An encounter at Haughton Castle

You were going to see more gorgeous snowdrops today until I met J and his wife at Haughton Castle.

I was near the end of my walk. They live in Hexham but had two grandchildren from Harrogate with them.

J was delighted to tell me that he used to live in the gatehouse of the castle. He was one of 7 children and his father worked for the father of the current owner.

There was a ferry to Barrasford below the castle and as a 12 year old he used to work on it. A large walking party was a bonus because they often gave tips!

His stories fell rapidly from his mouth and I was fascinated to hear them.

As a teenager, he was fishing with friends when there was a roll on the river. They don’t occur now that we have the Kielder Reservoir upstream. He saw the wall of water and shouted to his friends.

One, named TinHead, (“I don’t know why”) was swept away. J was a fast runner and sprinted downstream where he was able to wade in and pull his friend to safety.

They built a fire to dry off their clothes as best they could. The escapade was kept secret until many years later when TH told an assembled group when he gave a speech at The George.

I do love meeting people like this, especially when they have a good tale to tell.

It was 13.5 degrees today. Far too hot!