Turbine Triangle
Your Guide to the Turbine Triangle
Heritage Centre, Station Yard: Bellingham station (1861-1956) on the Border Counties Railway is now home to Tea on the Train. Turn left at the entrance to Station Yard and go past …
Cruddas Terrace: Five remaining cottages out of over 130 built by Hareshaw Ironworks Company (1838-1848). Go down the hill and turn left at …
Waverley House: once a boarding house handy for the station. Opposite is Bellingham Castle, the green mound of a medieval hall built by the de Bellingham family. Continue along Redesmouth Road and just keep straight on: it leads directly to the Green Rigg and Ray Wind Farms.
Bellingham Station: on left, where passengers entered until closure in 1956. Opposite is …
Roseneath House: the doctor’s house, where the signalman would leave urgent phone messages.
Bellingham Schools: right, now Primary and Middle Schools, originally a secondary modern.
Track of Border Counties Railway: left, heading for Redesmouth two miles away. The River North Tyne, right, was crossed here by a ford or ferry (hence Boat Farm) until the opening of the toll road and stone arched bridge in 1835.
Railway Bridge: sharp bends left and right leading to Redesmouth road bridge (opened 1904) and up the steep hill to Redesmouth village. The piers of the old railway viaduct are visible on the right.
Redesmouth: on right, built as railway village, (Reedsmouth Junction) for the Border Counties Railway (Hexham to Riccarton Junction) and Wansbeck (Wannie) Line to Scotsgap Junction and Morpeth. The village is not “open to public” but an example of a planned railway village; the signal box and water tower are now private houses. Return to village entrance and turn right.
Railway Track meanders left on low ground to West Woodburn, thence to Scots Gap, another railway village, and Morpeth. On the left, Broomhope Valley was once an ironworks. Follow twisting road uphill to one of the most desolate areas of Northumberland. Cross the modern A68 trunk road to enter the Turbine Triangle.
The modern road was largely built on the old Roman road, with a temporary camp at Fourlaws.
Green Rigg Wind Farm (18 turbines) was built in 2012. On right are Sweethope Loughs where Sir Charles Parsons tested models for the Turbinia, now in the Discovery Museum, Newcastle.
Turn sharp left at next junction, just before Ferneyrigg farmhouse. Double back to the west and enter the Ray Wind Farm (16 turbines) built in 2015 on the former Ray Estate of Sir Charles Parsons, inventor of the steam turbine, who had a country house (long demolished) and his own railway halt on the Ray Estate.
Summit Cottage on the right, once two platelayers’ cottages, stands on the highest and most isolated section of the old Wannie railway line from Reedsmouth to Morpeth. The line closed to passengers in 1953 but goods traffic lingered on until around 1966. Once a week, the train would make an unofficial stop at Summit Cottages to allow the families to travel to the local market.
Turn sharp left on Stiddlehill Common. The track on the right leads to the old Stiddlehill Colliery, which opened in 1864 to supply coal to the Ridsdale Ironworks and closed in 1931. The spoil heaps of the colliery are still visible.
At the T-junction, you rejoin the A68 trunk road. On the right is Sarelaw Cottage, once the home of legendary travelling grocer Matthew Graham.
You now have a choice of two routes
Turn right for West Woodburn
The station, which was especially busy during the First World War, can be seen on the right under the road bridge.
You will descend to the Bay Horse (01434 270218) on the right, an 18th century coaching inn, which offers good food and accommodation.
Turn left along the road opposite the Bay Horse Inn for an easy drive back to Bellingham. On your left, you will soon see Hole Farm and Hole Bastle, a fine fortified medieval tower built for protection against the Border Reivers. As you descend to Bellingham, look right for the Blue Heaps, spoil heaps of the short-lived 19th century Hareshaw Ironworks, so called because the silicon waste once made them glisten blue in the sun.
Turn left for Ridsdale.
This was purpose-built by Sir William Armstrong of Cragside to house the men working in his Ridsdale Ironworks between 1864 and 1878. On your right, looking like a castle, are the remains of the engine house which powered the ironworks.
Further along, on your right, is The Gun Inn (01434 270500) a community-owned hostelry, which offers good food and accommodation.
Continue south along the A68 to leave the village of Ridsdale. The road to Bellingham via Redesmouth is first on the right. You came along this road earlier when you joined the Turbine Trail. It is an easy drive back to Bellingham, the Heritage Centre and Tea on the Train.