Berwick-Upon-Tweed, the Lowry Trail.

Start. Berwick-Upon-Tweed (Castle Gate car park).

Route. Berwick-Upon-Tweed (Castle Gate car park) - Marygate - Town Hall - West Street - West Wynd - Eastern Lane - Shoe Lane - Bridge Street - Sally Port - Quay Walls - Sandgate - Palace Street - Town Walls - Fisher's Fort - Pier Road - Berwick-Upon-Tweed Pier - Berwick Cricket Club - Town Walls - Berwick Barracks - Scots Gate - Bank Hill - Berwick Bridge - Tweedmouth (Main Street) - Dock Road - Spittal - Sandstell Point - Spittal - Dock Road - Tweedmouth (Main Street) - Berwick Bridge - Berwick-Upon-Tweed (Bridge Street) - Hide Hill - Marygate - Castle Gate car park.

Notes. It seems Laurence Stephen Lowry who painted industrial scenes around Manchester and the North West, you know the ones of matchstick men and matchstick cats and dogs. Well between the mid 1930s and the summer before is death in 1976 he holidayed in Berwick-Upon-Tweed, painting the town and it’s people many times. Berwick has jumped on the Lowry bandwagon and created the Berwick Lowry Trail, which on a wet day we decided to follow.

I’m no Lowry fan, or art of any kind, particularly stuff I can't afford, but we decided to follow the trail the best we could, as it visits places Lowry sketched and painted it was a bit of a roundabout of a walk, covering ground without walking very far, so I’m not going to try to explain the whole route, you’ll just have to get the free leaflet as we did.

We parked in the Castle Gate car park just at the top of Marygate, after descending to the Town Hall we re-traced our steps to join West Street, we hoped this wasn't going to become a reoccurring theme. Via cobbled streets and narrow ways we slowly made our way to the Quay Walls, after a short walk along the quay we passed back through the walls, the start of another loop that passed the Main Guard Museum to access the town walls. We then continued walking passed Fisher’s Fort before descending to access Pier Road, we passed under the walls yet again before walking to the pier. You can’t visit the pier without parading it’s length, I’m sure Lowry would have, so we did.

Once off the pier we continued following Pier Road, it terminated at a car park, we cut to the left, followed the edge of the cricket field, walked passed the tennis courts before passing under an arch, stone steps ascended back onto the town walls. Round the walls we wandered passing various fortifications as we went, when we left the walls it was to descend Bank Hill. Under the arches of the Royal Tweed Bridge we walked to gain access to the much older Berwick Bridge.

The many arches of Berwick Bridge carry a road and pedestrian paths across the river, we crossed to gain access to Tweedmouth, we beared left onto Main Street then left again onto Dock Road, Dock Road in turn guided us passed Berwick Dock and the Lifeboat Station to access Spittle and the beach at Sandstell Point. Spittle derives from hospital, an isolation hospital was built in the Middle Ages, St Bartholomew took care of lepers, later it became a holiday resort, tourists would visit to bathe in the sea and take in the waters of Spa Well. Once we’d had our fill of the beach in the rain all that remained was to re-trace our steps, re-cross Berwick Bridge then pick our way back to the car park.

view route map.

home.

A Town Hall has stood on this site since at least the 16th century, begun in 1750, this building stands majestically at the south end of Marygate.

The cobble stones of West Street.

Berwick Bridge or Old Bridge seen from The Quay.

The Quay with the Quay Walls to the right.

Sand Gate allowing access to Sandgate and Palace Street.

The Main Guard Museum.

Looking west from the ramparts of Fisher's Fort to the squat remains of Coxon's Tower.

Pier Gate cuts through the Elizabethan walls at the bottom of Ness Street.

From Pier Road views across the mouth of the River Tweed to the spar town of Spittal.

Berwick-Upon-Tweed lighthouse, found at the end of the long pier.

The pier built between 1810-1825 reaches half a mile across the bay.

Sue ascends many steps under the town walls, it deposited us on King's Mount opposite....

....this Lion House and....

....this, the Gunpowder Store built in 1749.

The many arches of Old Bridge guided us across the River Tweed depositing us in the streets of Tweedmouth.

Berwick-Upon-Tweed seen from Dock Road en route to Spittal.

Hazy views through persistent drizzle, the three bridges link Tweedmouth (left) to Berwick-Upon-Tweed.

The rising tide at Spittal.

Spittal Beach, 18th century holiday resort where visitors where keen to bathe in the sea, parade along the prom and take in the waters of spa well.

Berwick-Upon-Tweed Pier seen from Spittle Beach.

Berwick bridges, from back to front, the Royal Border Bridge built between 1847-1850, Royal Tweed Bridge constructed between 1925-1928 and the old one, the 15 arches of Berwick Bridge or Old Bridge built between 1611-1624.

Berwick town walls across the River Tweed.

Berwick Quay and the Quay Walls.

Bridge End.

back to top

back to list