Itinerary Planner

The Way of Learning – Bitesize Walk Two

A Windmill, a Water Tower and Wonderland Author.      

Distance: 2-4 miles

Start: Whitburn  (public bus, car, bike)

Route: Whitburn – Well House – Cleadon Hills (windmill) – Sunniside Farm – west to Whiteleas – Tileshed Local Nature Reserve/Tileshed Lane

Finish: Tileshed Local Nature Reserve

In a nutshell:

Lewis Carroll (d.1898), author of the weirdly wonderful “The Walrus and the Carpenter” and “Alice in Wonderland” was a frequent visitor to the home of his cousin in the charming village of Whitburn.   Picture-postcard perfect with a tree-lined main street and handsome Georgian and Victorian houses Whitburn makes a gracious start to this family favourite walk.

Whitburn may face the sea but to its west lies the Cleadon Hills with the landmark ruin of Cleadon Windmill constructed from local Magnesian Limestone in the 1820s for the grinding of corn. The chimney of Cleadon Water Tower is not far away and both make interesting targets to aim for. 

A former brick and tile works has been developed into a wildlife haven at Tileshed Local Nature Reserve. Look for frogs, toads and dragonflies (seasonal) or enjoy the adjacent “edible landscape” where old and unusual varieties of fruit trees have been planted.    

Why not visit:

• St Paul’s Monastery, Jarrow
• Jarrow Hall, Jarrow – Anglo-Saxon Farm, Village, and Bede Museu offers a window into the world of  the7^th century monk, writer and historian, the Venerable Bede and the monks who lived at St Paul's Monastery. 
• Souter Lighthouse, Marsden