Leg 2: Walker Riverside to St Peter’s Marina (and back!)
(St Peter’s Marina/Basin at dawn)
An Even Earlier Start
02:30. Saturday 11 July 2026. The alarm goes off — ludicrously early after a busy week at work — and we’re up again for leg two of our Hadrian’s Wall adventure.
We’d debated whether to continue after leg one, but ultimately decided to press on. What we did agree on was that starting at 05:40 hadn’t been early enough. Cycle Route 72 had been too lively for our liking with keen cyclists at the latter part, and Marley’s nerves had suffered. So this time, we aimed for earlier still.
Reversing the Route
We’d finished the previous leg at Walker Riverside. Because there’s nowhere to park in the middle of an industrial riverside path, we had to do this short stretch — Walker Riverside to St Peter’s Marina — in reverse.
We parked on a nondescript street lined with industrial buildings and walked a short distance to rejoin the path. At 04:45 we reached the waymarker, posed for our customary photo, and Marley — much happier this time — set off with purpose.
First Impressions of St Peter’s Marina
Within minutes we reached St Peter’s Marina. After the underwhelming start at Wallsend, this was a pleasant surprise: a modern pier, charming boats, and trendy marina‑side flats with nautical styling and names. The weather was grey but mild and dry, so there were no complaints.
We followed the path with the river on our right (it would flip on the return journey). Marley’s tail was soon up. He loved the strong marine smells, sniffing around the old boats and taking more than an interest in the flapping birds! We trotted along until we reached the bench at Walker Riverside where we’d ended the previous leg. After a quick rest, we turned around and retraced our steps back to the car.
Unexpected History Along the Tyne
Despite being such a short stretch, it offered unexpected points of historical interest:
A foundation stone laid by Margaret Thatcher on 10 March 1989
Colourful tiles at Chandler’s Quay
A commemorative maritime sculpture marking the opening of St Peter’s Marina Village by Princess Diana in 1991
Curious, I did some research afterwards. St Peter’s Marina (or St Peter’s Basin) is a 1990s inner‑city marina just outside Newcastle city centre. It was redeveloped from the former Hawthorn Leslie engineering works into a modern residential and leisure hub.
Princess Diana officially opened it on 3 April 1991. Local press reports describe her doing a walkabout, greeting workmen, chatting with children and Girl Guides, and famously telling her entourage, “In a moment. I’m talking to the children,” when they tried to hurry her along.
Canny Brews, But Not at Dawn
There was also a fantastic‑looking kiosk serving coffee and avocado bagels with the charming Geordie slogan “Canny Brews. Canny views” to draw customers. Sadly, it wouldn’t open for another five hours. A shame, as I do love avocado.
Even in the peace of dawn, with no sight or sound of anyone, you could imagine how lively it might become later: early dog walkers, cyclists, people out for a leisurely stroll, brunch‑seekers, or someone heading off for a powerboat lesson. A place we’d happily revisit on our own, with Marley safely indoors.
A Short Stretch, A Happy Dog
It was a very short and easy stretch (1.5 miles, 3 miles for the round trip) — likely the shortest we’ll do on our quest to walk the Wall, even with the return to the car. But despite its brevity, Marley found it wonderfully stimulating and was the picture of peace as we headed home.
A Glimpse of the Newcastle Bridges
A couple of minutes after we were back in the car, I caught a glimpse of the Newcastle bridges. I snapped a photo from the passenger window and thought how lovely it would be to be walking alongside them. That’s for next time…
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