Walk your way to better health healthy walks Where to find Hebburn’s

before you begin. about your health, check with doctor active for some time, or are concerned The potential benefits of walking are far greater that any risks but if you haven’t been out a conversation quite easily as you go, so why not go with a friend or your family? Walkingbeat. heart faster slightly doesn’t have to be ‘hard’ - you should able carry days, at a pace that makes you breathe a little faster, and have a feel a little warmer overdo it. Start slowly and build up gradually. Aim to walk for half an hour on most So why not take the first step around Hebburn’s healthy walks, but remember not to special equipment, it’s easy and and and osteoporosis. It helps to reduce stress, strengthens your bones, tones muscles heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity It’s the ideal way to reduce risk of coronary with developing a healthier lifestyle. The walks are suitable for all ages and abilities. which have been created to combine the benefits of visiting countryside Hebburn lengths around Monkton Fell and south This leaflet offers four healthy walks of varying

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8 5 The Great North Forest Monkton Fell Community Environmental Action project Getting around the health walks Getting to the health walks Millennium - a place for present on their doorstep. This is a Forest growing into the new people and the countryside - and education programmes that will rebuild the link between local the countryside The Forest and its partners have also invested heavily in projects to develop the arts landscape of tomorrow. needs. The aspirations of local people are helping to shape the meeting today’s helping to shape the Forest’s development, ensuring it is relevant to local traditions and community outreach workers is providing new opportunities for the local community by A major part of the growth Forest is the role taken by local people. A team of people have taken part in this dynamic new initiative. planted, new landscapes and wildlife habitats created hundreds of thousands Already over 1.5 million trees have been to breathe new life into the local countryside. 80 square miles across south Tyne and Wear, and north east County Durham aims regional environmental regeneration initiative for decades. It covers an area of almost The Great North Forest was launched some 11 years ago as the most ambitious events for local residents. The project will continue until March 2002. offered schools and other groups practical, educational art activities provides as a business park and community woodland. Since the project started in 1999, it has the Great North Forest Monkton Cokeworks, and includes the former now reclaimed known as Monkton Fell.Hebburn This area of land is now an important gateway into in south involvement in their local environment, particular the area of countryside to have a greater This project was set up to encourage the people of Hebburn pushchairs and wheelchair users. in mind, including people with The walks have been designed with everyone loose stone but there is a grass section across the playing field in walk 2. or is mostly tarmac The surface there are some steep slopes near the Monkton Burn. The majority of the paths are fairly flat and there no steps on any walks, but start. Contact North East Travel Line 0870 608 2608 for more information. which is about a mile from the and Heworth. The nearest Metro Station is at Hebburn, Finchale Avenue on a regular basis from both Jarrow buses serve and Mill Lane Local to the developing Monkton Business Park. near the All the walks start on Mill Lane and for future generations to enjoy. Swarm sculpture, which is near the entrance Walk 1 ROUTE

Spuggies Stroll The walk starts and finishes at the Swarm sculpture. To complete this walk follow the yellow circular markers. Distance: 1.3km (0.8 miles) Time: 30 minutes From the Swarm head south towards the railway line, go through the barrier into the former cokeworks and follow the surfaced path running parallel with the railway to the far end of the site near Spuggies Bridge. Here the path splits in two and you need to take the left fork which takes you along the surfaced path running adjacent to the road AD LERO where you will see another marker to guide you. Continue to follow the path until you INCHA F reach the north east corner of the former cokeworks where the path meets the Bowes MILL LANE Railway path. Turn left at this junction and follow the Bowes Railway path back towards Mill Lane. Just before you would go under Mill Lane turn left up the surfaced path to Mill Lane, then turn left back to the Swarm.

HEXHAM AVENUE History of the cokeworks site

Garage Monkton Cokeworks produced coke for the steel industry for nearly 60 years until its closure in 1990. Coal was fired at high temperatures in huge ovens and then cooled LANE MONKTON with water in cooling towers, producing clouds of steam. Although coke was a valuable Pub commodity, its production was a filthy process with unpleasant by-products such as Pelaw Monkton black dust and foul-smelling sulphurous fumes. Ponds Business Park The process of cleaning up the contaminated land took many years and it wasn’t until (developing) June 2000 that the site was eventually declared open to the public. Now, nearly ‘Swarm’ 40,000 trees have been planted and new footpaths and cycleways created.

‘Beehive’ The Swarm and Beehive sculptures

Artist, William Pym, created the sculptures at Route 1

M NEWCASTLE TO the entrance to the Monkton Business Park. Other IL SUNDERLAND RAILWAY footpaths L Spuggies Working in consultation with local people, L A Bridge William incorporated many thoughts, feelings N Open E and memories of the cokeworks into his work. space B

1 3 Welding students at South Tyneside College in 0

New woodland 6 plantation Hebburn did much of the steelwork. LUKES LANE Agricultural land Wild flowers Urban S area HIELD UTH S Local children from Toner Avenue, St. James and TO SO AI94 Lukes Lane schools have planted wildflowers LEAM LANE and bulbs in the new woodland. Keep an eye AD TESHE open for species such as Foxglove and Red TO GA Campion - these were chosen because they attract butterflies and bees, which will in turn help the flowers to spread. Walk 2 ROUTE

Woodland Wander The walk starts and finishes at the Swarm sculpture. To complete this walk follow the orange circular markers. Distance: 2.2km (1.4 miles) Time: 50 minutes From the Swarm head south towards the railway line, go through the barrier into the former cokeworks and follow the surfaced path running parallel with the railway to the far end of the site near Spuggies Bridge. Here the path splits in two and you need to take the right fork that crosses the road (please take care when crossing). Turn right C and follow the path for 30 metres, before turning left along the path running parallel A M P to the railway. Half way along the path you will see a pond on your right and you need D B ROA E HALE L to turn left up the edge of the playing field where you will see a marker. Follow the FINC L P A edge of the playing field with a newly planted hedge on the left, until you reach R K Monkton Lane. Cross the road and turn left along the pavement for about 80 metres R

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A before reaching another marker at the entrance to a path on your right. Follow the path D up to the junction with the Bowes Railway path. Turn left and follow the railway path, School crossing Monkton Lane, and back towards Mill Lane. Just before the path goes under M ILL LANE HEXHAM AVENUE Mill Lane, turn left up the surfaced path onto Mill Lane and then turn left back to the Garage Swarm.

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I Pub N Community E The pond is a ‘balancing’ pond, created to filter

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Monkton Centre R surface run-off water from Monkton Business Park

I Business V Park E before it enters Monkton Burn. It provides a valuable (developing) Playing wildlife habitat, as many such ponds are currently Field ‘Swarm’ being lost to new developments. Look out for weird and wonderful pond creatures such as Great Diving ‘Beehive’ Beetles, Water Boatmen and the beautiful Blue Damselfly.

Pond There are two platforms to allow access to the pond NEWCASTLE T M O S UNDERLAND RAILWAY edges (be careful - they are often muddy and slippery IL L Spuggies due to the fluctuating water levels). These are used by L A Bridge N schools and groups involved in pond survey work. E Route 2

B 1 Please use extreme care by the pond, as the water 3 0 Other 6 footpaths is deep in parts.

LUKES LANE Open space Wetland Plants

New woodland plantation The area of land around the pond is prone to flooding and is wet all year round. Many IELDS TH SH plants prefer to grow in damp areas and are ideally suited to the conditions here. O SOU E AI94 T Agricultural LEAM LAN land Children from Fellgate Autistic Unit helped to plant wetland species such as Cuckoo Urban Flower, Ragged Robin and Meadowsweet to create the wildflower meadow that area surrounds the pond. Walk 3 ROUTE

Monkton Mosey The walk starts and finishes at the Swarm sculpture. To complete this walk follow the blue circular markers. Distance: 4.2km (2.6 miles) Time: 1hr 40 minutes From the Swarm head south towards the railway line. Go through the barrier into the former cokeworks and follow the surfaced path running parallel with the railway to the far end of the site near Spuggies Bridge. Here the path splits into two and you need to Bede’s Well take the right fork that crosses the road (please take care when crossing). Turn right Route 3 and follow the surfaced path for 30 metres before turning left along the surfaced path WI N

D Other E running parallel to the railway. Go past the pond on your right and continue along the R footpaths M path until you reach Marine Drive. Remain on the path that leads to a tarmac path E E R C Open E A running parallel to the road. At the large metal bridge, cross the burn and turn

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space R E . E S T immediately left along the tarmac path running parallel with the burn. Continue along D New woodland O the path until you reach a small bridge prior to York Avenue. Turn left over the bridge plantation O W and take the left fork up to Dene Terrace, turning left along the pavement past the LANE Agricultural ON school until you reach the junction with Wood Terrace near Monkton Stadium. C T land K D A N M E O CAR N Turn left at the junction along the pavement through Monkton Village, past the pub P M E B D PARK Urban T E A and hospital (look out for the blue circles on some lampposts). Continue straight along E area L O R L R R the road, down to the dead-end near Lukes Lane School. Go through the access barrier P T A A IO School C R CHEV E K Monkton and follow the Bowes Railway path towards the cokeworks. Cross Monkton Lane and R O Stadium head back towards Mill Lane. Just before you would go under Mill Lane turn left up A D the surfaced path to Mill Lane, then turn left back to the Swarm. FINCHALE ROAD School

M VE History of Monkton Village HEXHAM AVENUE A GRO R NE Garage I O NE N ST LA E R The earliest known reference to the village dates from 1074, when a settlement was KTON E

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A granted to monks reconstructing the ruined church at Jarrow. The Bishop of Durham

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Monkton 1 E F B had called upon their help with the reconstruction and ensured that they had land on Business Community E

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A U R O TYNEMOUTH ROAD Monkton was predominantly an agricultural village made up of a number of farmsteads, I N L B

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SU School B ND M U building in South Tyneside, having been occupied since 1539, just after dissolution of

1 ERL D 3 LUKES LANE AN 0 D the monasteries. Monkton Village was granted conservation area status in 1975 and 6 has retained much of its rural character RA LEAM LANE A194 ILW AY Campbell Park Road sculpture

In the underpass beneath the road you will discover an art project produced by local artist Christine Hill with help from children of Lukes Lane School. The art piece represents a woodland setting, as will be seen once the plantations have become established. Children of Hebburn Comprehensive School Art Group have also painted the walls of the underpass with woodland scenes. Walk 4 ROUTE

Cruise around the Crusher The walk starts and finishes at the Swarm sculpture. To complete this walk follow the red circular markers. Distance: 5.5km (3.4 miles) Time: 2hrs From the Swarm head south towards the railway line and go into the former cokeworks. Follow the markers across Lukes Lane, past the pond on your right and continue until you reach Marine Drive. Follow the path parallel to the road and, at the

B E first large metal bridge across the burn, turn immediately left along the tarmac path D E B running parallel with the burn until you reach the bridge prior to York Avenue. U R N Turn left over this bridge and branch left up to Dene Terrace. Follow the pavement past

R CAM Y O the school until you reach the junction with Wood Terrace near Monkton Stadium. R WA A AI D Route 4 AD Cross the road here to enter Campbell Park and follow the tarmac path along the route PBELL PARK RO Bede’s of the old railway past the Train sculptures to the north east corner of the park. Other Well footpaths Just before the path exits the park, turn left along the path parallel with Adair Way.

WI N D Continue along it and turn left around the top of Bede’s Well. Follow the path around Open E space R Campbell M the well, before turning left along the path parallel to the house. Continue along this AD E Park E R C path through the cross gate barriers back to Monkton Village. When you reach the New woodland E A

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E . E road, turn left along the pavement through Monkton Village, past the pub and hospital S T Agricultural D (look out for the red circles on some lamp posts). Continue straight along the road O land O W down to the dead-end near Lukes Lane School. Go through the access barrier and ANE Urban L ON follow the railway path towards the cokeworks. This crosses Monkton Lane and heads area C T K D A N back towards Mill Lane. Just before you would be go under Mill Lane, turn left up the M E O CAR N P M E B D PARK T surfaced path to Mill Lane, then turn left back to the Swarm. E A E L O R L R R P T A A IO School C R CHEV E K Monkton Pontop and Jarrow Railway R O Stadium A D George Stephenson engineered the Springwell Railway between Jarrow Staithes on the FINCHALE ROAD River Tyne and Springwell Colliery. The line opened in 1826, and by 1855 it had linked School with other colleries as far as Dipton near Pontop to become the Pontop and Jarrow M VE HEXHAM AVENUE A GRO Railway. The line was 15 miles long and had the most extensive system of rope worked R NE Garage I O NE N ST inclines in the country. LA E R KTON E

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A The named changed to the Bowes Railway in 1932, later becoming property of the

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Monkton 1 E F Business Community B National Coal Board. However, the 1960s saw the closure of pits and reduction of the E

L Park Centre U line. By 1974 only the short section from Monkton Cokeworks to Jarrow remained. U N

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E V A section of the line, including an example of a rope worked incline, is preserved at

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A the Bowes Railway Museum at Springwell. U R O TYNEMOUTH ROAD IL N B

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3 A LUKES LANE ND The area known locally as The Crusher was once a field, through which the Bede Burn 0 6 ran. In 1857 Palmers shipyard opened in Jarrow. Iron ore was smelted to build ships, RA LEAM LANE A194 ILW and the waste created, known as slag, was dumped on the field to form slag heaps. AY The Bede Burn was then culverted underground to protect it from pollution.