The best traffic-free bike rides around Blyth

follow this path if you want to escape the hustle and bustle

important bridge not to be missed

I usually prefer this shortcut when I cycle around this area

First professor of surgery in south africa and WW1 colleague of Marie Curie, born in this buildingg August 14th, 1886.

Cycle network mile post.

The Bedlington Railway Viaduct, also known as the Black Bridge or Kittybrewster Viaduct, was initially built by the Bedlington Coal Company in 1850 as a timber trestle bridge. Designed by Robert Nicholson, it stood 80 feet high and 770 feet long, connecting Bebside and Bedlington. The bridge was constructed to support coal transportation from the local mines, as part of a line from Newsham to Bedlington. The Blyth and Tyne Railway purchased the line in 1855 and extended it to Morpeth. In 1930, the original wooden structure was replaced with the current iron bridge by the London and North Eastern Railway at a cost of £55,290. Passenger services across the viaduct ended in 1950, while coal transport continued until the closure of the Lynemouth power station in 2015. The viaduct, renovated in recent years, remains in use for freight. The 1930 bridge consists of 10 spans with twin steel girders and reinforced concrete piers on the eastern side, and 5 spans with reinforced concrete abutments on the western side.

Situated on the site of Bedlington Iron and Engine works. The Bedlington Iron and Engine Works, operating from 1736 to 1867, was a key player in the global manufacture of locomotives and railway lines. Initially producing nails, the works developed "malleable" iron rails in 1819 under John Birkenshaw. Bedlington rails were used for notable railway projects, including the Stockton to Darlington line (1825) and Russia's first railway (1837). The locomotive works, established in 1837, built engines like De Snelheid and Bayard, which hauled the first trains in Holland and Italy. Bedlington-built engines also operated the first train out of King's Cross in London (1852). Workers, including children like 10-year-old William Weight, endured long hours under harsh conditions. The Ironworks closed in 1867, and the site was later converted into Dene Park in 1959. A replica of the Bayard locomotive is displayed in Italy's National Railway Museum. Furnace bridge, originally built of stone in the mid to late 18th century, was near the Bedlington Ironworks. It connected Blyth and Bedlington, with steep, winding approaches on the south side. Reconstructed in 1928 as a concrete beam bridge and again in 1996 as a masonry arch with concrete parapets, it spans 15 meters.

Nice little sculpture at the start of the trail