Bill's Walks

Rainton Meadows to Pittington

Filed under: Other

Distance: 11 miles

Start: Rainton Meadows Visitor Centre. Take note that the car park closes at 4:30pm but you can park outside the reserve on the approach road.

Click to view start position on Google Maps

Map: OS Explorer 308 – Durham and Sunderland

About the Durham Wildlife Trust
This walk was one that l organised for the Ramblers Association and this has now been modified to accommodate a Guided Walk for Durham County Council. The objective of the walk was to introduce walkers to the Durham Wildlife Trust and the work that they carry out, including a visit to one of their Visitor Centres as well as look at other reserves and places of interest in the Pittington area which are totally different to the image that the place name conjures up.

Durham Wildlife Trust has its HQ at Rainton Meadows from where they manage 25 or more Nature Reserves and four Visitor Centres as well as being very active in an environmental education programme which encompasses schools and communities. The Rainton Meadows site has been developed over the last 15 years although the DWT have been involved with the site since the early 1960s with Joe’s Pond which is a SSSI. The pond has six species of dragonfly as well as many toads and water voles. The site is man-made having been developed on old colliery workings and spoil heaps. There are four lakes which are interconnected and the site is approximately 50 hectares with areas of woodland and semi-improved grassland. The latter is currently being grazed by a small herd of highland cattle which are fairly non-selective grazers. The grassland is important for waders such as lapwings and oystercatchers. Six species of owl have been seen on the site and a wealth of other species. The site supports several animals including hares and has an interesting and varied flora. Full details of this can be found on their website. On a visit in mid December 2010 there was a bittern on the site which had been there for a few weeks and both mealy and common redpolls which were probably over from Scandinavia.

The DWT operates basically on the old boundaries of County Durham which incorporates the current County Durham, Gateshead MBC, South Tyneside MBC and Sunderland MBC. The sites managed read like a list of places visited on many of the Durham County Council guided walks. The list is as follows, going roughly from north to south:
Shibdon Pond at Blaydon
High Wood near to Derwentcote
Burnhope Pond
Rabbitbank Wood near Knitsley
Malton on the River Browney
Edmundsley Wood
Hawthorn Dene
Brasside Pond
Ragpath Heath near to Esh Winning
Hedleyhope Fell near Tow Law
Baal Hill north of Wolsingahm
Low Barns at Witton le Wear
Rosa Shafto and Tudhoe Mill
Bishop Middleham Quarry
Raisby Hill Grassland
Trimdon Grange Quarry
Town Kelloe Bank near Trimdon
Blackhall Rocks
Hesleden Dene
Hannah’s Meadow
Redcar Field near Coatham Mundeville.

Recently the DWT have also acquired Milkwellburn Wood near to Chopwell in a very attractive part of the Derwent Valley.

The Walk
The walk starts by going past Joe’s Pond and at the first junction to the south of the pond head east along a waymarked path called the Coalfield Way which arrives at the A1052 close to the A690 flyover. The Coalfield Way is a 9 mile circular walk linking Joe’s Pond, Hetton Bogs, Hetton Lyons Country Park, The Stephenson Way, Hetton le Hill, High Moorsley and Rainton Meadows with some good views and plenty of both flora and fauna interest. Go under the flyover and take the second left called North Road towards Hetton le Hole. Shortly after the end of a row of houses take the waymarked path on your left over Hainton Burn (spelling mistake on my map) to enter Hetton Bogs Nature Reserve still on the Coalfield Way. This is an extraordinary place being so close to habitations as you are totally unaware of their relative proximity. The site has wet meadows, woods dating back to the 1500s, water meadows and ponds. The latter has breeding water voles and link up with the water voles present at Rainton Meadows. There are various paths to walk on but we follow the burn which changes name correctly to Hetton Burn.

Eventually you walk into Hetton Park which was established getting on for 100 years ago in 1926 under the Miners Welfare Scheme. Its upkeep was originally funded by a levy of those working at nearby Eppleton Quarry. The place is still natural and you then come to the end of the park at a culvert where you exit to Hetton Sports Complex. Head left along Welfare Park Road to the main road, which is crossed, noting the library in a converted Victorian school which boasts a blue plaque. Here turn left down Caroline Street for a very short distance to the site of The Caroline pub which is now occupied by a butchers and deli business.

Here go right and after passing an old church and a pub turn left down Richard Street to a row of houses, noting the old cinema on your right. Walk in front of the terrace along an unmade road and at the end of the terrace head east down a waymarked path to Hetton Lyons Country Park on the site of Hetton Lyons Colliery. This colliery operated for about 130 years and produced 300,000 tons of coal annually before closing in 1950. The techniques of deep coal mining were pioneered here. This again is a new site and like many others in County Durham illustrates beautifully the great strides made in the area to change its image and develop a place of recreation and more importantly an area where nature can thrive. Walking clockwise round the lake you will observe the abundant birdlife and this year the resident mute swans reared seven cygnets. The picnic tables make a good spot for a stop.

At the south of the lake there is a smaller reed fringed lake and the path here goes uphill to the right of the lake where it arrives at a junction of paths. One of these is the old railway line from Shincliffe to Murton and this is followed west passing factories on your left to arrive at an open area. Follow the waymarks back to Station Road. Head south for a short distance on the opposite side of Station Road and take the waymarked path on your right back to the railway path which is here in a cutting. The station has long since disappeared and part of the route sold hence the deviation. Walk down here and cross the main road near to the Fox and Hounds pub where the way ahead is plain to see to the left of the pub. This is a good quality recreational path which goes all the way to Sherburn and features on other walks. The areas near to this path have been extensively planted with birch and other trees and are a good place to see small birdlife.

After passing a footpath on your left going to Low Moorsley at the edge of a wood, you come to a major crossing of bridleways at the end of this same wood a short distance further on. The route on the right comes from Rainton Bridge on the route of another old colliery line. Here turn left on the bridleway, leaving the line going to Sherburn and follow the bridleway through bends and pass below some allotments. At the end of these cross the stile and shortly after at the junction of four paths, take the one going diagonally uphill to High Moorsley. The next stage is across the road on a broad track towards a mast, a trig point and what looks like a giant golf ball on top of the mast. This is a weather radar station which is used in weather forecasting. More details on this can be found on the web but this is the only one in the north-east of England!

The location gives good views north to the Simonside Hills above Rothbury and pleasant views southwards over Cassop Vale and Elemore Woods. The path goes round the edge of several fields before coming to a t-junction near Cobblers Hill. Cross the stile in front and head right slowly uphill along several field boundaries and after about a mile you come to a sharp drop leading down to Low Pittington.

Here the walk can be shortened by taking the stile on your right and following the path along the contours passing the site of Moorsley Quarry where part of the old quarry face survives to the road. This is crossed immediately and take a path heading north-west steeply downhill towards Field House Farm. The footpath actually goes between this farm and Greengables on your right after crossing the Shincliffe to Murton old line. Take care on leaving the line in case the two stepping stones are slippy. You then cross over Robin Lane to reach the A690.

To visit Pittington Church, instead of taking the path detailed above to Moorsley Quarry, ignore the footpath down to Low Pittington and head quite steeply uphill to spot height 157 and follow the path down the left-hand side of the wood which is quite steep. Cross over the road at the bottom and down through a wood crossing Coalford Beck by a bridge (note the change from Burn to Beck!) and on reaching the track just up the hill ahead turn right down to Coalford Lane. This area has also seen massive restoration with a great deal of tree planting to create a rural outlook. After just a few yards to the right on Coalford Lane take the clear track down to Littletown Farm where the Coalford Beck is recrossed to arrive at Pittington Church. You will have noticed the plethora of place names relating to the coal industry but Pittington is not one of them, being a Saxon name meaning the Clan of the Pitts. It was originally called Pittingdune, the latter part of the name deriving from the old word for hill being dun. The church of St Lawrence is much praised by Pevsner who describes the north aisle as one of the most exciting places of architecture in County Durham. The church was started in 1070 (which actually makes it older than Durham Cathedral) and it is thought that many of the same stone masons were used in the construction of both places. The site of the church goes back to Saxon times with firstly a wooden church and then a stone one being on the site. This whole area was settled by Saxons as there was good grazing and good water from the many springs hereabouts. The name of Sherburn nearby is derived fron clear stream. The church has several treasures including a sundial on the south wall which is thought to have come down from Northumberland around the time of its construction and some paintings on the life of St Cuthbert. Regretably the church is kept locked and a visit has to be arranged in advance.

On reaching the Hallgarth Hotel turn right to High Pittington and just before the crossroads take the path on your left down through fields to Low Pittington, reaching the road near to the Blacksmith Arms where a further path takes you to Moorsley Road and the major railway path from Shincliffe mentioned and walked on earlier on the walk. This railway was commenced in 1836 from Sunderland to Ryhope and by 1837 had reached Sherburn. Soon after it got to Shincliffe which was Durham’s first railway station. The line was rope hauled until 1857 when locomotives were used and in 1893 a branch arrived at Durham at Elvet. The line was never used much and Elvet Station closed for general use in 1937 although it was used until 1953 for miners galas.

We now head north-east along the line before taking the path to West Rainton described earlier on the shorter walk. TAKE CARE CROSSING THE A690 AS THE TRAFFIC IS MOVING VERY FAST! After crossing the A690 take the byway opposite and pass the outstanding feature of West Rainton which is the church of St Mary. The settlement was founded by some monks who were followers of St Cuthbert. The current church was built in 1864 and the superb spire added in 1877 following a generous donation. Details of this can be read on the plaque which is engraved on stone from the Great Pyramid of Ghizeh in Egypt!

We now proceed down Marks Lane to the bend where we turn right into Rainton Meadow Reserve and follow the path back to the Visitor Centre and the start. Possibly the best way back is to ignore the first sign to the Visitor Centre, instead continuing ahead on a route marked to Joe’s Pond and take the next way back which climbs a hill past the meadows and gives a good overall view of much of the site and its lakes.