West Allendale, Blueback Bridge, Monk Wood, Northumberland.
[11.5 km] Tue 09 Jun 2015

OS Grid Ref: NY 77600 55159
Lat/Long: 54.890664, -02.350734

My plan was to start my walk from the A686 north of Alston and walk from Whitfield, up the fell to Pike Rigg Currick where I was last week. A ‘Private’ sign at the start of the track where Office Farmhouse is also had an ‘Access’ sign shown. I hoped this would allow me to pass though on my way to the summit. The track was quiet as I walked up under an overcast sky. Approaching Mainsrigg Farm a tractor came down the track and the farmer got out to enquire what I was doing. I told him my objective and he told me it was private land and I had to turn round and leave the way I had come. I told him about the access sign but he wasn’t interested. It is the first time in my entire life that I have been told to leave an area immediately.

I was soon able to plan another walk on the far side of the valley but I still found it a concern that large areas of our country are denied to harmless walkers.
This is a dark and disturbing culture I thought this country had left behind.

I returned to the A686 and turned left to head for Blueback Bridge. The impressive Holy Trinity Church was on the way but it was locked so I wasn’t able to check out the interior. I reached Blueback Bridge at the Elk’s Head Hotel.

The bridge crosses the River West Allen and just over was a cross on a stone plinth and the inscription:
In Memory of
J. Lindsay Auldjo Jamieson
Born at Edinburgh 5th Oct 1870
Killed by accident
near thisw spot
16th June 1895
R. I. P.

I couldn’t find out who he was or details of the accident. I followed the steep path up through the woods, across a field then re-joined the road. Further up I left the road again to follow a path across fields to Harlow Bower Farm then down a nice path across fields to Monk Farm.

A lot of timber felling had been done and the logs were being cleared. There was now an easy track to follow through Monk Wood.

Unfortunately there was a disturbing sign about the private land which was probably half a joke but still was a dark threat. The buildings around Gate House were interesting and one had the look of a refurbished church.

I was now on the adopted tarmac road and followed it to Blackett Bridge and over the River West Allen again. Up the road I joined the A686 again and back to my car.