Round the East Durham Reserves
Filed under: OtherDistance: 12 miles
Start: Shadforth Village Green, DH6 1LJ (GR NZ 345410)
Click to view start position on Google Maps
The original reason for this walk was to make people aware of an attractive and relatively small area where there is a wealth of special plant life as well as an abundant number and variety of birds. When this is added to the industrial heritage of the area there is always plenty to observe and enjoy here. This area also illustrates the excellent work carried out by Durham County Council and other bodies in clearing up the quite recent eyesores of past mining and quarrying activities and then at the same time creating some of the nature reserves that are visited or passed on this walk.
When l first mentioned to several people that l had been walking footpaths around Cassop, Kelloe and Shadforth, few of them knew where I meant and in some ways this is understandable as this area a few years ago was the scene of much desolation and had no main roads go through it. There are superb views to be enjoyed here of Durham Cathedral and later in the walk distant views of the Cleveland Hills and the Pennines.
The locals themselves have been very involved in the changes hereabouts and this is evident in Shadforth where we start the walk. Some time ago Durham County Council produced an excellent booklet entitled “Of Wooded Vales and Limestone Hills” which gives detailed descriptions of what to see in the area and parts of this walk involves routes given in this booklet. The special emphasis in this area is the magnesium limestone grasslands which are very rare internationally and are home to a very specific and rare collection of plants. A special book “Magical Meadows and the Durham Magnesium Limestone” has also been produced by Durham County Council to highlight this area which is a “jewel in the crown” of the regions diversity. Indeed of the 307 hectares of Magnesium Grassland some 279 hectares are protected as SSSI’s.
Shadforth , where the walk starts, is an old village appearing in the Boldon Book of 1183 the name deriving from shallow ford. It is a green village with a long village green similar to Tudhoe, Staindrop etc and has an active Local History Group. Among their achievements has been the restoration of the village green and the erection of Interpretation Boards. We start by heading due west out of the village ignoring the other bridleway which goes south for a short disatnce and will be reached later in the walk. Our path leads to the site of Shadforth Mill although we leave it before reaching the site near Shadforth Beck. Note the work that has been done by the village creating a small reserve that has transformed a marshy area and created two ponds. The boardwalks here are very useful and here we take the one on the left which follows a hedge round to the left before heading south.
Shadforth Village Green
You soon join the bridleway (which you ignored earlier in the village) where you turn left back towards Shadforth and after about 30 metres take the footpath on the right which heads south uphill to Running Waters quarry which is now worked out. Ahead is an awkward concrete stile, a shade to the left, which is crossed and then follow the field slightly south east to the farm of Cassop Smithy. Take great care crossing the busy and fast moving A181 here to take the minor road to Old Cassop. This hamlet also goes back to the 11th Century and the aforementioned Boldon Book produced by Bishop de Pudsey who was the Bishop of Durham at the time. This is a Conservation village and the old cart building on your right has been sensitively restored.
Shadforth Bridleway
Continue through the village climbing slowly up after the road turns south. After half a mile on the descent take the first footpath on the left which leads to Cassop Vale Nature Reserve. This is a good footpath and you have a wood on your left slightly up the hill. This area was the site of Cassop Vale Colliery which was sunk in 1840 and closed in 1868. In winter this is a good area for fieldfare and redwings feeding on hawthorn berries but thrushes are now rarely seen here. Continuing along the footpath you come to Cassop Bogs which is a SSSI. The pond, which was formed by mining subsidence, can contain several common species of duck such as mallard, teal, coot, waterhen and little grebe but I have yet to see a water rail which can appear here. This was balanced by seeing a goshawk here some years ago. Cassop Colliery was situated here and operated from 1836 to 1878.
Cassop Vale Nature Reserve
For those in need of sustenace the village of Cassop (formerly New Cassop) has a shop and a pub (which serves good cask ale) and the village is visible just ahead up the concrete road. If you go to the village you can go west along the road to a footpath which goes to Beacon Hill and Crowtrees. However it is better to go sharp right westwards before you start the ascent to the village and take the footpath through Big Wood which is part of the Nature Reserve and is Ancient Woodland. i.e. it has been in existence prior to 1600. In Quarrington Hill is Littlewood, also a Nature Reserve opposite Cassop School which has won awards for its environmental credentials. Big Wood is best in springtime with a good display of bluebells.
A short climb brings you to the road near to the Heather Lad pub. This pub is quite nostalgic for me as in the late 1950s my cycling club (The Newcastle and Gateshead Clarion) used the nearby Quarrington Hill for their hill climbing competition. The pub has never changed in my lifetime staying in the same family but for how long it can survive in the current climate is debateable.
Walking towards Quarrington Hill you pass St Paul’s Churchyard which is managed for wildlife as over 70 species of native wildflowers and grasses grow among the graves and this illustrates what this area would have looked like before the onset of modern farming practices. St Paul’s Church was built in 1868, when the local population was much higher due to all the coal mines, and was then demolished in 1993 due to subsidence, and indeed the churchyard itself has recently also been closed due to the subsidence.
At the start of the houses take the footpath on your right next to the Interpretation Board. The footpath on the left comes down here from Beacon Hill next to the houses. Beacon Hill is so named as there was a beacon here ready to be lit should an invasion occur during the Napoleonic Wars. You have now entered a reclamation area planted with trees which is part of Crowtrees Nature Reserve managed by Durham County Council. The old quarry face to the north next to the graveyard is interesting and again this is a good area for birds with several finch species seen here regularly. Not a bad area for owls either with little owl and tawny owls about as well as birds of prey including buzzard. The Interpretation Board at the entrance highlights the mining history as there were two mines in this vicinity. Heugh Hall Colliery near to Old Quarrington opened in 1840 and closed in 1897 and was once owned by William Hedley of Puffing Billy fame while Crowtrees Colliery down in the valley was sunk in 1820 and also closed in the 1890s. Part of the shaft supports are all that is left of this mine.
Crowtrees Nature Reserve
The track reaches the road at the west end of Quarrington Hill and the path directly across the road is taken again through an area of newly planted trees. Follow the footpath, which goes round the back of the houses, and after about 400 yards take any of the paths on the right through the trees and keep south to get to Kelloe, where you emerge onto a housing estate. These houses are designed on a crescent which is followed to the right down to the main road. This is crossed and a footpath through a new iron gate is followed downhill to a footbridge over Kelloe Beck. Here is the trackbed of the old Clarence Railway which transported coal from the area to Port Clarence on the Tees. It is now a good path which is followed east crossing a road and then coming out at an open cemetery site with sculptured artwork relating to the coal mine of East Hetton Colliery. Nearby is a plaque commemorating ten men killed in an inundation of water at the pit. East Hetton was operated from 1837 right up to 1983 and at its peak employed 1100 men and boys. Some of the pits were interconnected and indeed some survivors of the Trimdon Grange Explosion escaped from Trimdon Grange via East Hetton. The sculpture shows a simulated entrance to a mine and the columns are decorated with the miners tokens which were used to know who was in the mine at any particular time. East Hetton operated at a depth of 900 feet. Alan Price of The Animals fame made a popular record of a song written by Tommy Armstrong of Tanfield near Beamish (The Pitman Poet)called “The Trimdon Grange Explosion”. Armstrong’s grave at Tanfield is visited on one of the walks starting at Beamish and versions of this song by both Alan Armstrong and Louis Killen can be found on YouTube. Well worth a listen!
East Hetton Colliery Memorial
Next and immediately over the road is St Helen’s Church which is a beauty in a lovely setting. It is Norman in origin as can be noted by its heavily buttressed west tower and the Norman doorways on the south and to the north side of the nave. There is also a famous cross in this church dedicated to Saint Helena. Proceeding east along he road we come to the site of the East Hetton Slurry lagoons ahead. All is nature now with smooth newts colonised in the pond but formerly this site was covered with deep slurry which covered everything except the tallest trees. Take the footpath to the north of the beck, as the other on the south can be wet after wet weather, and next to a newly created pond the main path heads uphill to the north. Follow this for a short distance to where it turns right and here continue straight up following the water channel through the young trees. This was the site of a massive pit heap which was one of the tallest in Co Durham. It was reclaimed in the 1990s and planted with thousands of trees.
St Helen’s Church, Kelloe
At the top within sight of Cassop you come to a t-junction of tracks. If you turn left here you arrive at Littlewood Local Nature Reserve (LNR) designated in 2001 which supports 13 nationally rare plants and 84 rare invertebrates and is opposite Cassop School. On this site can be found the Dark Red Helleborine flower and the Northern Brown Argus Butterfly. In 2013 the four fields at the top and on the right on the way up from the lagoons have been planted with 60,000 trees (mainly oak) on 350 acres of fields. This work has been carried out by the Woodland Trust in collaboration with Durham County Council as part of the Woodland Trusts Diamond Jubilee Woods Project. What a sight to see in fifty years hence and another great effort by the Trust to enhance our county along with Burnhall, Dipton ,Elemore and many others!
Pass through these new woods on the lane to Cassop village next to the t-junction and at the entrance to the village take the old railway track, initially along the back of the houses, heading east. It is worth the extra few minutes to leave this track for a while after about 500 yards to go through to the main road and see the mural on the side of “The Pub & Kitchen” pub. After about a mile on the railway track you come out on the A181 which is crossed and the track picked up again. The board on the roadside gives the story of how the village of Thornley started the Durham Miners Gala.
Leave the track to the left heading north (where there is a junction to a plant equipment yard) to the right and and go north to the main street which is crossed to pick up a footpath which leads to Ox Close Farm. The first half mile of this footpath is appalling with dog crap every two yards and it would be impossible to allow a child to walk along here. This is in spite of a disposal bin and relevant notices. Some of the residents of the village should be ashamed of their total disregard of others and do themselves, the village or indeed to the County of Durham no credit at all. (Update: On a recent walk up this footpath I was glad to see a significant improvement to the dog problem, long may it continue!). Over a long period this is possibly the worst place for rubbish that we pass through anywhere in the county. The path improves after climbing up a little before dropping down to Ox Close where you turn left on to the road via the house entrance. Head north on the road until opposite Paradise Farm where you cross the stile on your left to follow the waymarked route back to Shadforth noting the ruins of Low Croft Farm shortly after leaving the road at Paradise. Shadforth Dene which is up to the left as you descend to the village is a pleasant place with a footpath through it leading to the road which can be followed back to Ox Close to make a short circular walk from Shadforth.
Sedgefield, Bishop Middleham and the River Skerne
Filed under: OtherDistance: 12.5 miles
Start: Hardwick Country Park (GR 346287 at junction of A689 and A177)
Click to view start position on Google Maps
This walk starts at the car park of Hardwick Hall Country Park which is one of the jewels in Co Durham’s crown. The park was developed by John Burdon from Tyneside who took over the estate in 1748. Hardwick Hall, which is viewed from a distance, has no particular outstanding features and is now a hotel. It does however enjoy lovely views of the restored park to which it is linked by paths. The grounds, which contained follies and lakes, had fallen into disuse during the 20th centry but around 1990 Durham County Council displayed great vision and (with help from the Heritage Lottery Fund) over a period of years restored the grounds and some of their buildings to their former glory. In addition they built a visitor centre with cafe and rooms for countryside activities which benefit the children of the area.
The walk starts by going into the park and through the mock Gothic gateway which actually contains stones from Guisborough Priory. After walking north alongside the smaller lake the ruins of the Banqueting Hall are passed and we continue along the south of the main lake looking across to the hall. These lakes contain a wealth of birdlife at all times and have breeding coots, moorhens, mute swans and mallards. Ahead of you is the restored temple of 1754 -1757 which is a domed octagonal building surrounded by a square colonnade with six columns on each side.
Hardwick Hall Country Park
Returning to the water on the left is the Serpentine Bridge built in the 1760s which was restored in the 1990s. Heading west you come to the south-west extremity of the park which is exited onto a well waymarked bridleway . This soon reaches the bridleway from the car park which heads north, then west and north again. In the 1850s the land hereabouts was the site of a tile and brickworks. The bridleway then heads north-west over fields which show rigg and furrow ploughing patterns. A walk leaflet produced by Sedgefield Borough and Durham County Council mention that the shape of these (a reverse S) show that the field was ploughed by oxen which had a wider turning circle. The countryside both north from here to Bishop Middleham and south west towards Aycliffe was formerly very wet and there has been several drainage schemes over the centuries. Indeed Selkirk the Roman historian postulated that the Romans had linked the River Skerne to Croxdale Burn and then the River Wear.
Our route is clear on the ground heading north and climbs up to the old trackbed of a mineral railway line. At this spot we now have two routes to Bishop Middleham:
(1) By turning left in a south-west direction along the old mineral line, before crossing the river and following the track for a short distance, some steps lead down to a footbridge over the Skerne which is crossed. You now cross the old trackbed of the line which served Bishop Middleham Colliery and associated brickworks and head north-west to reach the deer park wall of the Bishops Castle. In the wall are the remains of a pack horse bridge. This probably served an old salt route and we walk on one of the salters lanes later in the walk. The salt came from the salt panns near Greatham on the Durham coast. The route now goes due north passing the site of Bishop Middleham Castle on your right which is mentioned as far back as 1099. Two former bishops died here. A leaflet on a 3 mile circular walk produced by Groundworks East Durham some time ago states that in this area can be found the thistle Carlina Vulgaris on the south-west slope of the old castle site, which has the properties of curing dysentry. The plant disappeared for many years but reappeared in 1976 and is now thriving. You now reach Foulmarts Lane where common mallow and golden stonecrop can be found growing on the walls. Foulmarts were a marten like a pine marten which lived in these walls and area and decimated game birds. I think these were what is known in France as beech martens and they are ferocious creatures as l know from experience! You now turn into the old part of the village.
(2) The alternative way to Bishop Middleham heads north-east from the mineral line and crosses the Skerne by a footbridge before heading NW to arrive at a picnic spot with a small lake and seats on the edge of the village. The whole of this area is great for birds with many waders to be seen . In spring are found lapwings (peewits) and golden plover en-route to the Pennines to breed. Go through this small reserve to the south-west corner where there is a stile and then head up steeply behind the church to reach Foulmarts Lane. The two routes combined make an attractive short walk.
Bishop Middleham Village Centre
St Michaels Church in Bishop Middleham is from the early 13th century. The next building on your right is Middleham Hall built in 1761 which was an Academy for Boys, apparently run on the same lines as Woden Croft and Dickens Dotheboys School. Also to be found on the bank going down to the crossroads is the Old Vicarage on your right and the equally old Victorian Police House opposite, which was one of the first police houses following the formation of the police force by Sir Robert Peel in 1829 (where the name bobbies came from).
Go straight over the crossroad and uphill past the houses to cross over the road leading to Ferryhill Station and continue north past the working quarry of dolomitic limestone on your left. After about 200 yards you will see a sign on your right giving access to Bishop Middleham Nature Reserve run by the Durham Wildlife Trust. Bishop Middleham Reserve is an SSSI and famous for its flora especially orchids, however the quarry became famous in 2002 when it saw thousands of visitors who had come to see the breeding bee eaters who were nesting on the old quarry face to the north of the site. This was one of the very few occasions that these attractive birds have bred in the UK and being so far north this was exceptional! The path entering the site skirts the southern periphery for a while before descending to the left where it joins the other path through the site. Before heading out on your right turn left to see the famous site where the birds were given 24hr protection against egg snatchers.
Bishop Middleham Nature Reserve
Now turn around and leave the site by a gate with Farnless farm in front of you. You pass the farm to the left, descending to a small pond and a well-placed seat. Continue heading east and looking to your right expect a surprise as you should see a herd of bison from the North American plains! The reason for this is that Farnless Farm specialises in low cholesterol meat from their herds of bison (also known as buffalo) and of red deer. In addition they have elk and iron age pork. Look at their website for full details of this interesting and healthy venture. The way now is to follow the clear track to the east to join the A177. Turn right for a short distance and take the access road to West House farm and where the track turns to the right, half way to the farm, enter the field in front of you. This is crossed diagonally to pass to the south of the farm.
On passing the garden behind the farm continue east towards Fishburn. Again here a surprise may await you as you are passing Fishburn Airport which has a 600 metre grass landing strip which has been seen in a Bollywood film. At the end of the field containing the airport cross the stile and head south down the field site. The right of way leaves the field boundary about half way down to head south-east towards the houses but the locals appear to continue round the west and south side of the field to reach the entrance of Fishburn.
Footpath near to Fishburn
Fishburn is a typical Durham large mining village. There is conjecture on the derivation of its name with two views. One is that it is named after the good fishing obtained in the nearby River Skerne or the more likely one, in my view, is that it is named after the Fissebourne family who gave their name to the manor. In the 1950s the colliery and coke works to the south employed over 1500 people but now there is only a small monument left to record the site. The village does benefit by its proximity to Sedgefield with its numerous pubs and shops and all the usual facilities of a small town. There is an SSSI on the grasslands to the north which has an interesting flora. otherwise there is nothing to detain you.
Walk east along the main street (there is a better way just to the south for a while) and over the cross roads to the end of the village next to the recreation ground. Here turn left and after about 100 yards take the access road on your right leading to Galley Law Farm. Just before the new farmhouse look for a poor stile on your right (which is too narrow and has no foot rest) and proceed south to another stile which is crossed. Continue south to reach Salters Lane. On the map it looks as there may have been a junction of Salters Lanes here with one heading north through Shotton Colliery and another possibly heading west. Follow Salters Lane east through attractive country to cross the bridge over the Skerne where you then head downriver on the left bank. After half a mile recross the Skerne on the bridge and head just west of north across the field passing some trees with an owl box in one of them.
The route on the ground here is not that plain but on picking up the track from Salters Lane head south to a fence and a stile. If time is short a mile can be saved by taking the track leading off Salters Lane well before you reach the Skerne at GR382318 to reach the same place. Proceed towards Bridge House Farm but if you are using an older map note that the right of way down the access road has been extinguished. It is necessary to head north-west when you reach the farm to reach Butterwick Road via a stile – better waymarking is required here! Go down the road to the access road to the farm. On the other side is a waymark but currently (Feb 2012) it is necessary to climb the gate. Again the route on the ground is not clear but there are no problems with access. Head south-west past the pylons and then stay close to the beck to find a good footbridge over the Skerne. If in doubt aim for the mast on top of the hill. There are waymarks after the footbridge and it is uphill to pass Ryall Farm on your right before crossing a stile and walking across the field to reach the farm access road. This is followed south to reach Butterwick Road which leads into Sedgefield on your right.
Compared to the excellent waymarking from Sedgefield to Fishburn there is a significant deterioration on the paths back to Sedgefield from Fishburn regarding waymarking, although it must be emphasized that in no place, apart from having to climb over gates are you impeded. More waymarking would certainly prove beneficial here!
Sedgefield Village Green
Sedgefield is a fine small town which was granted a charter for a market in 1312 and has many attractive buildings. Note the plaque on the Dun Cow relating to the fish and chip lunch between President Bush and PM Tony Blair here. The fine church of St Edmund dominates the main street and also dates from the 13th Century. Walk past the church and at the t-junction cross the road and through the passageway and yard of the Hardwick Arms Hotel to reach a gate into a large field. Here there are two choices. You can head west across the pasture to reach the A177, which is crossed to enter the Country Park by the old entrance or you can go south-west across the pasture and use the underpass of the A177 to arrive back at the car park.
Some of the information on this walk has been taken from “Exploring the Countryside between Sedgefield and Bishop Middleham” produced jointly by Sedgefield Borough and Durham County Council and a 3 mile circular walk round Bishop Middleham from Groundwork East Durham. Both I believe are now out of print but thanks to the people who originally produced these. This is a fine walk and hopefully the leaflets will be updated and produced again in future.
East of Egglestone
Filed under: OtherStart: Eggleston Village
Click to view start position on Google Maps
This varied walk includes a wide variety of terrain ranging from grouse moorland to river valley. The bulk of it is on lesser known footpaths and throughout there are wide ranging views. The majority of people go through this area to reach the more popular paths in Teesdale but I feel this route compares favourably to many of them. In early springtime there is a wealth of bird life and throughout the walk there is a continued sound of returning curlews and the clashing flights of lapwings.
We leave the village turning east off the road to Stanhope and make our way over pasture land (sometimes wet) to Middle Nemour and take the lane past a derelict farmhouse and up to Nemour Hill. This is a good area for waders with snipe often found round here. The way is straightforward on a waymarked bridleway passing to the south of Grey Carrs. After the disappointing recent years on the grouse moors there appears to be a healthy number now on the moor and their call contrasts with the curlew and lapwings. After reaching 460 metres there is a gradual drop as the route goes eastwards towards Woolly Hill Farm.
Nemour Hall above Egglestone
Before reaching the farm we take a path to the right which is now a nature trail. This has been created by Pat and Shane Kingsworth who moved from nearby Woodland to Woolly Farm to create an animal rescue centre called ‘Ark on the Edge’. This is a registered charity who deservedly won a substantial prize in the ‘People’s Millions’. Their centre is not only involved in animal rescue but is also heavily involved in educating school groups and scout groups in an awareness of the countryside as well as in the caring for animals and birds. The nature trail which we use incorporates a pond as well as wetland and with 500 native trees already planted this mini-area will see significant visual changes in the years ahead.
We emerge onto the B6282 and head uphill to Dead Horse Gully and the end of Steele Road which goes eastwards to Gaunless Smelt Mill. This was the route that packhorses brought the lead ore to Copley from Teesdale where the local Raby coal was used to process it. There was also another route a half a mile to the south past Jagger Hill. The pack master of the ponies was known as the Jagger and there are two possible origins of the name. The name may derive from a northern dialect word ‘jag’ meaning a load or it may be a corruption of ‘jaegar’ which was a German hunter and a favourite breed of packhorse. Jagger Lanes appear in several villages notably at Gilling West near to Richmond, North Yorkshire.
Site of the Gaunless Smelt Mill
We proceed east for a short distance before turning south on the entrance track to Hinedon Edge which is passed on the right where the route descends steeply to Arn Gill. Note the remains of a tip here from an early coal mine (there was also one just to the east of Woolly Farm). These were the western edge of the great Durham coalfield.
A short climb up brings us up towards East House Cottage with fine views towards Barningham Moor and The Stang and a lovely view which is rarely seen of Langley Viaduct on the old Bishop Auckland to Barnard Castle railway line which opened in 1862 closing 100 years later. This line linked up at Barnard Castle with the branch from Darlington to go over Stainmore summit taking coal to the steelworks of West Cumberland.
Langley Viaduct
We continue downhill to Beckside to cross Langley Beck at Beckside and walk up Sadler Lane to Chapel House on the B6279 between Middleton and Staindrop. This road is now taken westwards through Kinninvie to a footpath opposite Huller Bush. The road has a wide verge which can be utilised when traffic is passing.
Over recent years this has become red kite country as the area has been settled by several kites from the Gateshead Derwent Valley release. The footpath is waymarked on its zig-zag course past Hawkesley Hill and Bail Hill to Parrick House Farm. The path goes through the farm to the left (not waymarked) to pick up the old track to Baxtongill Quarry. There are now superb views westwards over Cotherstone to the Pennines.
There is a clear grass track down past Baxtongill Wood and across the fields to come out on a lane near ponds at Low Shipley where there is a caravan site. Take care in picking out the track up the valley to join the Teesdale Way at GR015206. This is followed for a short distance to the stile in the new drystone wall that has been erected.
You leave the Teesdale Way to follow the beck up the hill to High Shipley. This is a superb building dating back several hundred years. Proceed towards the main road but after a short distance take the stile on the left which crosses fields and descends to East Barnley. Alternatively the Teesdale Way can be followed from Low Shipley to East Barnley. The route back to Eggleston from EastBarnley, although not clear on the ground, maintains your height and does not follow the Teesdale Way downwards. On reaching West Barnley go along the farm entrance road back to Eggleston where a short final climb brings you back to the top of the village.
Stanhope to Rookhope (Weardale Way)
Filed under: Weardale WayDistance: 13 miles using the Stotfield and minor road
Distance: 15.5 miles using Park Head
Start: Stanhope Market Place (NY 996391)
Click to view start position on Google Maps
Map : OS Explorer 307 – Consett and Derwent Reservoir
The Weardale Way has existed in several forms since its inception over forty years ago in various guises. A route was established in the late 1970s by Alan Earnshaw who was an early member of the DVCR Service. This route was from Killhope Wheel and terminated at Sunny Brow near Willington where he lived. This route involved a substantial amount of moorland walking. Rare copies of the guide he published which he called the Wear Valley Way still exist. This route was 46 miles long and doubled as a walk and a challenge route to be completed in one go. The walk had a formal opening on August 4th 1979 with the ceremony being performed by Roger Smith who was the editor of the Great Outdoors and the late Councillor Bob Pendlebury who subsequently did so much for Weardale and the North Pennines AONB. Indeed the walk was completed by Alan Storey in 7hrs 5 mins on that day.
The next guide was a Dalesman book published in 1964 by Ken Piggin who devised a 78 mile walk from Cowshill to the mouth of the Wear at Roker, a distance of 78 miles and is a natural finish for the walk particularly in view of the major landscape improvements that have been carried out at Sunderland. Ken had previously published books on the Ebor Way, Nidderdale Way and Yoredale Way all published by Dalesman Press, which can still be found on Amazon and sometimes in second hand book shops. This was the route waymarked by DCC and OS Leisure Map 19.
In the mid 1990s a further guide to the Weardale Way, partly sponsored by DCC, was written by Alistair Wallace and is the route shown on current OS maps. It follows Ken Piggins route from Sunderland to Witton le Wear and thereafter concentrates on a lower route which omits Knitsley Fell and the elephant trees, terminating at Wearhead where the river first becomes the River Wear at the confluence of the Burnhope Burn and the Killhope Burn. The idea here was the make the walk an easier walk.
Quite recently the Weardale Way has been altered again reverting back broadly to the Piggin route to include the elephant trees but also to call in at Wolsingham. 2012 saw the publication of another guide to the Weardale Way by Joe Watson from Dun Cow Publishing which covers the route from Killhope to Roker and surely this is the correct and definitive route for the Weardale Way. Publishing techniques and photography advances make this easily the best book that there has been on the Weardale Way. Not only that but the book has much more information on aspects of the route and the places visited and has adequate maps and many interesting photos. This route should be the only one to be waymarked and recorded on OS maps and be promoted by Durham County Council as the Weardale Way is an asset to the county. A final word on publications on the Weardale Way should also mention a publication called ‘Upper Weardale Way’ from Walks of Discovery which has 12 circular walks on the Weardale Way between Bishop Auckland and Cowshill, averaging about 8 miles similar to the Guided Walks arranged by DCC.
Today’s walk starts outside St Thomas church in Stanhope which goes back to Norman times, some parts of which survive in the base of the western tower. The arch of the tower is pointed and is obviously later than Norman. The church also contains some Frosterley marble columns which has been used in different sites worldwide. In the heyday of the lead industry due to the high value of the tithes paid to the rectors for the rights to explore and mine for lead, this church gave the richest living in England. Some of this wealth was used by Bishop Barrington to build schools in the area but the driving force here was to compete with the Methodists and Wesleyans who enjoyed much support in Weardale. Near to the church entrance is the famous fossil tree which was mined on Edmundbyers Moor and later moved to its current location in 1962. Opposite is Stanhope Castle built in 1798 on the site of an old tower. The term ‘hope’ in a place name is Celtic and Norse and means a slope or hollow between hills.
Stanhope Bridge
The walk starts by following the Eggleston road B6278 westwards crossing Stanhope Beck and on reaching the 15th Century Stanhope Bridge, proceed westwards on the north bank of the river. The quarry on your right is a rare example of a whinstone quarry in Weardale called Greenfoot Quarry where a band of whinstone called the Little Whin Sill extruded under the limestone and was exploited. It is thought that there is a greater sill at a much greater depth here but this is unproved as no drilling has been done. It is a straightforward walk following the waymarks along the edge of a field and crossing the railway line to proceed through the woods close to the river. This path needs some care as there are boulders around carried downriver by floods. Note the interesting birdlife as kingfishers and heron may be seen on the river as well as goosanders in winter.
The route passes through a caravan site to reach Hag Bridge and here turn right to Eastgate which is a a short distance to the west along the A689. At the bus stop where the Weardale Way heads north up the Rookhope Burn is an unusual object which is a replica of a Roman altar dedicated to Silvanus. The original altar found near here is kept for safekeeping at Durham Universities Museum of Archaeology. Eastgate is so named as it was the East gate to the hunting terrain here. All Saints church on your right was built in 1887. The Weardale Way follows a path north passing Home House and Hole House and is an attractive path high above the burn. After about one mile past Hole House it eventually descends to Brandon Walls Cleugh which is crossed.
Brandon Walls Cleugh
The route now passes through woods and is relatively clear as you reach Brandon Walls Lead mine half hidden in the trees. Keep your eyes open for the waymarks. There is quite a bit of information on the web concerning this site which operated in the mid 1800s. Joe Watson gives a good account of how the mine was initially productive as the ore contained a high amount of silver. It is worth noting that the Williamson Process, which was used to separate the silver from the lead, was developed in the North Pennines near Allendale. There was a smithy and processing area on site as well as miners cottages and an overshot waterwheel. Take care in following the path to reach a footbridge over the Rookhope Burn leading to the road to Rookhope which is followed north crossing over Stotfield Burn. You can leave the road when you enter Rookhope after Chapel Row by turning left to Rookhope Working Mens Club (still open) and walking along behind the houses and following the track which arrives at the Rookhope Inn.
Rookhope is an old mining village with a long history and there is evidence that the Romans were active hereabouts. There was a famous skirmish here in 1569. During the Rising of the North, when the local men had been called away to defend Barnard Castle against the pro Catholic rebels, there was a raid on Rookhope by border reivers who stole 6oo sheep. The raiders were intercepted on Nookton Fell and four of the reivers were killed and eleven captured. Such events were not uncommon in the region but this one has remained alive due to the incident being recorded in a 24 verse ballad called the Rookhope Ryde.
Rookhope Village
There are several routes back to Stanhope from Rookhope with the popular one being an ascent of Boltslaw Incline and following the C2C to Park Head on the B6278, with a choice of routes back to Stanhope down the incline past the site of the Wetherhill Engine Shed. A good way is to descend down Heathery Burn to Stanhope Burn which is then followed down to Stanhope Hall. An entirely different route from Rookhope, emphasising the visual beauty of both the Rookhope Valley and Weardale can also be taken. If you leave Rookhope by following the Weardale Way towards Westgate it is an easy walk along the old railway track towards Smailsburn Farm and at Pry Barn which is where the open access ends at GR941420 cross the stile on your left down towards the burn passing the newly refurbished house to the right to cross the Rookhope Burn by a footbridge and then pass the graveyard to the junction of roads at Stotfield Burn. This minor road is the route used by many C2C cyclists on a very quiet road named route 7.
Boltslaw Incline
A series of footpaths through Chestergarth House, Pasture House, and High Brandon on the left give lovely views, although the waymarking round High Brandon needs improving. There is then an option to follow a a further series on the right passing through Ambling Gate, Burnt Walls, Ashy Bank, Spains Field, West Bewdley and Greenhead farm back to the road. All of these old farms from Ambling Gate onwards ,which once were all peoples homes, are now sadly derelict. Arriving at the road at Greenhead you now have a distance of just over a mile to return to Stanhope. However currently the paths from Ambling Gate onwards are somewhat degraded due to damage from livestock, lack of maintenance and use caused by the farms closures and are a minor study in what has happened to hill farming over the years. All of these farms have apparently been derelict for many years and there is currently a blockage between Spains Field and West Bewdley due to what should be a welcome sight where there is some investment in fencing and wall renewal. Notwithstanding this the route is still passable for the average walker and the path was waymarked in the past with stiles in average condition. There is a very well researched book on the subject by Christine Ruskin called “The Disappearing Farms of Weardale” which can be purchased locally and is recommended. One of the farms (which I believe to be Spains Field) has been acquired by Beamish Museum to eventually be rebuilt there. On a fine day it is worth a visit past these farms as there are great views of Weardale and the confluence of the Rookhope Burn with the Wear, hitherto enjoyed by the residents of these nearly forgotten farms
Finally to return to Joe Watson’s book and route it is very interesting to see that at Rookhope there are a few apparent anomalies. I am assuming that he has returned to the original route which enters Rookhope from Westgate on the old trackbed from Smailsburn and then on leaving Rookhope en route to Stanhope the way in the book is via Smailburn Common to Smailsburn Farm and then down to the footbridge at Stotfield. In his comments on Navigation he states that the trail over Smailsburn Common is non visible and Weardale Way signage is sparse. This certainly explained the old waymark at Stotfield showing the Weardale Way going past the cemetery and over the footbridge to the Smailburn track which, when walking recently, we could not understand as my OS maps had always shown the route into Rookhope along the road. However if you have a map which is recent and shows the modifications of 2014 the original route has been restored and ties in with the new book. Hurrah! This route eliminates any road walking. If the route over Smailburn Common is to be used then additional waymarking will be required but I suspect that most walkers will take the Smailburn railway track both out and into Rookhope depending on their direction of travel. Or if coming from Stanhope will persist with walking along the road to reach Rookhope, though the road can be left at Rookhope Working Men’s Club, where you can pass by the rear of former council houses with nice open views to the west and continue past newer houses to emerge at the back of the Rookhope Inn and the bus shelter.
Sanctuary Way Stage 3 – Witton Gilbert to Wardles Bridge
Filed under: Sanctuary WayDistance: 12 miles
Start: Wardles Bridge
Click to view start position on Google Maps
Witton Gilbert is an old settlement going back to Saxon times when it was known as Witton (white town). Following the Norman invasion, the land hereabouts became Norman owned under Gilbert de la Ley who lived here from1120 to 1180. He was a great benefactor to the area and some of his charters are preserved in Durham Library. He funded the rebuilding of Kepier Hospital and gave land to the Monks of Durham Cathedral for a retreat which was called Beau Repaire (later corrupted to Bearpark). Some time later the land came under the ownership of Gilbert de la Latone who followed up the good work and was thought to be the Gilbert after whom the village is named.
St Michael’s Church, where we start, was built around 1170 and retains several Norman features; the chancel arch is similar to the Galilee Chapel at Durham and there are two Norman windows in the south wall which will be seen on Stage 4.
Our way takes us out to the north behind some houses to follow a path to Fulforth where we join a bridleway which continues north through Fulforth Wood to arrive at Charlaw. On our right to the east lie the newer parts of Witton Gilbert and its close neighbour Sacriston. The village of Sacriston only goes back to mid 19th Century when it was built on empty moorland not dissimilar to Waldridge Fell. In 1889 a burial cist from the Bronze Age was uncovered showing that the area had been inhabited for over 3000 years. Similar cists have also been found at Witton Gilbert and the area was settled later by the Saxons as the names Fulforth, Findon, Witton and Edmundsley testify. In 1991 a gold pendant from the 7th Century (now at Bowes Museum) was unearthed at nearby Daisy Hill but this created a mystery as it was not from northern England. How did it get there? Nobody knows but landfill is thought to be the reason.
Charlaw is also an Anglo Saxon name derived from cerr, pronounced chare .At Charlaw you are on the site of one of the two major collieries here which led to the creation of the village but these closed in 1985. Prior to that there were medieval mines here at Charlaw in 1733 and at Findon Hill but it was the opening of Charlaw Mires in 1839 that attracted the new population. The land on which the mine, operated had previously been farmland. This was given by the famous Bishop Pudsey who gave the land to the Sacrist of Durham who established a farm here. The Sacrists were senior monks who looked after sacred vessels, lighting, heating and cleaning etc. They were also known as sextons or Sacristans derived from the French word Segristan. Following the dissolution of the monasteries in the late 1500s the land passed to Durham Cathedral’s Dean and Chapter. Remnants of their farm survive in the wood where they were known as Heugh House but this was demolished in the 1950s due to mining subsidence.
The way is clear through Sacriston Wood which is a Local Nature reserve (LNR) with a combination of ancient woodland where oak, birch and sycamore dominate, and also some dry grassland. There are also some wet flushes where dogs mercury, wood sorrel and ragged robin grow. On the other side of the valley is Daisy Hill, another LNR where Durham County Council have been planting juniper. Opposite East Farm is a pond where reed mace is abundant.
On reaching Warland (where the Stage 2 reaches Holmside Lane at spot height 149) cross the road to the waymarked path which is just to the left and head down to the footbridge crossing the Whiteside Burn. This burn eventually becomes the Cong Burn which enters the River Wear at Chester-le-Street. You will look in vain for the name Wardles Bridge on your map. This was the name of the pub which was a little further to the left at Warland Green but regrettably, like many rural pubs has sadly closed. At one time it had the largest selection of whisky in the north east.
Charlaw Lane
It is uphill now on Charlaw Lane which is an old route. If there has been dry weather take the footpath on the right (west) past Nursingfield Gill and the north edge of Tatlorshill Plantation to emerge at Standagainstall Plantation at GR187477. Where you reach a good bridleway heading on a north and south line, go south and slightly uphill to reach the road called Long Edge. This bridleway is used on the walk “The Northern Hills of Lanchester”. Turn left along the road in an easterly direction to Taylors Hill where you will meet up with the alternative route. If there has been wet weather continue up Charlaw Lane to arrive at the top of the hill at a transmitter station. It is not difficult to see why this site was chosen as there are fine views to the south to the Cleveland escarpment. Now turn right along Long Edge to Taylors Hill at GR 208477 Here you pick up a fine bridleway heading downhill.
Whichever route is chosen the way is clear along the road to Taylors Hill (GR208477) where a fine bridleway is picked up heading downhill with fine views into the Browney Valley. After just over half a mile we arrive at the remains of Langley Hall. I quote partly from the fine book by Neville Whittaker published by Frank Graham in 1975 which is now probably unavailable called “The Old Halls and Manor Houses of Durham”:
“Langley Hall now remains as a picturesque ruin, set within dark woodland near Witton Gilbert. The estate after several owners passed into the hands of the Scropes, Lords of Bolton Castle in Wensleydale. Lord Scrope married Isabel Dacre from The Dacre and Greystoke estate near Penrith and in the time of Henry VIII it was decided to build a fortified house here. Langley Hall was built around a courtyard in the same manner Haddon Hall in Derbyshire. There was a Great Hall on one side and a kitchen at the north end The west wing was three storeys high.”
Langley Hall
Crossing the A691 we proceed through the small industrial estate (noting the pet crematorium) drop down to a bridge over the Browney and climb up to the Lanchester Valley Walkway developed from the Lanchester Valley railway which opened in 1862 and closed in 1965.
Langley Park is mostly bypassed but was a quintessential pit village. The pit, which was owned by the Consett Iron Company, opened in 1875 and remained under their ownership until it was nationalised in 1948. From 1910 to 1930 it employed around 1000 people with the numbers dropping to 800 until it closed in 1975. Langley Park’s most famous son is Sir Bobby Robson who was brought up here. The walkway is followed towards Durham for over a mile to GR231447 where a path is picked up that leads to the bridge over the Browney and up the hill to St Michael’s Church and the start of Stage 4 which is the final stage.