Hartburn Grotto - A Place Full of Mysteries
Twenty-two miles north of Newcastle upon Tyne in northeast England, a small, sleepy village harbours intriguing secrets.
Driving through this area on a local road to nearby Morpeth, it's easy to miss the Hartburn Glebe Nature Park entrance. After passing through a gate and crossing a small stone bridge, one might initially think it is merely a place for Sunday walks for the residents of nearby Hartburn...
...but after a few minutes, we reach a spot where, according to local lore, Vikings hid or submerged their treasure after one of their bloody raids in Northumbria.
Continuing along the path, we come upon a cave that appears to be a fascinating natural formation overgrown with vegetation. However, upon closer inspection, we notice that human hands formed it.
Official accounts say that Hartburn Grotto was built in the 18th century by the vicar of Hartburn, Dr John Sharpe, as a place for women to change and rest while bathing in the river. But does it look like a changing room? Have any of you come across similar "changing rooms" elsewhere? There are also fewer official theories, but I will discuss them later as they might be too dark for our younger readers.
One of the scenes from the Hollywood fantasy blockbuster "Beowulf", a film that references the Old English heroic epic of the same name, considered the most valuable relic of English literature before the Viking invasion, was filmed here.
At this location, over 2000 years ago, an important Roman road known as the Devil's Causeway ran, believed to have been established even before Hadrian's Wall was built. In later periods, the Sixth Roman Legion used it during the construction of fortifications between Newcastle and Carlisle. Did the legionnaires from the mysteriously lost Ninth Legion also use it? For those interested in the topic and fans of action movies, I recommend the Hollywood production "The Eagle", which explores the legend of the Ninth Legion.
Continuing, we come across a place marked on topographic maps as Dragon's Den.
Right next to it is a ford that, according to the maps, leads to Holly Well. The term "holy well" is commonly used to refer to any water source which, according to legend, possesses healing properties through the presence of its guardian spirit, a Christian saint, or a ceremony or ritual focused on the healthy site.
On the POLNEWS TV YouTube channel, you can watch a short film about this place titled: Devil's Causeway - Mysteries of Northumberland - PILOT
Postcode NE61 4JB only leads to the vicinity of the village. The exact GPS coordinates to a small cove where you can park right by the entrance are - click here...
ATTENTION! In these areas, there may be issues with mobile network coverage. Individuals using maps on mobile phones should download a map of the area for offline use before travelling.
