Walking St Oswald’s Way, Stage 2: Portgate to Great Whittington

Yesterday was our first time on the pilgrim trail since Easter, mainly because I soon realised that Baby had become too heavy to carry on my front, but was not yet big enough for a backpack! As he has now reached that milestone (and enjoys being carried on high, like some latter-day Roman Emperor) we headed out once again. Nick had a rare Saturday off, so was able to join us, and share in both the beauty and the baby-carrying.

About St Oswald’s Way

St Oswald’s Way traces the roots of Christianity in Northumberland, starting at the site of the Battle of Heavenfield, in which King Oswald of Bernicia (later St Oswald) defeated the Welsh forces of Cadwallon of Gwynedd. After the battle, Oswald joined the kingdoms of Bernicia and Deira as Northumbria, the strongest kingdom in the North of England at that time (around 634 AD). He encouraged the ministry of St Aidan, who brought Christianity to Northumbria via Lindisfarne, and whose banner was later taken up by St Cuthbert, St Bede and Benedict Biscop, those revered early fathers of the English church. The route begins at the battle site and follows the Roman Wall for several miles before turning North towards Rothbury, then East towards the coast, taking in the Holy Island of Lindisfarne and the ancient Northumbrian capital of Bamburgh.

The Walk

As on our previous walk, we followed the line of the Hadrian’s Wall path once again, this time as far as Halton Shields. We reversed some of the ground covered on our Roman walk from Heddon to Portgate. The A68 road leading north from the Portgate roundabout follows the route of Roman Dere Street, which led from York to Edinburgh. We, however, headed east past the Onnum Roman Fort, which lies hidden tantalisingly close to the surface. As far as I am aware, this fort has never been fully excavated, but explorations in the nineteenth century revealed a bath house within the walls of the fort itself, so I imagine it was quite luxurious!

As it was the first of August, we had not come dressed for rain, with the exception of Nick, who had not forgotten that Britain used to be a wet country, and had brought a light raincoat. Sure enough, we were doused by a westerly shower heavy enough to wet the backs of our legs and t-shirts. Baby was kept dry by the sunshade of his backpack, however, and enjoyed a light nap as we walked.

We crossed the military road just before Carr Hill farm, which is where the St Oswald’s Way branches off from the Hadrian’s Wall path. Here I took over baby-carrying duties, as the walk had been feeling too much like a stroll in the park for me up to this point! We crossed sheep fields headed towards the village of Great Whittington, where we planned to pick up the bus back to Portgate. The official route of St Oswald’s Way visits the eighteenth century Whittington Mill, which we could see in the distance (see Featured Image), but following this part of the path would have meant missing the bus, and doubling the walking distance. We shall pay it a visit next time!

There is an unspoken rule that the last field crossed before reaching one’s destination must be a cow field, and this route was no exception. I didn’t fancy crossing a field of nervous cows with a baby on my back, so we diverted by the farm road, and made the bus with minutes to spare. The bus driver had a leaden foot, and though Baby found it thrilling, I found the 5-minute ride back to Portgate somewhat nerve-wracking, especially as the bus made a sound as though the horn had become jammed into a constant state of alert! It was, nevertheless, a thoroughly enjoyable half-day’s excursion, rounded off with a picnic at Portgate.

Distance walked: 4 miles
Total distance walked: 11 miles
Total distance remaining: 79 miles

See you next time!

Ingrid