The Lowry Trail: Berwick-upon-Tweed

Donna Dailey - 2008-11-13

 

Set beside the North Sea at the mouth of the River Tweed, Berwick was a prosperous medieval port and strategic town on the English-Scottish border. It changed hands some 13 times during the 300 years of cross-border warfare. Finally ceded to England in 1482, it became a military garrison and Elizabeth I later shored up the thick medieval defences encircling the city with handsome stone walls and huge bastions.

 

Berwick had become a sleepy market town when the painter L S Lowry (1887-1976) discovered it in 1935. Lowry, who is best known for his urban industrial scenes peopled with matchstick figures, was captivated by its seaside charms and spent his holidays here for the rest of his life.

 

The Lowry Trail follows the 1.5-mile circuit atop the ramparts, affording fabulous views over the town, harbour and out to sea. Along the way there are panels with replica Lowry paintings of Berwick at the vantage points where he painted them. Many of the same landmarks are visible today.

 

Lowry spent his time in Berwick 'drifting amongst all the back streets... I can come across'. So it's fitting that the trail begins just behind the town walls at Dewar's Lane, a medieval alleyway marked by grooves from ancient cart wheels. It then leads out through the 13th-century Sandgate and up to the ramparts along the river where there are fine views of brightly tiled rooftops and the Elizabethan fortifications.

 

 

Leave the walls through Ness Gate and walk out along the estuary to the lighthouse at the end of the pier. Along the way, watch for grey seals who often follow the fishing boats into the harbour. The trail leads back past one of Lowry's most charming paintings, On the Sands, although the former beach here is now a grassy field.

 

Back on the ramparts, look for The Lions, one of Berwick's grand Georgian mansions which Lowry considered purchasing for its magnificent sea views. The trail runs beside the massive Barracks, which now houses several museums. Townsfolk still watch football matches from benches on the ramparts overlooking the pitch, just as Lowry did.

 

Curving round past two arrow-shaped bastions, the walls form a bridge high above Marygate, the main shopping street. Here Lowry painted one of his most famous Berwick views, The Town Hall, whose steeple rises in the distance.

 

Follow the walls back to the River Tweed, where the pretty quayside is a good place to relax. The Lowry Trail continues across the Old Bridge to the former fishing village of Tweedmouth, where you can walk along the estuary with fine views back across the river to Berwick's walls and on to the sandy beach at Spittal.

 

The entire trail covers 5-6 miles and takes 3.5 to 4 hours, though you can walk around the town walls in half that time.

 

 

106 Marygate

Berwick-upon-Tweed TD15 1BN

Tel: 01289 330733

July-September 10am-6pm daily; October-Easter 10am-4pm Mon-Sat; Easter-June 10am-5pm

 

The Walls is an elegant bed-and-breakfast, set in a beautifully renovated Georgian townhouse along the quayside in the Old Town. Rooms are large and comfortably furnished, with fresh flowers, chocolates and other thoughtful touches, and have lovely views over the river. The delicious breakfasts feature homemade fishcakes.

8 Quay Walls

Berwick-upon-Tweed TD15 1HB

Tel: 01289 330233

Email: info@thewallsberwick.com