In nine walks over five weekends in May and June 2011, I walked with natural historians Keith Bowey, Matt Hawkins, Steve Westerberg and Tina Wiffen from the mouth of Tyne, via Hexham up the North Tyne to Thorneyburn. Each walk averaged between six and eight miles in length and was graded ‘easy to moderate’, taking place over footpaths, beside riverbanks, across fields and along public roads.

Each walk lasted between six and eight hours. We walked with over thirty members of the public, stopping regularly along the way to look at and identify flora and fauna, and sharing local knowledge of social history as we walked.

Sat 21st May
South Shields – Bill Quay Farm
approx. 7.5 miles

Sat 22nd May
Blaydon – Bill Quay Farm
approx. 7.0 miles

Sat 28th May
Blaydon – Wylam
approx. 5.5 miles

Sun 29th May
Wylam – Riding Mill
approx. 7.0 miles

Sat 4th June
Riding Mill – Hexham
approx 6.5 miles

Sun 5th June
Hexham – Humshaugh
approx. 6.0 miles

Sat 11th June
Chollerton – Wark
approx. 6.0 miles

Sun 12th June
Wark – Bellingham
approx. 6.5 miles

Sat 18th June
Bellingham to Thorneyburn
approx. 6.9 miles

From this walk, I produced a large piece consisting of 33 images – annotations taken from field notes made during each walk. In 2013, the whole piece was shown in the Customs House Gallery, South Shields (close to where the walk began) and in the Barn Gallery at VARC (Highgreen in North Northumberland) near to where the walk ended.

Unison pastel on digital print

From Mike’s ‘VARC diary’ in which he recorded all the flora and fauna seen and heard on the journey in May/June 2011, from the mouth of Tyne, up the Tyne, and the North Tyne finishing at Tarset

Walk 3a
Sat. 28 May 2011: Blaydon to Wylam; page 1

Walk 4a
Sun. 29 May 2011: Wylam to Riding Mill; page 1

Walk 4b
Sun. 29 May 2011: Wylam to Riding Mill; page 2

Walk 5b
Sat. 4 June 2011: Riding Mill to Hexham; page 1

Walk 5c
Sat. 4 June 2011: Riding Mill to Hexham; page 2

Walk 7a
Sat. 11th June 2011: Chollerton to Wark; page 1

Walk 7b
Sat. 11th June 2011: Chollerton to Wark; page 2

These walks were part of an art project funded by VARC (Visual Art in Rural Communities) and supported by the Customs House, South Tyneside Council, The University of Sunderland and Northumberland National Park.