Our November walk last one for 2015.We started from the Riverside Park Chester-le- Street, crossed the bridge and joined the path with the river to our left and the golf course on our right. Passing drying Giant Hogweed we proceeded to our crossing of the no.10 tee of the golf course (right of way) watching out for missiles.

We stopped to view the stream below Hags Bridge and noticed the surveyors mark inscribed on same (used to determine height above sea level).Climbing over the stile into the field called The Hags; I don’t know any meaning for this name. Fortunately no cows this time, a good herd were very nosy on my recce.

Passing through the kissing gate we passed over the A1M and walked down the Sunderland to Chester-le-Street road on onto the 14^th.century Chester New Bridge which leads to an 1815 arched gateway designed by Ignatius Bonomi. This is a locked gated access to the Lambton Estate but we looked at the view.

On the bridge we saw a well worn inscription and presumed it maybe the date of the building, not so it is to commemorate Charles Swinburne’s Leap when both he and his horse fell over the parapet and were killed. Then onto the river path under the A1M towards our starting point stopping to admire the numerous Swans, Ducks and Seagulls on the river.

Bob C Group Leader

Photographs by Bob C