Walk up the valley of the Rookhope Burn from Eastgate. The walk didn’t get off to good start since the intended car park had been taken over by the village beer festival! (Top) a pleasant section of the burn, slightly spoilt by pestering mayflies. The remains of an old tractor, apparently abandoned in the middle of a field. But it may be linked with the ruined dwelling of “Bog House” a few metres away. (Bottom) Expansive view up the valley towards Rookhope. The small, but well formed, Heugh Battery Museum, Hartlepool, styles itself as the only World War I battlefield museum in the UK, as a key focus is the bombardment of Hartlepool by the German navy on 16 Dec 1914. The extremely quirky Chillingham Castle has been rescued from decay by its correspondingly eccentric owner, Sir Humphry Wakefield. Tasteful and minimalist it is not! The gardens (below) are a welcome relief from the sensory overload of the interior!The Common Road, leading west out of Wooler into the Cheviot Hills. We had picked a roasting hot weekend for a return trip to Wooler in Northumberland. The landscape was rather unforgiving, and we turned round after a few miles to avoid sunstroke!Visiting Lindisfarne on the return journey, the weather was misty, but this was a welcome break from the heat. (L) St. Cuthbert’s island can be reached from the island for a couple of hours at low tide. Reputedly Cuthbert first withdrew to live here, but was too often disturbed by the monks at Lindisfarne abbey, and so left to settle on Inner Farne. (R) The distinctive shape of Lindisfarne Castle, firmly set on the final outcrop of the Great Whin Sill before it heads into the sea.
