February is not the best month for a day trip. The weather is often poor, at best unpredictable. But why not use it for a walk on a footpath guaranteed to be free from snow and ice year round? Take a walk under the Tyne!
I’m not talking about the vehicle tunnels between Jarrow and Howdon, opened in 1967 and 2011 respectively. These were predated by the original pedestrian and the first purpose built cyclist tunnel, which opened in 1951 as part of the Festival of Britain celebrations, Built at the cost of £833,000, the twin bores are 270 metres in length and lie 12 metres below the the river bed. At the time of construction, the wooden escalators were the longest in the world and the highest rise in the UK.
All four escalators, up and down north, and up and down south, had 306 steps. One of each are being replaced with inclined lifts, yet to be brought into use, and there are also lifts available slightly closer to the river from separate shafts, saving you a long walk up or down the non-operational escalators. Cycles can be used in the lifts and escalators. The whole ensemble of buildings, shafts and tunnels are now Grade II listed.
Both ends are walkable to the Metro stations at Howdon and Jarrow, enabling you to cross in the other direction on the Shields Ferry which runs every day (but not every evening) between South Shields and North Shields. Spirit of the Tyne, built in the Netherlands, is the normal vessel from 2007, backed up by the last vessel to be built at Swan Hunter on the Tyne, the Pride of the Tyne, built in 1993. Both of them take around seven minutes to make the crossing. The ferry has been going since 1377, and now runs half-hourly.
A trip on the Metro from Jarrow to South Shields and between North Shields and Howdon completes a round-trip, which can be added to easily with a trip downstream to Tynemouth, up to Wallsend for the fort at Segedunum (check opening hours for winter visits), or on the south side to Arbeia Roman Fort (opening hours ditto) or the Barbour outlet shop at Bede Industrial Estate. On the north side, try the outlet at Royal Quays, walkable from Meadowell Metro station. Touring the Metro, you can visit some of the original LNER’s 1930s art deco stations. The best examples are Longbenton (pictured) and West Monkseaton You might even spot some of the new Metrocars, the Stadler class 555 trains built in Switzerland which are coming into service in 2024. There’s plenty of things to do in winter, you just have to decide what you want to do.
And how you do it. This column usually concentrates on railways. But when there are good deals on buses, it’s worth knowing about them. For years the best multi-modal transport ticket was the Explorer, now £12.70. Coming in at £6.80 is the new Transport North East “Day Saver” which covers travel all day across Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, and County Durham on any bus, the Metro, Shields Ferry, and the Northern Rail services between Blaydon and Sunderland. (21 and under is only £3.) Unless you need to access Tees Valley and North Yorkshire, and a bit of Cumbria, the Explorer has been well eclipsed. Local Day Rovers are available in Tyne and Wear for £6, Northumberland £5 and County Durham for a stonking £4 for travel from Seaham to the top of Weardale. Maybe time to put your boots on for a February day out!
alexnelson@nationalrail.com,
www.nationalrail.com
