Horsley Maurice Holliday Please take care particularly if you are walking a dog along any of the four public footpaths that lead from the village. At this time of year cattle are excited to be on fresh grass and those with young are quite nervous and protective. Kindly note that the bridge at the east end of the village is not a public right of way and according to a local land agent neither are areas of set aside. NCC as yet have been unable to cut back overgrown vegetation on the path to Wylam near Horsley Banks and the two paths from Horsley Hills to Northside. Hopefully all reported faults around the parish will be rectified shortly. Farmers are obliged to reinstate public rights of way once crops come through and ensure the legal width of paths from boundaries are correct. The safest route at present to avoid cattle is the path following the old A69 road at Horsley Barns. Paths that need reinstating are those already mentioned as well as the path between Horsley Marsh an
Bardon Mill Bob & Mike Ducker Well done to the Bowes which got Bardon Mill on to GMB, Channel 4 and the tabloids for its reopening, thanks to the genius ‘ordering food in the snow’ video and its social media clout. Well played by Ian and Terri-Lou. And now that we have the sound of laughter back on the green, next to come will be the clink of quoits, due to restart May 19! A rather different video with Andrew Birley reintroduces us to Vindolanda and its latest excavation news (google Roman Vindolanda: An Introduction 2021). The car park is also one place now to pick up the AD122 bus nine times a day every day between Hexham and Haltwhistle via The Sill now it’s summer. The bus also makes one stop in Bardon Mill by the Bowes first thing, at 8.54am, and last thing too.
Stocksfield Ian Warburton Stocksfield Retired Men’s Association will meet on Zoom on Thursday 15 April, commencing at 11am. Peter Jackson, Chairman of the Nenthead Mines Conservation Society and an expert in his field, will be talking about Mining in the North Pennines. Nenthead Mines is a fascinating and historic place at Nenthead, near Alston. This remote valley is covered by remains from the lead and zinc mining industry of the North Pennines, including mine entrances, watercourses, dressing-floors and buildings. The site is famous for its geology and is notable for rare lichens and plants growing on the metal-rich mine dumps. Most of the valley is a Scheduled Ancient Monument. If you would like to join this event, please send a message to the Stocksfield Retired Men’s Association Facebook page and they will send you the Zoom link.