Clara Vale Fire

Today Mrs Basil and I went on a bike ride over to Wylam and back again.

We headed up to the Tyne and crossed over the swing bridge, which is the best Tyne bridge. I mean, the thing spins with a hydraulic press, that’s just marvellous.

After passing the house where George Stephenson was born, we crossed back over the river and headed back home.

The cycle path that runs along the south bank of the Tyne, the Keelman’s Way, goes past Clara Vale.

More specifically, the path runs along side a golf course, that sits atop of 2 large pools that were filled with aggregate from the Clara Vale Colliery.

What’s interesting about this particular site, is that it’s on fire, has been on fire for years, and will remain on fire for an unknown amount of time.

Passing the site today it was fairly subdued, the smell is strong and you can feel the intense heat radiating towards you from the ground, but there was only a few columns of smoke and a few flicks of flame.