Hauxley

 

I reached Hauxley again today, but this time I started from Alnwick and used the cycle path along the Aln Valley Railay to connect with NCN1 at Hipsburn. Parts of this route were on main roads. but traffic on a Sunday was fairly light, so didn't cause much of a problem.

 

Along the coast there was a bit of a tailwind on the way out, and a headwind on the way back. Otherwise it was calm, dry, and mostly sunny. There were several pedestirans and cyclists, enjoying the weather, and Amble was busy with the Sunday market on the quayside. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood.

  

We regularly walk the path along the Aln Valley Railway, but it's a long time since I've cycled it, so that was a bit of novelty. To reach the railway on the return journey I had to climb the gradient from Hipsburn, past Alnmouth Station to Bilton. I anticipated that this would be too difficult for me to ride up. and expected a walk. But in the event I managed it. So that was a pleasant surprise. Also, hedges have now burst into life but they've been trimming them on the road to Warkworth Beach. As a result a wartime pillbox has been exposed. I've passed this numerous times, without noticing it. There are surprises even on familiar parts of a route.