Summer is here!

I drove to Greenhaugh (past Bellingham and into the wilds) so that I could see another hay meadow. This one is an SSSI, one of the precious upland hay meadows. These are largely in Yorkshire and the North Pennines, but we are lucky to have a good number in Northumberland.

The public footpath is on a track beside the meadow. There is no right of way to walk on the meadow and it is important not to damage it. I enjoyed looking from a distance.

The grasses are at their best and I thought my blip captured the sense of heat and colour. 

I walked on a circular route up onto the moors. They will be very difficult in wet weather - quite hard enough for me today. A helpful local came out of his farm cottage to tell me I had missed the footpath. We had a good chat, including about knee replacements. His was done 7 weeks ago and I had to emphasise that he should not expect to be back to normal yet!

Onwards to St Aidans at Thorneyburn. This was one of the  Greenwich Estates churches built for retiring naval chaplains after the Napoleonic Wars. The first one married a local girl and seemed to adapt well, moving on only down the road to Simonburn (and a larger parish). The second lasted less than a year and could not cope with the isolation. He was confined to an asylum in Newcastle. 

There are several similar churches in this area. St Peter's in Humshaugh is one. 

I planned to quench my thirst at the Hollybush Inn and perhaps have lunch there. It opens at lunchtime only on Saturdays and Sundays, so I came home for a cheese and tomato sandwich!

Tonight I'm going to the Glasshouse (aka The Sage) in Gateshead for a concert of music by Ewan MacColl with Jez Lowe, Bob Fox and Julie Matthews. 

Blipping now because it might be a late finish.