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Ingram Valley

The small Northumberland village of Ingram sits in the upper Breamish valley in the north west of the county, about 6 miles south of Wooler.

The Ingram valley through which the small Breamish river runs is very popular place with summer visitors and hill walkers. Drive past the visitor centre until you come to the public toilets/car park on the right. This is the starting point to climb the hills.

Opposite the car park, half way up the hill towards Brough's Law, are the remnants of a bronze age settlement. It's easily missed - keep an eye out for the overgrown area surrounded by stones. That's it. It takes approximately half an hour to walk up the beaten path to the top of Brough's Law, where the view is magnificent.

The nearest shop is back on the main road (turn right when you reach it)and is part of a petrol station. Attached is a restaurant which is well worth a visit. There is also a small antiques centre and fresh-local meat butcher shop.

Article adapted from the Wikipedia online encyclopedia.

How to get to the Ingram Valley:
By road from the south: take the main A1 trunk road north and turn left on to the A697. Follow the A697 northwards to Powburn. Take the first left after the River Breamish bridge.
By road from the north: Take the main A1 trunk road from Edinburgh and Berwick upon Tweed. Turn off at Belford, on the right about 12 miles south of Berwick. From Belford follow the B6349 then B6348 to Wooler. At Wooler follow the main A697 about 10 miles southwards and turn right just before the River Breamish bridge and Powburn.
By rail: The nearest station is Berwick upon Tweed.
By bus: There are no regular bus services to the Ingram valley

Map of area: CLICK HERE

Amble

Amble harbour - the friendliest port.

Amble is a town in Northumberland, England. It is a seaport on the North Sea coast. It lies at the mouth of the River Coquet.

Amble grew in the nineteenth century as collieries were opened; its location at the mouth of the River Coquet, and its then newly built railway links to the Northumberland coalfields, made it an ideal centre for the transportation and export of coal. Other industries, such as ship building and repair, and sea fishing, expanded with the growth of the town, although traditional Northumbrian fishing vessels such as cobles will have sheltered in the natural harbour here for centuries previously.

Today, the collieries in Northumberland are all closed (the last, Ellington, closed in 2005), and the railway no longer serves Amble. However, the fishing industry survives, albeit with a somewhat reduced numbers of vessels, as does a small marine industry, mainly concentrated around the construction and repair of yachts and other pleasure craft. A small industrial estate is located to the southwest of the town, whose clients include food processing plants, vehicle repairs and telecommunications companies.

Tourism forms an important sector of the town's economy - part of the harbour has been redeveloped into a marina, and several caravan parks, guest houses and B&Bs exist to serve visitors to the Northumberland coast.

Saint Cuthbert lived on Coquet Island just offshore from the town,which retains its strong Christian identity. Amble's four churches are often quite busy, especially at Christmas eve-although the impact of liberalisation of licensing laws on Midnight Mass remains to be seen. Nearby Warkworth is noted for its castle.

Amble holds the title 'Friendliest Port'. It is believed this title comes from the 1930s when the RMS Mauretania was heading on her last voyage to the breaker's yard at Rosyth and stopped for the last time in Amble. Amble catered for the men of the ship and gave them food and shelter, as they parted they said that Amble was ' the last and friendliest port of England.

Article adapted from the Wikipedia online encyclopedia.

How to get to Alnmouth:
By road: Take the main A1 trunk road north from Newcastle upon Tyne, to Alnwick. Take the Alnwick exit and follow the road towards Alnwick town centre. From the town centre take the A1068 coastal route. Amble is about 8 miles south east of Alnwick.
By rail: The nearest station is Alnmouth.
By bus: Arriva Northumbria service 518 goes from the Haymarket Bus Station in Newcastle via Morpeth to Amble. In the reverse direction, the 518 goes from Alnwick via the coast to Amble. During the summer months the Coastal Clipper service runs between Bamburgh and Amble.

Map of area: CLICK HERE

Bedlington

Bedlington Terriers.

Bedlington is a town in Northumberland, to the north of the Tyne and Wear urban area. Nearby places include Morpeth, Ashington, Blyth and Cramlington. The parish of Bedlington constituted the historic exclave of County Durham called Bedlingtonshire.

Bedlington was an industrial town with an iron works and several coal mines. However in more recent times the town has undergone many changes, and is now more of a Dormitory town.

Bedlington ('Bedaz' in Charv terms) and the hamlets belonging to it were bought by Cutheard, bishop of Durham, between 900 and 915, and although locally situated in the county of Northumberland became part of the county palatine (from Lat. palatium, a palace) of Durham over which Bishop Walcher was granted royal rights by William the Conqueror.

When these rights were taken from Cuthbert Tunstall, bishop of Durham, in 1536, Bedlington among his other property lost its special privileges, but was confirmed to, him in 1541 with the other property of his predecessors. Together with the other lands of the see of Durham, Bedlington was made over to the ecclesiastical commissioners in 1866. Bedlingtonshire was made part of Northumberland for civil purposes by acts of parliament in 1832 and 1844.

The town has good bus links with nearby Newcastle Upon Tyne which is where the majority of residents have employment. The town's front street has one supermarket, a post office and several other smaller shops, however the number of these is starting to decline. A weekly market (more of a car boot sale, offering an assortment of muck and tat) is held on a Thursday next to the magistrates' court. There are also several public houses.

In terms of food, there are a wide number of takeaways covering Indo-China, Eastern Europe and, of course, fish and chips.

The town is also home to Saint Benet Biscops Roman Catholic High School, a school praised by many members of the local community for its outstanding standards of education with several families making appeals to send their children to the school.

Article adapted from the Wikipedia online encyclopedia.

How to get to Bedlington:

By road: From the south: Take the main A1 trunk road to just north of Newcastle upon Tyne and then take the A19 exit. Follow the A19 for 3 miles and then take the A189 exit at the roundabout. Follow the A189 north towards Blyth. Just after the River Blyth bridge take the first left and follow the road along the river to Bedlington. From the north: Take the main A1 trunck road south to Alnwick. Head for Alnwick town centre and follow the signs for the A1068 coastal route. Follow the A1068 until it merges with the A189. Follow the A189 until toward Blyth. Take the right hand turn just before the River Blyth bridge and follow the river towards Bedlington.
By rail: The nearest station is Cramlington.
By bus: Buses run from Ashington, Blyth and Newcastle Haymarket Bus Station to Bedlington

Map of area: CLICK HERE