Bill's Walks

On the Banks of the River Greta

Filed under: County Durham Border

Distance: 10-11 miles

Map : OS Explorer OL31 (North Pennines – Teesdale and Weardale)

Start: Village Hall Car Park at East end of Bowes (GR NY996134)

Click to View Start Position on Google Maps

It’s a fair bet that if you asked the general Co Durham public the whereabouts of the River Greta most of them could not tell you once you had left the south-west corner of the county. The Greta is arguably the best river in the county as throughout its short length every yard is a pleasure. It rises just over the boundary into Cumbria just to the south of the A66. In earlier times this was Westmorland and the old name has been preserved in the name of the old county town of Appelby. The watershed here separates England into east and west with streams falling eastwards ending up in the North Sea via the Tees and those to the west into the Irish Sea via the Eden.

The first 8 miles or so are quiet but for over 100 years this section of the river echoed to the thunder of trains struggling up to the top of the Stainmore Pass assisted normally by a banking engine. There was a large sign on the summit erected by the LNER which stated Stainmore Summit Height 1370 feet. This is happily preserved at the National Railway Museum. The only building was Spital Cottages at the side of the line.The first place of real interest is Gods Bridge where the Pennine Way crosses the Greta by a natural stone limestone bridge which is all that remains of a much larger cavern. The railway stayed close to the river until just short of Bowes.

Nowadays there is a good footpath on the south side which carries the Bowes Diversion of the Pennine Way past West and East Mellwaters farms, West Charity Farm and Lady Myres (all of which have attractive meadows) before crossing the river by a foot bridge into Bowes. This bridge exists due to the foresight of certain officers in Durham County Council who had plans drawn up for a bridge but not the funds to build it. When the old Countryside Commission had some spare funds to release for an immediate start on a project they were able to start immediately and secured the necessary funds to build this and a smaller one at Levy Pool a few miles to the north on the Pennine Way.

There has been settlement here at Bowes for centuries because of its strategic importance in the crossing of the Pennines at Stainmore. The Romans built a fort here called Lavatrae and nearly a thousand years later a castle was erected on top of the old Roman site. Today the keep built by Henry the Second in the 12th Century survives and is protected.

We start the walk at the east end of the village of Bowes and walk up the main street now happily bypassed. On the right is the only pub remaining in the village called the Ancient Unicorn which dates back to the 17th Century and is reputedly haunted. Charles Dickens stayed here when he was doing his research for Nicholas Nickelby and the scandal of the “Yorkshire Schools”. One of these was Shaws Academy which was further up on the left and became Dotheboys Hall in the book.

Near the top on the left is the church of St Giles parts of which go back to the 12th Century. The graveyard contains the remains of several of the unfortunates who were at the school but a much more interesting grave is that of Roger Wrightson and Martha Ritson who were the central characters in what is known as the Bowes Tragedy. Roger was from a family who had the Kings Head pub (now no more) and fell in love with Mary Ritson from the George pub (now the Ancient Unicorn) but as landowners the Wrightsons believed themselves to be of higher status than the Ritsons and forbid the courtship. This was carried on in a clandestine manner for a year when Roger fell ill with fever. He asked to see Martha and this was reluctantly agreed to by the Wrightsons on the proviso that his sister was present all the time. Three days after the meeting Roger died leaving Martha distraught with grief and within 24 hours she died of a broken heart. They were buried in the same grave at the west end of the churchyard both aged 20. Some time afterwards John Ritson paid and worked on improving the road which is now the A66 to generate greater business for his hotel but this failed as the stagecoaches took advantage of this and continued on to the softer climate and inns of Greta Bridge.

We now pass the keep and follow the Pennine Way across two fields and down a track to the footbrige. On crossing we head east after a short distance passing West Pasture and West Gates to arrive at Gilmonby. This was the old suggested route before the bridge was built unless there was drought conditions. We take the footpath from Greta Farm towards Whorlands and follow the tarmac to Quarry Hill where the tarmac ends and continue on the white road to the open access land. Here three routes separate off and we take the most southerly of the two bridleway’s onto Scargill Low Moor. At GR 021106 a footpath leaves to the left and then almost immediately a footpath goes to the north past Stony Close House and Thwaite Green to meet the Stang road which goes over to Arkengarthdale.

Here we turn right and past Lodge Farm into Thwaite hamlet (visited on other walks from Barningham) noting the pack horse bridge and the attractive chapel. A short bit of road towards Scargill follows for half a mile before a bridleway is taken on the left which leads down to Brignall Mill where we rejoin the Greta and cross it. Brignall Mill has won several environmental awards for energy conservation and is a beautiful spot. We leave the mill by the access road to the top of the bank and at the edge of the trees is a footpath heading west above the river. This is an excellent stretch of walking for about 1.5 miles back to Rutherford Bridge and the Stang road.

Downriver from Brignall Mill the river twists through a superb wooded gorge with a continuous footpath on the north bank and one on the south bank which goes to Crooks House near to Barningham. These are superb paths but carry an element of danger particularly in wet weather as there are some dangerous drops down into the river as well as fallen trees. It would take virtually the whole Durham County Council footpath budget to restore them and currently this is not feasible. The northern path passes the superbly located abandoned St Marys Church of Brignall Village which is thought to have been a camp of the Brigantes who ruled this area prior to the arrival of the Romans hence its name. The Greta then Reaches Greta Bridge on the A66 and the excellent Morritt Arms (named after the local landowner) before continuing through another superb section of Rokeby Park to join the tees at the Meeting of the Waters made famous by the painting of Turner. Currently these paths are not walked by me on Guided Walks but there are plans to improve some of the paths in the future.

From Rutherford Bridge the footpath continues upstream passing Hundah, East Lowfields Farm and West Lowfields back to Gilmonby Bridge where it is then a short walk back to Bowes Village.