Last updated at 10:45, Thursday, 26 June 2008

CROWNED by an Iron Age hill fort, the ancient ‘Weard - dun’ or watch hill overlooks the confluence of the rivers North and South Tyne and the parish of Warden.

Those walking the footpaths of Warden Hill will be rewarded with panoramic views of both valleys and the countryside beyond.
Below, near ‘waters meet’, the historic church of St Michael, with its Saxon tower, stands in the tranquil setting of Low Warden.
Close by at Bridge End, the Boatside Inn is a reminder that before the first bridge was built here in 1826, this was once a ferry crossing – one of those laying claim to be the origin of the Northumbrian folk song The Waters of Tyne.
To the west of Hardhaugh, a scenic riverside walk leads upstream to the village of Fourstones which is said to derive its name from four boundary stones, originally Roman altars.
The village is well serviced by a post office/petrol station/village shop and the Railway Inn public house.
Nearby, Prudhamstone Quarry, now disused, has produced freestone for buildings in Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow and reputedly for civic buildings as far away as Ottawa and Honolulu.
Just to the north, in Carr Edge wood, a stone cairn marks the site of Look Wide, where Lord Baden-Powell held his first Scout camp in 1908.

First published at 13:39, Monday, 23 June 2008
Published by http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk