(Known as Consett Walking Club)
Our Walking Club was founded in 1907 and has been going strong ever since. We visit, by Gillingham’s coach, many interesting places every fortnight, in Northumberland, Cumbria, Yorkshire or the south of Scotland.
Before the Pandemic we travelled to the Hunsonby area where we started our walk at a stone circle (Map Ref. OL5 NY571372) a mini Stonehenge. Long Meg is a tall red sandstone megalith standing next to a granite circle of her daughters; a coven of witches turned to stone. Here we had a competition for members to guess how many daughters she had. Gill won with a total of 64. I really wonder if our leader knew the true figure. There is a legend about the stones. After counting twice, one comes up with the same total, then all will be well. Long Meg’s surface is covered in Bronze Age markings, cut in the stone. Easily seen is a cup and ring marking.
One of our group thought she found the trace marks of a human figure. After splashing along a road covered in cow dung, we returned to the correct path leading to St. Michael’s Church, Addingham; a building of red Dumfries sandstone. Here we were welcome to wander round. The trademarks of various stonemasons, cut in the stone walls were pointed out to us by a local resident. There was a beautiful stained glass window of George and the Dragon at one end of the church, and in the graveyard a gravestone of Gladys, who died in 2001, aged 105. Another gravestone had a steel sword attached.
Along the road from Glassonby we found a large mushroom which was possibly edible. I wasn’t sure. We passed Daleraven Bridge and then continued to Kirkoswald where the heavens opened.
We took shelter in a gateway while a few waited in a nearby pub. When the rain stopped we followed the B6413 to Eden Bridge, and then followed the river on a path back to Daleraven Bridge. Here a track led down to the 18th century Lacy’s Cave, named after Col. Lacy, who intended to blow up Long Meg and her daughters. Fortunately his labourers refused to carry out his orders following a violent thunderstorm, that they interpreted as a supernatural warning. The Cave’s rooms were carved out of a red sandstone cliff at the river’s edge in the fashion of an underground house; a romantic Folly. He is reported to have employed a hermit to live there. The walk finished at Little Salkeld and was 7.13 miles long.
We revisited the area in March this year and found there was a new good- sized carpark with directions to Long Meg. However, the path to Lacy’s Cave from the north is closed. We did not have the time to check the path from the south to the Cave, but we saw enough to recommend a visit to this historic site when the north path is repaired. This walk is well worth doing. Our club would love to welcome new members who want to explore our wonderful Northeast by coach; both walkers and non-walkers.
Visit our website
consett-walkingclub.org.uk
We are also on Facebook
Or contact Christine on 01207 505826
Compiled by Lewis Pilbrough
