River Tyne and Wear

[BriH]

I didnt post this yesterday (April 1st for obvious reasons)

i was talking to a bloke at work who has told me that the tyne used to run into the wear ,up in them thar hills , i have looked at maps and can not see how it could have done ,but he is convinced that the Tyne actually was the source of the Wear - any ideas lads

Cheers

BriH

 

[mark]

there\'s only one way it could of been possible, but highly unlikely.

wearhead is just up the road from here and a bit further your in killhope, which is where the wear begins. 200 years ago there was a mine level that ran from killhope right under and through and joined a level which runs out at nenthead, but also connects underground with another old level which goes under alston moor to garriglll, which is where the tyne begins, so the waters could arguably have been connected, but as they both flow in opposite directions at their source its unlikely, they only thing you could say is that you could plodge from the tyne into the wear, with your feet in water at all times, although 10 miles of it would be underground

Any one mad enough to try it could still do it. I\'ve walked from nenthead to allenheads underground, which is a pretty amazing walk, bearing in mind it was all dug with nothing more than picks and shovels, by guys with candles for light, and the whole route is dry stone arched throughout

 

[BriH]

Could be that ,cheers mark - he didnt mention a man made affect ,but like you say they both travel in differant ways - unless there was huge flood plains hundreds of years ago - i have been to allanheads ,didnt know there was an underground tunnel ,sounds good

 

[mark]

the whole of allendale/weardale/nent valley is like a big rabbit warren. the nent to allenheads level was built big enough for a horse and cart, as the track over the top was unpassable in winter

there\'s even a canal if you know where to find it, that runs from alston to nenthead. starts down by alston railways station and runs underground to nent, only problem being that by the time you reach nent, your 300 feet underground!

there was still abandoned barges in it a few years back

 

[Charlton]

Worked all over that area mark, what gets me is why the tourism bods dont do what they do down at Yorkshire and open the old mines up.

 

[Charlton]

Bri maybe he got muddled up like Roger Whittaker with his song Durham Town, then started singing about sitting on the banks of the Tyne.

Origins
Nothing definite is known of the origin of the designation \"Tyne\", nor is the river known by that name until the Saxon period. Conjectures have been made that the River Vedra on the Roman map of Britain is the Tyne, while other authorities think the River Vedra is in fact the River Wear. The late Thomas John Taylor supposed that the main course of the river anciently flowed through what is now Team Valley, its outlet into the tidal river being by a waterfall at Bill Point. There may have also been communication with the River Wear via Team Valley, though this is subject to debate.



[Edited on 2/4/2006 by Charlton]

 

[BriH]

Cheers Al

 

[Stores]

Kids in Cannock all know that the water from Kielder flows not only into the Wear but the original intention was to supply water to York and surrounding areas via pipe and aquaduct. As the need for industrial water diminished so the scheme was put on hold. Perhaps that is the \"link\"

2. KIELDER WATER

Kielder water, Britain\'s biggest artificial water store, lies in Northumberland, within 5 km of the Scottish border. Completed in 1982, it transfers water form the River Tyne catchment southwards to the rivers Wear and Tees.16 Kielder was built in response to pressure from industries in the northeast, such as British Steel and ICI, who predicted big increases in water demand.17 But as heavy industry declined so too did the demand for water, winning Kielder the reputation of being Europe\'s biggest boating lake. Only twice in its history has Kielder been used to transfer water to the Tees, first in 1983 and then 1989

 

[mark]

most of the mines at nent are now opened up and you can go down them if you really want, and there\'s a lot of others that are regularly frequented by mad pot-holing types and the clinically insane, but it can be a very profitable hobby, there\'s tons of flourospar still in them and good specimens fetch big money.

someone did establish a route a few years ago from alston, to just outside allendale. from where we live you can walk to stanhope underground in one direction or through wearhead in the other, all a bit scary though. Found what I swear was the remains of a leg in one a few years back

 

[Charlton]

I meant for the visiting tourists, gantries, walkways etc

 

[mark]

the nenthead mines are visitor attractions, national lottery forked out the cash, but as most of the mines go \'in\' rather than \'down\' so to speak, they just sort of swept the floors and made sure the roof doesn\'t fall in!

 

[Charlie_Thompson]

mark lives in a cave

 

[mark]

tis true, we were forced from our hole in the ground some years back during the global hole shortage of \'97

 

[sless]

remember it well
hahaha

 

[Charlton]

you should have said British Gas(Transco) had loads going spare i could have dropped a few off. Bet the watre board and elecky board where the same