A BRIEF HISTORY

Haydon Bridge has been an important crossing of the SouthTyne since the 14th century, and the village grew around theriver as the turmoil of the Border wars receded. Only HaydonOld Church, above the village to the north remains as areminder of the ancient settlement of Haydon which it replaced,while the lawless times of the Border Reivers are recalled by theimposing bulk of Langley Castle to the south.

In more peaceful times Haydon Bridge has grown throughagriculture and industries associated with coal and lead mining.Its importance as a transport link saw the arrival of the railway in1838, and increasing road traffic necessitated a new bridge in1970 and a bypass in 2009. Today it is a peaceful place to visitwith beautiful surrounding countryside that has inspired poetPhilip Larkin and renowned local artist John Martin.

FURTHER AFIELD

Haydon Bridge is ideally situated for visitors to enjoy a longer stayand explore the wider range of attractions which Northumberlandhas to offer. Situated in the South Tyne valley, the village nestlesbetween Northumberland National Park and the North PenninesArea of Outstanding Natural Beauty, with its high moors andsecluded dales. The finest sections of Hadrian’s Wall are on thedoorstep, as is the historic market town of Hexham.

Cast your net a little wider, and the castles and harbours of thescenic Northumberland coast, the cities of Newcastle andDurham, Kielder Water and Forest Park and even the LakeDistrict, all lie within easy reach of your tranquil base in a realNorthumberland village.

W A L K S A R O U N D H A Y D O N B R I D G E

Village Walks

Three short and easy walks in and around HaydonBridge. Favourite strolls for villagers over the

years, these undemanding routes are an easy wayto explore some hidden corners of the village.

Walltown Crags on Hadrian’s Wall

50p

Introduction

Haydon Bridge is the only community which couldproperly be said to straddle both sides of the Tyne, joinedby a bridge which was first built in mediaeval times. Thismeans that pleasant walks on either side of the river canbe accessed easily from the centre of the village.

This leaflet offers two such walks, one exploring thenorthern riverbank and some interesting corners of thevillage, and the other going further afield along theopposite bank to the Victorian Haydon Spa. A third walkexplores the area around the Shaftoe Trust school andsome more points of historical interest.

All three walks are short, easy and pleasant strollsdesigned to be completed in a short time by walkers ofany ability.

W A L K S A R O U N D H A Y D O N B R I D G E

Village walks

Walk Summary

Three short walks on largely flat and level terrainexploring the riverbanks and lesser-known corners of thevillage. The first two walks are less than half a mile inlength, while the third is a two mile walk on the route ofthe villagers’ favourite evening stroll to the VictorianHaydon Spa.

Look out for...

St Cuthbert’s Church,with its distinctivepagoda style tower roof,was consecrated in1796, having beenconstructed from stonetaken from Haydon OldChurch to the north of the village. The second smallcottage opposite the Coop store is where poet PhilipLarkin spent many holidays with his girlfriend MonicaJones. He wrote: ‘I thought your little house...lookssplendid and it can never be ordinary with the Tynegoing by outside... You have a great English river driftingunder your window.’

The building opposite was built in 1841 as a venuefor men to read newspapers and the Bible. An upperstory was later added and a snooker table installed tooffer more recreational pursuits.

The Newcastle to Carlisle Railway was opened in 1838,and was the first cross-country line to be built. Most ofthe buildings from the station and goods yard have nowbeen demolished, but a working signal box remains. Theimpressive retaining walls were built to carry four tracks,where goods trains would stop to take on water at thehalfway point of their journey. The area between thestation yard and the river, now used for more modernindustrial purposes, was once the site of the village gasworks. Note the old lamp post dating from the days ofgas lighting at the entrance to the subway.

The Anchor Hotel, most prominent of the villagepubs, was also used as a courtroom with gallowsand later as an office for Greenwich Hospital estates.

The village allotments are called CaliforniaGardens. The reason for this exotic name is unclear,but there is a suggestion that they were namedaround the time of the great Gold Rush in 1849.

Haydon Spa was first developed in 1863 andimproved in 1897 to commemorate Queen Victoria’sDiamond Jubilee. Following a riverbank collapse in2001, the path has been reconstructed so thatvisitors can once again enjoy its distinctive flavour.

Some of the old bridge may date back to the lateC17, but it failed to survive the Great Flood of 1771and was rebuilt on more than one occasion in theC19. It ceased carrying traffic in 1967.

The ‘new’ bridge which carries motor trafficthrough the village was built in 1970 to relieve theold single track bridge nearby. Traffic used atemporary structure during its construction.

Shaftoe Trust School and almshouses wereendowed in 1685 by the Rev John Shaftoe and arestill assisted by the Shaftoe Charities. The terrace ofalmshouses built in 1810 includes larger houses builtto accommodate the schoolteachers.The currentschool building dates from the early 20th century.

Geeswood is an attractive wood clinging to thesteep sides of the Langley Burn. The A69 bypassnow crosses this valley on an impressive viaduct.

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Construction of the ‘new’ bridge.

Shaftoe Trust School, taken early in the 20th century

Shaftoe Terrace Almshouses

Leaflet published by Haydon Bridge Development Trust. Funding from Northumberland Uplands LocalAction Group and made available through the Rural Development Programme for England.

Getting to Haydon BridgeBy road A69 from A1 at Newcastle 28 milesA69 from M6 at Carlisle 31 miles

By rail Newcastle – Carlisle service www.northernrail.org

By bus 685 service Newcastle – Carlisle www.arrivabus.co.uk

By air from Newcastle Airport

For more information:www.haydon-bridge.co.ukwww.northumberlandnationalpark.org.ukwww.sustrans.org.ukwww.cycle-routes.org/hadrianscycleway

The BridgeThis Community Library, Visitor Information Centre and Internet

Café is on Church Street next to the railway station. As well as

providing library services and a focal point for the local community,

it offers visitors friendly advice and a range of leaflets and

information on local tourist attractions and facilities.

Newcastle upon Tyne

to Carlisle& M6

Hexham

Haydon Bridge

Haltwhistle

NorthumberlandNational Park

North PenninesArea of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Hadrian’s Wall

Allendale

Alston

Ponteland

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A68

A69

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Newcastle upon Tyne

Gees Wood

Weir

Haydon Spa Well

River South Tyne

School

East Lands EndsEsp Hill

Cemetary

Playarea

‘The Bridge’

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TheAnchor

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Haydon Bridge1

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Riverside Walk

From ‘The Bridge’ turn left to head along Church Streetto St Cuthbert’s Church, then cross over and follow thestreet round the corner to the right.

At the Community Centre cross the road, turn rightand then left down a narrow alleyway between thehouses. At the end, turn left along the riverbank andfollow the path until it turns back up onto thepavement, then turn right and walk to the end of therailings at the end of the old bridge.

Cross the road with care towards the lane to the rightof the building opposite. Follow this lane through anavenue of trees and then as it narrows to a path followingthe retaining wall of the railway line.

At the end of the path turn left to go through asubway and then left again back towards the village.Turn left and cross the level crossing to return to yourstarting point.

Spa Well Walk

Leaving The Bridge turn left along Church Street, and atthe end cross the road onto the old pedestrian bridge.Cross the bridge and turn left around the Anchor Hoteland left again into the car park.

Cross to a wicket gate on the far side of the car parkand go through it, turning right to follow a path alongthe riverside. Go under the road bridge and follow thepath down off the flood defences to join a track leadingover a stream to the football club car park.

Bear left following the path around the football field andalong the wooded riverbank. After about 1km continueacross a footbridge, through a wicket gate and along theleft edge of the field to a small building by a weir.

Turn right to climb steeply up the field, bearing halfleft to a gate onto the main road. Turn left to follow thefootpath until it joins the disused former alignment of theroad. Look out for a set of steps leading down to the left.

Descend these steps and follow the path along theriverbank to the walk destination, the Victorian HaydonSpa. To return to the village, retrace your steps along theriverbank or follow the footpath alongside the main road.

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Continue along the road through a gate on a flooddefence ramp. You now need to head for a gate diagonallyright across some open ground, which leads to a footpathbetween some houses and the river. Follow this path underthe road bridge and up to the Anchor Hotel car park. Outof the car park turn right and right again to cross the oldbridge back to the start of the walk.

Shaftoe walk

From ‘The Bridge’ turn left to head along the street, pastthe church, cross the road and over the old bridge. Atthe end of the bridge, turn right and follow the roaduphill past the school entrance until you reach a gateand stone stile into a field on the left.

Cross the field diagonally towards the seat by the playarea, then down the steps to the school.

At the foot of the steps, turn right along the lane. Atthe end, a footpath to the right signposted Geeswoodoffers an optional woodland diversion.

The main route turns left down the hill. At the footcross the road towards the bus shelter and continuedown the lane to the right (‘Temple Houses’). Follow thislane, bearing right at the bottom and then left to crossthe bridge by the football club car park.

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W A L K S A R O U N D H A Y D O N B R I D G E

Village Walks

Geeswood

Heading along the lane to Smiths Terrace

Alleyway between RatcliffeRoad and the river

Haydon SpaThe old bridge viewed on the ‘Riverside Walk’.

© Crown Copyright. All rights reserved.Ordnance Survey Licence number 100051631.