Bill's Walks

A Walk Around Langleydale

Approx. Distance: 12 miles

Grade: Hard

Start: Car park on the road between The Slack and Burnthouses, near Hollymoor Farm (GR NZ115242)

Click to view start position on Google Maps

Map: OS Map Explorer 305

Langleydale is an area to the North West of Staindrop. There is no actual village and the area consists of a number of upland farms. In recent years the valley has been home to a small number of red kites which were originally released  in the Derwent Valley in Gateshead and have now spread out and are breeding in Langleydale. The walk starts near to Cockfield which until recently was a coal mining village and was the last such village to the west of the coalfield. Several collieries extended further into the Pennine hills with the coal quite near to the surface and some of these sites are passed on the route of this walk.

The original concept of this  route was to walk along the  abandoned line of the old British Rail railway linking Bishop Auckland to Barnard Castle and to visit Langleydale viaduct. The line, with a few exceptions is now owned by Durham County Council and ultimately it is intended to convert the trackway into a railway walk similar to the many already completed within the county. Recently Durham County Council applied for a Heritage Lottery grant to do this but on this occasion were unsuccessful. This walk will illustrate just some of the problems encountered in such a project and where the money goes.

Historically the line was opened by the South Durham and Lancashire Union Railway. Its purpose was to carry coal to the west Cumberland ironworks and return with iron ore  to the North East. The line received Royal assent in 1857 and  the course was surveyed  by a Cumberland man Thomas Bouch, a prominent man in railway history although sadly he is better known as the designer of the ill-fated Tay Bridge. The route taken was very well surveyed and an economic  route found to cross the Pennines. The line opened to freight in 1861 with passengers being carried  the following year. The line linked to the Stockton and Darlington Railway at Spring Gardens near to West Auckland, and at Barnard Castle with the Stockton and Darlington branch to Barnard Castle where the station was moved to accommodate through trains over Stainmore. Indeed the line was frequently referred to as the Stainmore Line. Other connections were at Kirkby Stephen to the Eden Valley line, part of which has been recently reopened, and at Tebay where it connected with the Lancaster to Carlisle  line, which is now the West Coast Main Line.

Stations were at Evenwood, Cockfield Fell and Barnard Castle in County Durham and as one would expect  through this terrain there were several major viaducts,  notably the Gaunless (or Lands) viaduct which was 161 feet high (and visited on other walks), Percy Beck (66 feet) and Tees (132 feet)  near to Barnard Castle, none of which survive. Happily Langleydale, which we will pass close to, is still there and at 76 feet high presents an attractive scene. The daddy of them all was the famous 196 feet Belah Viaduct on the far side of Stainmore which was a great sight.

We start at Hollymoor Farm just to the West of Cockfield and head through Wigglesworth and Peathrow West to then go through a gate to the North of the buildings and join the trackbed here used as a farming track. The site of Cockfield Fell Station just to the east is now a private house with no access to the line. There are attractive views to the North here over to Butterknowle which will be passed later. Heading West we go through a cutting  noting the limestone and flora before arriving at a track linking Burnthouses to Gibbsneese farm. All of the buildings here are painted white indicating that this is Raby land. This lane, called Scotland Lane,  is an old drove road which can be traced west into Teesdale and in the east went through the Brafferton area near Aycliffe to cross the Tees near Neasham, before going uphill onto the Cleveland escarpment, where the  old route now forms part of the Cleveland Way.

The going is more difficult now and it is hard to believe that this route carried fast passenger excursions to Blackpool until the early 1960s. Progress is slow with  it being wet underfoot although the now natural meadow conditions have encouraged butterflies on this section. At GR 088236 we pass the site of Langleydale Colliery which operated from 1921 to 1930, employing around 40 men and some concrete structures and tips still survive.

The line is again blocked at Low Wood Cottage and again further on towards Langley viaduct so we leave the line and go up the road to the end of Pennyhill Plantation. We then take the farm access road to Cragg Top which is passed along with West Highwood. We now take the footpath which gradually descends through the fields to Beckside, a quiet spot passed on the East of Eggleston walk. Views of Langley viaduct, and possibly red kites, can be had by proceeding a short distance up Saddler Lane where the viaduct can be observed down Langley Beck. Please note that this Langleydale Viaduct is not to be confused with the superb and restored Lambley viaduct of 1852 on the old South Tyne Haltwhistle to Alson railway, now made into an excellent South Tyne Trail similar to the railway walks in County Durham.

We now head north on the Hollin Hill access road continuing straight ahead where this turns sharp east and follow the wall for 200 metres  before heading North East. Waymarking here is not abundant but the second gate is marked and on breasting the summit the next objective  is clearly ahead. This is Hill Head Farm, of the noisy dogs fame, so maintain your direction towards it. It is necessary to cross Arn Gill and its old workings but the way is clear to see. Eventually you arrive onto tarmac at the entrance to Hill Head Farm. This is the Steele Road used by pack horses to transport lead from the Raby mines in Teesdale to their smelter at Copley, near to a source of their coal. Prior to this  the route was part of the old droving route mentioned earlier and the name of  Jagger Hill nearby confirms this use. The Jagger was the packmaster and  the name is probably taken from the breed of pony called a Jaeger which was a German Breed compared to the Galloways which were Scottish.

It is a straightforward 2 miles along the Steele Road to the East to the site of the smelter along the North bank of Arn Gill. Note the very steep sides of this gill. Coal mined here by the NCB after WW2 was transported over this deep valley by a conveyor system although nothing visible remains here. At the road look carefully for a track leaving the site to the North West up some steps which exits the wood via a stile into a field, which is crossed and enters Copley Village,  passing the old Methodist Chapel (not now in use).

On reachimg the B6282 cross over, turn right and immediately left (North) where there is a footpath sign along a narrow path. The way is clear on the ground to the cottage at Howle Beck Walk. A short distance towards this house look for a very small stile in the low wall to your right. This path is well waymarked by a local group and you come to Lynesack by going on a path which goes round the side of  the first building you come to. Continue East along the road passing the site of the old Butterknowle  Brewery (now closed) which quite recently won  a national award for its beers. After about 200 metres search for a hidden waymark just up a lane on your left and follow this path to Raines House  which is semi derelict. A great pity as it has potential. Continue East to Potters Cross and then South  past the recently restored Breckon Hill. There is good waymarking here but none is necessary as you follow the main road on a good path through Butterknowle village. At the end of the village where the road descends sharply search the wall for a plaque which was the scene of a murder many years ago and is detailed on another Butterknolwe walk. At the bottom cross the bridge over the River Gaunless, formed by some of the becks crossed earlier and  at the Slack where the road turns West to the Gaunless Valley Information Centre start up the hill towards Cockfield Fell station site. Very soon  take the footpath ( the lower of the two) on your left onto the fell and follow the clear route (or should it be routes ) up  Cockfield Fell to the village. There are  interpretation boards here and indeed Cockfield Fell can justify a short walk  in its own right.

The local groups have produced a fine series of leaflets and booklets on the Gaunless Valley which can be obtained from the Centre at the Slack and the Tourist Information Centre at Barnard Casle. These will certainly enhance further explorationns of his interesting area which has good scenery, interesting archaeology and industrial archaeology as well as a plentiful range of flora and fauna.