Don't normally like to give away the secrets that make life in the North East so much better than in the South but I've recently had to drive from Sunderland to Carlisle and back a lot and have discovered the joys of the old military road along Hadrian's Wall.
This runs parallel to the A69 and is mostly dead straight with some "big dipper" style dips and some fun bends which are mainly covered in mud at this time of the year to add to the excitement.
Very little traffic, no speed cameras and the traffic police are much more interested in the the A69 (in fact my bro, who is in the know, tells me they now only have 2 "jam sandwiches" and their unmarked car has been taken off them).
Do give it a try but only if you stick to 40 mph so that when I come along I can overtake you more easily.
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Ah yes, I remember this road. I drove along it about 25 years ago in my Mk2 Escort and bottomed the suspension out by driving down one of the dips at 70mph. Great fun!
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seen a few bad accidents at times on the A69, and at times you are so far away from civilisation they routinely send out helicopter for casualties
would not want to be in trouble on a more minor road with no body around and no mobile signal
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I'd rather take that risk and live in that part of the world than M25 land, or in my case M6 land! I have done a lot of driving up there as my ex is from Northumberland, it's fantastic. Lovely place and lovely locals too, once you get used to the unnerving bluntness of address..... you know where you are with people, put it that way.
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Agree - the military road is almost as much fun as the A68 Corbridge - Scottish border; and if you're going Newcastle area - Glasgow you can combine the military road with the infamous 'longtown shortcut', the other (not so) well kept secret!
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A68 is better - driving back from Glentress in October with many squeals of terror as you crest one peak to look down the apparently vertical drop down the trough on the other side!!
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I used to have a regular pleasant jaunt Preston-Ponteland and used the M6/Military road approach and usually varied the return via Alston joining the M6 at Penrith. One way was usually in a Merc Sprinter or its VW alternative with a Vauxhall hire car the other way. Must say I preferred the van for that sort of country. Watch out for heavy duty wild life on those fell roads.
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In the last century, my 350LC used to hurtle along that road, the G forces in the dips were exceptional.
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Yes - know that road quite well. Great fun. I like those 2 villages: Once Brewed and Twice Brewed. Anyone know the story why they got those names?
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Yes - know that road quite well. Great fun. I like those 2 villages: Once Brewed and Twice Brewed. Anyone know the story why they got those names?
Apparently, according to the BBC, the story goes...........
Bonnie Prince Charlie came down to Carlisle to try to drum up support for his cause. His adversary, General Wade was in Newcastle with his army when word came to 'ha'way tae Carlisle sharpish lyek tae cut Charlie off'2.
Unfortunately (or not, depending on your viewpoint), the road between the two cities was so bad the soldiers (obviously Southern softies) found it impassable and General Wade was forced to give up and retreat.
Naturally he immediately put in a planning application for a proper east-west road, to preclude the same thing happening again, but this was not approved by the powers that be until the May of 1751, three years after Wade's death.
Dugal Campbell (Sub-director of Engineers) carried out the survey and decided that the best option would be to follow the line of Hadrian's wall - and, in fact, to use much of the stone from the Wall as a foundation for the road.
Work finally commenced in July, 1751, and eventually the builders arrived at a handily-sited inn, two-and-a-half miles west of Housesteads, almost exactly halfway between Newcastle and Carlisle. Tired and thirsty, they entered said inn and ordered several pints of the local ale. Sadly, 'Neuky Broon' had yet to be invented. The ale was terribly weak. The disappointed navvies demanded that the ale be brewed again and the place subsequently came to be known as the Twice Brewed Inn.
(Cut to the 20th Century.)
In 1934, the first Youth Hostel in England was built, 200 yards east of the Twice Brewed Inn. The grand opening was graced by Lady Trevelyan of nearby Wallington Hall, a staunch teetotaller. In her opening speech she mentioned the Inn and said 'Of course there will be no alcohol served on these premises so I hope the tea and coffee will only be brewed once.'
Henceforth the Hostel became known as the Once Brewed Youth Hostel and when the Northumberland National Park Centre was built on the same site in the late 1960s, it was also christened 'Once Brewed'.
How true, I don't know, but it's a good story for the telling.
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Thanks, Cockle - Nice story!
Les
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