What to wear in Weardale, pronounced weer as in queer or rear. A big anorak is de rigour for today. A misty, wet, rainy day. We pulled onto a small camp site before noticing that a sign proclaimed couples only. It wasn’t a problem, as the warden said. “You are about big enough for a couple.” Cheeky minx! No anorexic herself!
We had a quick wander around Westgate a small village and very picturesque it looked in the gloom.
They have built us a footbridge over the river Wear. It didn’t really save my feet from a soaking, they were already on the wet side of damp. The ford and it’s weir, pronounced like the River not like where……..We’re at the weir on the Wear, wearing wellies. On a wet Wednesday in Westgate Weardale…..just my luck…. it’s Tuesday!
I’ve no internet so it could be a Wednesday!
It is a lovely river, tranquil one minute….
Flowing the next……………
Now bubbling merrily down the valley. This is the road bridge in Westgate on the left is the bridge over the old railway. Someone using it as a caravan garage, which was and is a slight irritation. I should have cloned it out…….too late now.
A rather unusual and pretty church St Andrews, for life to really swing it should be dedicated to St Winifred. It’s not looking it’s best as it has started raining again.
This shed caught my eye. If Clothes maketh the man then Doors maketh the shed.
Though not marked on my map Weeds is I hope the small hamlet you can see a couple of houses of and not the vegetation growing on the track.
Now the sun is showing itself in a watery sort of way so I am minded to take a wander up to the site of an old castle. There may or may not be anything left of it. We’ll see.
There isn’t or none that I could find so we came back home and adopting a recumbent posture I had another go at the ford.
This image has been flipped horizontally. It leads the eye neatly in to the focal interest in the picture…..the road sign!…… it says ‘Try Your Brakes.’ I had to try with it, you would too… were you daft enough to lie in the public highway…………a wet and slimy public highway.
Tomorrow we are going up to Killhope and Park Level Mine. I was there last year on a bright and sunny day and had a grand time so we will see what we can make of tomorrow.
Oh, do these pictures give off a "wet" feeling... Nice views, but they do not awake the wish to "be" there ;) My favourite is the one with the Weed sign. And also the one with the Ford sign.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this post,the pictures and the commentary.It looks a pretty place,you took some good pictures considering the weather.
ReplyDeleteHi Adrian, If you walk up that track at Weeds, through the farmyard and follow the path around to the right and over the footbridge until you almost reach the road, and then turn left between the houses and follow the footpath up Slitt Woods you'll pass lovely small waterfalls along Middlehope Burn and the ruins of the old lead mines. Keep going up the valley and you eventually reach moorland, then you can come back in a loop down the road to Westgate, with lovely views of upper weardale on the way down. Free trail to download at http://www.northpennines.org.uk/index.cfm?articleid=14440
ReplyDeleteDawn, I'm afraid it got wetter.
ReplyDeleteMatron it's not the best dale around but has it's interesting corners.
Phil, yes I noticed on the map. I will save it for a day when there is a view. Thanks for the pointers.
Yes. Doorth maketh lotth of thingth. I used to 'collect' door photos but now it's a question of happenstance.
ReplyDeleteYou have certainly captured the wetness of the place. Makes me feel like putting my wellies on just to read it.
GB, difficult not to it was P.......raining hard.
ReplyDelete