Ponteland

Directions: Coming through Ponteland from Newcastle on the A696, pass Waitrose and the entry to Ponteland Park on the left, then turn left onto Darras Road and the car park is a few yards up on the left. The car park is free and the nearest toilet facilities are a short walk away on Merton Way close to the Shopping Centre. 

Overview: From the centre of Ponteland, we walk north along a minor road next to The Diamond PH to the small hamlet of Eland Hall with its duckpond and early C18 farmhouse. FRom their we walk around Prestwick Carr (reclaimed from a lake by Dutch engineers in the C19) to the village of Prestwick, then over the fields past Preswick Hall (built 1815 and one of the earliest designs by John Dobson), to the A696, up to the airport and back into Ponteland via a bridle path following the line of the old railway. On reaching the centre, we then do a loop along the Bridleway through Darras Hall to Eastern Way and back into the village along the River Pont, through Ponteland Park. 

There will be a lunch stop en route and there are various pubs and cafes in the centre of Ponteland at the end of the walk 

Terrain:  The route is flat and mainly on clear surfaced tracks and minor roads.  There may be some mud in places, particularly in the fields near Prestwick.