Points of interest. Looking north from Tweedmouth to Berwick s bridges and Elizabethan town walls across River Tweed mouth.

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1 FRIENDS RGS AUTUMN WALK: NORTHUMBERLAND COAST PATH AONB: NORTHWARDS, BEAL ON HOLY ISLAND CAUSEWAY TO BERWICK UPON TWEED; & BERWICK UPON TWEED DAY OUT. Lowry it is not well appreciated knew the North East well, taking holidays in the town from the 1930s to 1970s, and was inspired by Berwick to draw and paint some of his finest and most interesting works. [ Lowry Trail: see Looking north from Tweedmouth to Berwick s bridges and Elizabethan town walls across River Tweed mouth. OPTION 1: BERWICK UPON TWEED HERITAGE DAY OUTING 2017 Autumn Friends RGS outing will visit Berwick upon Tweed much fought over, frontier Borders town, the most northerly in England, famous for Elizabethan Town Walls (amongst the finest town walls in Europe and still complete), three iconic bridges, history and culture, wildlife and beaches where OPTION 1 is a day trip to explore the town, its museums and galleries (currently Scottish Colourists Exhibition FCB Cadell, JD Fergusson, GJ Hunter & SJ Peploe at the Granary Gallery; Berwick Museum & Art Gallery s Burrell Collection the most important public art collection in Northumberland), shops and walk the legendary town walls ( a 45 minute walk), across the mediaeval Tweed bridge, following in the footsteps of L.S.Lowry on the Lowry Trail signboarded, see below (approx.. 3 hours, 3 miles in total, or in part) Points of interest Berwick Elizabethan Town Walls TD15 1BN Berwick's town walls are its most famous piece of architecture the only example of bastioned town walls in Britain and still complete, stand strong today, hundreds of years after they were built by Queen Elizabeth the most expensive project in the Elizabethan Golden Age to keep out the invading Scots.

2 Berwick upon Tweed Barracks TD15 1DF Berwick Barracks, among the first in England to be purpose built, were begun in 1717 to the design of the distinguished architect Nicholas Hawksmoor. Today the Barracks houses three museums. Dewar's Lane Granary Gallery TD15 1HJ The Granary Gallery is located in the newly restored Granary building, which also houses Berwick YHA and a bistro. Berwick upon Tweed Tourist Information Centre TD15 1DB The Tourist IC ( ) is in the heart of the town. OPTION 2: NORTHUMBERLAND COAST PATH AONB [ ; ORG ] [Northumberland Coast Path is part of the North Sea Trail ( ) a partnership of 26 regions sharing a North Sea heritage with sections of spectacular coastal walking through Norway, Sweden, Denmark, The Netherlands, Germany and the UK.] FRGS will set out from Beal (The Barn at Beal, TD15 2PB restaurant/ coffee shop/ toilets ) on the causeway to Holy Island the 7thC seat of great Christian learning, the Jewel of the Northumberland Coast with wide horizons beyond Lindisfarne, and its Whin Sill castled outcrop, to the Farne Islands taking an essentially level, easy going stroll northwards, with the prevailing south west wind at our backs, on, through or beside the beaches and towering sand dunes of this lesser known treasure of Northumberland offering some of the finest walking in Europe. As an AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty; ) the plant, animal, bird and marine life, as well as geology and archaeology 7,000 years of human habitation (yes, seven thousand!), are precious, dramatic and protected. Look out for Atlantic grey seals, dolphins and whales; and autumn migrant birds blown offcourse or on regular routes for winter feeding; and for late flowering of Geranium sanguineum, aka Bloody cranesbill, Northumberland s county flower; 2

3 should be followed, particularly when intriguing, eroded rocky outcrops, projecting into the sea, are encountered at Cheswick Black Rocks, and Middle and Near Skerrs. The route will leave the causeway car park, with a weather eye to the state of the tides, head north around Beal Point to the sluice gate and footbridge used to manage the tidal inundations along the top of the flood prevention bank to the path behind the dunes of Goswick Sands to Beachcomber House, and the track beside the fairways to Goswick Golf Club. TD15 2RW ( ). Eventually, the cliff path must be taken with splendid views of shoreline geological formations worn by weather and tide At the clubhouse turn right, heading east on a track across the fairways (Beware! Give way to golf in progress!), past a line of huge, corrugated concrete World War II anti tank blocks to the vaste expanse of Cheswick Sands. before sighting, ahead, the harbour bar and lighthouse, and Berwick upon Tweed, within its ramparts, crouching at the mouth of the river. Continue north along the strand. Tides will dictate whether the beach can be walked, or the path through the Sahara like dunes 3

4 DROP OFF & PICK UP: First Drop Off Option 2: TD15 2PB; Beal, the Barn at Beal. (Guided walk). Second Drop Off Option1: TD15 2UA; Tweedmouth, from A1 via B1167, at the junction of Union Brae, Main Street & the Old Bridge. (Self guided walk). The Coast Path now drops down onto Spittal Promenade recently refurbished with its own stretch of golden sand at the end of which is a car park at Sandstell Road, leading on to the right, upriver, at Dock Road, and along to the mediaeval, stone Old Bridge crossing the River Tweed, to turn right onto the quayside, and the Anchors sculpture at the official end of the Northumberland Coast Path. [approx.12 miles/ 19 Km; 5 ~ 6 hours]. Upon completion, time might permit town walls or trails to be explored by Coast Path walkers, too. Pick Up: All to be picked up from Second Drop Off point; Tweedmouth, TD15 2UA, at the junction of Union Brae, Main Street & the Old Bridge. Maps: OS: Explorer 346 Berwick upon Tweed Harvey: Northumberland Coast Path & Berwickshire Coastal path XT40 Coach departs RGS gates 08:00 prompt, start walking 09:30 ish. Return to RGS gates 18:00 ~ 19:00 ish NOTE: advantage can be taken of A1 route north to Berwick upon Tweed, to pickup/put down walkers, living north of Newcastle, at a convenient A1 location to avoid their need to travel to/ from RGS. Please advise D.D.Stephen accordingly. Costs: 15 per adult; 10 child under 16. (Academic Year 2017 ~ 2018 three walk discounted cost, 40 per adult). Cheques to RGS, addressed to: Judith Pringle, Friends of RGS, The Newcastle upon Tyne Grammar School, Eskdale Terrace, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4DX.. Enquiries: Duncan D. Stephen: Mobile# ; d127stephen@btinternet.com from 30 th September 2017; d127stephen@btconnect.com 4

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