Created by Wylam Parish Council with the National Trust, Walk the Line gives a glimpse of Wylam’s industrial past and includes a visit to George Stephenson’s Birthplace.. Wylam is famous for its railway pioneers, including William Hedley, Timothy Hackworth and Jonathan Forster. Learn why their work was so significant in the early development of railways. This September, the walk will have a Railway 200 flavour as our guides link Wylam with the birth of the Stockton to Darlington railway.
As you walk in the footsteps of Wylam’s famous local railwaymen, your guide will also share stories of three important railway lines: the old waggonway that enabled coal to be transported from Wylam to the staithes further down the River Tyne, the Newcastle to Carlisle Railway, on which Wylam station is one of the oldest stations in the world to be still in use, and the former North Wylam line which closed in 1968.
The walk begins in Wylam car park and the first part of the walk is from 10.30am to 11.30am. On your return to the car park, you will be met by our second guide who will take you Wylam Railway Museum followed by a walk to George Stephenson’s Birthplace. Here you will discover how Wylam’s most famous son spent his early life and was inspired to become a world-famous railway engineer.