I have managed to cross off another garden from my list (ok, this is not a garden, better to call it a landscape). From the moment I first heard about this landscape some years ago I have wanted to go, but it is a good nigh-on four mile drive from home so not a quick day out.
I almost got there a few years ago, I was due to be at a conference in Newcastle and it is only thirty minutes (ish) up the road from there. The weather was against me though as there was a huge storm a couple of days before and the site was still closed due to fallen and damaged trees when I was nearby. I felt thwarted but I was not going to give up. So when the opportunity came to spend a weekend sewing in Northumbria I decided I would be close enough. The plan was to drive up to Northumberlandia, have a good walk and then drive back down a bit south to where the sewing retreat was being held about an hour away. A good plan, I like a good plan, and it worked. We had several sunny days on the lead up to the trip. The day started fine and sunny until it started to rain just south of Durham. No worries, I had my rain coat and I was not going to be dissuaded.
She's easy to find and there is a good car park. She is free to visit but there is a donation box, it felt rude not to donate. She is on a 46 acre site and the work started to build her in 2010, taking two years to be completed. She was designed by Charles Jencks who is well known for his landscape designs. The landscape was created from spoil from the nearby Shotton open cast coal mine and it is run by Northumberland Wildlife Trust.
She is a magical mix of mounds and paths that contour around to make the shapes. As I was walking there was a man running along the paths and contours and we wove around each other in some sort of maypole dance plaiting our way along the paths. He did cover more ground than I did and at a faster pace, I did not attempt every path. If I stretch the maypole analogy further, I was probably the pole....
Being such a wonderful free space to visit does have its challenges and the site is struggling with the numbers of visitors who do not keep the paths. There are signs of wear and a couple of paths were closed. Hopefully the land will be able to recover.
I walked along admiring the lady. This is one of her hands.
She has cleavage.
There are knees,
and then I lost track of the landscape as I moved further down and couldn't decide what this mound was that had to be so prominent in the hope that someone would find it.
It's an ankle....
I loved the water than wraps around part of her.
and she has a spare pair of breasts just in case. They might be observation mounds.....
Homage is paid to the nearby Cramlington airfield that is no longer there.
and there is a developing remembrance wood, with name tags on trees in memoriam.
Then it was time to say goodbye and make my way back to the car.
I stopped at the cafe for a coffee and a warm walnut and cherry bun. It seems like there is a breasty theme going on......
I had a good three mile walk that set me up nicely to continue on my journey. A great start to a wonderful weekend weekend of sewing with
@sewing_north (insta).
I made this dressing gown as well as a matching pyjama set. It was great to get some focussed time to just sit and sew in really great company in beautiful surroundings. An event I shall return to.
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