Welcome to 2026 and the blog is back and where better to start than the amazing Jesmond Dene in Newcastle upon Tyne. Yes , you will have seen me take a similar pic before , but it is never the same, as the seasons and time change this awesome park, in walking distance from the centre of town.
Today I started near the Holy Trinity Church near the dene. The dene is a living park and the route that I had planned to go on was blocked so I took the detour past this amazing church. So imposing on the skyline and if you get the chance to have a look around the inside , you definitely should . It is a magnificant place and the people are very friendly.
Just a few yards away from the church is Armstrong Bridge. Once carrying commercial vehicles , now it is strictly nothing motorised.
I was glad that I was well wrapped up but there were a lot of other people who were out. Quite a few cars parked at the end of the bridge and the Dene was fairly busy . Life seems to have got back to normal.
It was early afternoon but the sky just looked fantastic.
So down into the Dene , past pet’s corner and we arrive at the entrance to the Fisherman’s Lodge. Such a shame that it is in the state that it is in now. Many of us will have been there in the past when it was one of the top restaurants in the area. I wonder what the future holds for it.
There are a lot of little waterfalls which you will have seen in the past. The water levels are quite low at the moment. Not as exciting as when it is flooded , but that is one of the joys of things changing every time you visit.
The Pavilion is in the background. The foliage seems not to be as thick this year. It was not the warmest summer in my recollection but as I said , every time you visit here it is different.
The view of a bridge from a bridge. The park is of course , designed , as are many parks , but I think that they got it spot on with this part of the Dene.
This is where I was standing , the Dene was quite busy but not overcrowded.
This is my favourite part of the Dene as you walk up to the Mill and the Waterfall.
A rare view of the mill. In previous years the foliage would have blocked this view.
A lot of work has been done bringing this up to the present standard and in my opinion it was well worth it.
Back to the classic photograph of Jesmond Dene . The bridge was full of people taking photographs of it or each other,
These stepping stones are famous. If you look at old pictures of the Dene it was quite the place to be seen.
Ending our tour with the Banqueting Hall. I hope that you enjoyed the trip.
Let me know what blogs you would like to see.
Also have a look at my other social media petercronin5@tiktok ( this is where I went viral) and the insta @petercroninuk
