: Humshaugh - Wark Circular 17 miles The ride heads north via the village of Simonburn and the beautiful valley of the Gofton Burn to Wark. Return along the opposite bank of the North Tyne, via Barrasford and Chollerton. Route 5: Fourstones – Simonburn Circular 15 miles Follow the rivers South Tyne and the North Tyne. Enjoy the dramatic changes of scenery between the lush wooded river valleys, the wild, open countryside, and Hadrian’s Wall at Black Carts. Route 6: Warden Hill Circular 6 miles An easy route round Warden Hill, site of an Ancient British settlement, with views of the North and the South Tyne valleys. Stop to explore Warden Church, a place of worship for 1,400 years. Hexham Link. To join these cycle routes from Hexham, follow Hadrian’s Cycleway Route from Tyne Green to Warden (2 miles). Published by the Mid Tyne Community Trust. To find out more about what we do,contact us at: Women’s Institute House, Newbrough, Hexham, NE47 5AR. Tel: 01434 674904 www.midtynetrust.ik.com email: [email protected] Registered charity no. 1095760 This project has been funded by: Haughton Castle from Barrasford, by the river North Tyne Chipchase Castle Hadrian's Wall and turret at Black Carts The Boatside Inn, Warden Simonburn
