The Sanctuary Way – Introduction
Filed under: Sanctuary WayThe idea for the Sanctuary Way came about in the 1970s when the Countryside Commission came up with a project called “The Urban Fringe”. The Countryside Commission has changed names several times and is now called Natural England but this is minimal when compared to the massive changes which have taken place along the route since I first completed it in the 1970s. The Countryside Commission scheme held my interest from its inception as I had long promoted the idea that a lot of wildlife and some good walks were available nearby in the Derwent Valley where I lived, even though at that time many of the paths away from habitation were not well marked. Little did I dream that seeing read kites would become commonplace thirty years hence!
The idea of walking a route from Whickham to Durham was hatched, like many good ideas, in a pub and we set about working out a route which avoided built-up areas and the current route indeed follows much of the original route. In order to have a fixed start and finished, I selected the door handles on Whickham Church and Durham Cathedral which gave the walk a name. It could well be called the Reclamation Way, so great has been the changes, all for the better, that we now see en route. These great improvements have come about from a variety of sources. Both Gateshead MBC and Durham County Council, which are responsible for the whole route, have carried our superb work in reclaiming derelict pit heaps and creating Nature Reserves, converting disused railways lines into walkways and other general improvements to footpath furniture and waymarking.
Along with this has been the planting of thousands of trees throughout the area. The main driving force here has been the Woodland Trust which all country lovers should support and whose sites are visited on other walks. In addition, the creation of The Great North Forest, which includes Woodland Trust sites has meant that as well as improvements to the route, the general views have also improved over the years.
There have been other changes too with the development of the Tanfield Railway, which highlights the industrial heritage of the area and even artistic ones with some of the sculptures to be seen on the walk. Further details of these can be found on several leaflets produced by Durham and Gateshead Councils in conjunction with Natural England and the Great North Forest, as well as the Durham Wildlife Trust on the “Bring Back Burdon Moor” leaflet. The Durham Wildlife Trust has developed other sites either close to or on the route. All of these will be mentioned in greater detail in the separate route descriptions for the four sections of the walk.
The complete walk can be done by hard walkers in a single day as it is about 23 miles, but for convenience I have divided the walk into four stages which involves circular walks of around 12 miles each. In effect either route can be considered as the Sanctuary Way as the return route of the circulars always has plenty of interest.
Ebchester to Consett (Co. Durham Border Walks)
Filed under: County Durham BorderApprox. Distance: 10 miles
Grade: Medium
Start: Ebchester Station Picnic Area off B6309 (GR NZ 107548)
Click to view start position on Google Maps
Map: Explorer 307 – Consett and Derwent Reservoir
This walk commences at the picnic site on the Derwent Walk at Ebchester. This was the site of Ebchester Station on what was originally the Derwent Valley railway line which opened in 1867. It closed under British Rail in 1962. Ebchester Station opened on the 2nd December 1867 on the same day as the line opened and closed on the 21st September 1953. The line reached its peak around 1914 when it carried half a million passengers annually, but improved roads eventually led to the loss of many of these customers. The line, in gaining height to reach Consett, meant that many stations were some distance from the villages in the valley. The Derwent Walk pub at the entrance to the picnic site was originally the Station Hotel.
The road bridge here carries the A691 which for much of its route follows the Roman road Dere Street which has been visited on other walks. There was a fort at Ebchester which was then known as Vindomora which meant ‘the edge of the black moor’ and the fort dates from the time of the first century in the time of Emperor Agricola.
This walk continues the theme of County Durham border walks and as stated before in this area the border is very simple, being the River Derwent. We leave by walking down the Derwent Walk for a short distance to follow field tracks to Ebchester village. Ebchester differs from the other nearby forts on Dere Street at Lanchester and Corbridge in that the modern settlement is built over the site of the fort, whereas at the others the settlement is separate from the Roman site. Consequently the remains of the fort can be found in gardens and as usual the stone was salvaged for use in buildings. A good case in point was the local church of St Ebba. The fort was actually built in two stages from AD69 to AD117 and then further work was done fron AD150 onwards.
After the demise of the Romans the area became dense forest rising from the River Derwent, which in this area was called the “Smiling Waters” and attracted hermits. In the time of Bishop Pudsey it was known as the place of the Anchorites (hermits).
The church of St Ebba is possibly pre 1066 but probably early Norman and was substantially restored in 1876. Like the church at Witton Gilbert (visited on the Sanctuary Way) there were lepers windows here, where lepers could participate in the service without contact with the congregation. Ebba was the daughter of Aethelfrith, the first king of Northumbria and was a nun. The organ in the church was made by the famous Durham company of Harrisons.
There is a famous ghost story relating to this church involving a Robert Johnson who, following a dispute with his son, stated “I hope my right arm will burn off before l give him sixpence”. They were reconciliated but at his funeral there was the smell of burning from the coffin which when opened revealed a burning arm. This happened in the early 18th Century and without being too sceptical l suspect practical jokers were at work here!
The area also had several mills including a fulling Mill and corn mill, hence Mill Lane.
We now proceed through the village and down to the river. The route of Dere Street was straight over the river at the bottom of the bank but we will now have a brief visit to the Ebchester Woods, owned by the National Trust. As you would expect on a River Derwent walk they contain Oak trees as well as other trees and quite good birdlife. The path through the woods takes you to the Shotley Bridge road and can be used for a short circular walk. However we now retrace our steps and cross the river by the old bridge which opened in 1862 and remained in use until it was replaced by the less attractive new bridge in 1973. It is now uphill initially on the old road and then on a verge before turning left into Newlands village at the Herb Garden, where as well as purchasing plants you can call in for snacks and coffee.
We leave Newlands by the waymarked track in front of the cottages and almost immediately pass over an attractive waterfall over the Small Burn. In the past the next section was always good for red squirrels, sadly no more to be seen here although there is a good chance of seeing grey squirrels here. The path is straightforward, passing Panshield and along the riverbank to Shotley Bridge.
Shotley was originally Scotley – the woodland clearing of the Scotsman. Shotley Bridge was well known as the home of the Shotley swordmakers although the only trace of this as far as l know is the name of the old coaching inn, “Crown and Crossed Swords”. In 1691 the area was colonised by Lutheran swordmakers from Solingen in Germany who were escaping religious persecution. They were attracted by the rich iron deposits and the fast flowing river which was ideal for tempering steel. Their names still live on and the last one Joseph Oley is buried in the churchyard at Ebchester passed earlier. Another Oley was in a challenge once as to who produced the best swords and turned up to face his two rivals without a sword on his person. Eventually after taunts he took off his stiff hat to reveal a sword wrapped within it and challenged the others to remove it. They were unable to do so without badly cutting their fingers and a vice was therefore needed to remove the sword. He won the challenge! Regretably the last of the swordmakers houses were demolished in 1959.
1837 saw the development of Shotley Spa which in its heyday attracted 60,000 visitors including Charles Dickens but the fashion changed although the signboard etc was still around in recent times. The site is now a new housing site. At the same time there was a zoo here and a wolf escaped which was eventually shot at Cumwhinton near Carlisle, but not before it had devoured about twenty sheep.
Shotley Bridge had many mills and the most famous was the paper mill which produced the paper for all of the government documents around 1900. As has been seen on other walks the River Derwent with its clean water served several other papermills at Lintzford and Swalwell.
We follow the road towards Benfieldside and take the track onto the river bank to where the paper mill was situated. The remains can clearly be seen and old photographs exist of it from the 18th and early 19th Century which are available on several websites as well as the local library. It is a steady climb up to Howden wood to emerge at Pemberton Road and even steeper up the steps to the site of the Consett Iron and Steel Works.
Indirectly the swordmakers led to its development when in 1837 they were opened at Berry Edge. This is now a fine viewpoint over the Durham moors to the west and a super view up the Derwent Valley past Allensford. The works, as they were known, produced the steel for our nuclear submarine fleet as well as well as places such as Blackpool Tower and employed directly 6000 people as well as providing employment for a vast number of supply companies. When they closed in 1980 it was the biggest single day redundancy in the world. The red iron dust, which was ferric oxide, tainted every building in the area plus the sight of the massive railway engines pounding up through Beamish and Annfield Plain would be no more. Fortunately Consett has shown itself to be resilient as the large number of new houses can testify.
We now cut across the restored site to pick up the Derwent Walk to go through Blackhill and continue down the line. On our left is Shotley Bridge Hospital which did much early work on heart transplants. It is a nice gradual downhill stroll back to the start at Ebchester Station.
Park Head to Park House (Greencroft to Beamish via Pontop)
Filed under: OtherApprox. Distance: 12 miles
Grade: Medium
Start: Old Car park for Ransome and Marles in Greencroft (ask permission) or roadside verge along from entrance to Park House (GR NZ 162505)
Click to view start position on Google Maps
Map:Map: Explorer 307 – Consett and Derwent Reservoir
This walk is a fine walk to take after Christmas particularly if the weather is clear. It combines a fair distance, mostly on good paths and tracks, has wide ranging views over several valleys, a halfway lunchspot and a wealth of industrial historic interest from the recent past.
We start the walk on Tower Road in the old Ransome and Marles factory car park. This was a major development for a factory to manufacture ball bearings to alleviate the unemployment caused by the closure of the Consett Iron Works but regrettably it folded after a short time due to competition from abroad. Ask permission to use the large car park. Opposite is the track leading down to Park Head (the park in this case belonging to the demolished Greencroft Hall) which is used on the Northern Hills above Lanchester walk.
We head west for a very short distance and turn right towards Greencroft Village and at the junction with the A693 pick up the Sustrans C2C route footpath and cycleway which we take on our left to head slowly uphill towards Consett. On the hill opposite is Loud Hill and a reservoir. A recent study showed a considerable number of various bats resident round here. The path is in fact the trackbed of the old Consett to Tyne Dock railway which was primarily used to carry iron ore, from Tyne Dock (South Shields) to Consett and is now known as the Consett to Sunderland Railway Path. This is part of the well known C2C route from the Irish Sea near Whitehaven to either Tynemouth or Sunderland. The C2C route splits at Lydgetts Junction near The Grove to the south-west of Consett with the Tynemouth finish using the Derwent Walk, and the Sunderland finish using the line we are now walking on. We will pick up later at Stanley to walk back to the finish.
The railways around Consett are interesting. Iron ore was discovered in the Consett area in 1837 and an iron works called the Derwent Iron Company (later to become the Consett Iron Company) was established there Unfortunately this source of iron ore was exhausted by the 1850s and the ore was then brought in from the Cleveland Hills, where the other North East iron works were established for the next twenty years. From the 1870s the ore then came mainly from Sweden and Spain. It can be seen therefore that Consett was not really a good site to establish such an undertaking although it must be remembered that the other minerals necessary were coal and limestone and the latter remained locally available until the closure of Consett Works.
At its peak there were four railway routes which served Consett:
1. Stanhope and Tyne-Consett-South Shields opened in 1834. Much of this route is now used on the C2C where it is known as the Waskerley Way to Consett from Crawleyside Top.
2. Bishop Auckland -Tow Law – Consett opened in 1854. This route joined the Stanhope route at Burnhill Junction and had access to the Darlington to Stockton railway with links to Teesside.
3. Relly Mill (Broompark) – Lanchester – Consett opened in 1862 and was used for iron ore and coal from Langley Park to Consett. It is now now the Lanchester Valley walk.
4. Blaydon – Blackhill – Consett opened in 1867 and is now the Derwent Walk.
A link was put into the Stanhope and Tyne in 1893 which joined Annfield Plain to South Pelaw. This link avoided the rope inclines of the original route and then took over for the purpose of keeping Consett supplied with iron ore and other materials as well as transporting some steel out. There was also a fleet of long waggons for road haulage.
In 1939 the Bishop Auckland branch was closed after Tow Law and in the same year the Lanchester route lost its passenger services. In 1954 the Blaydon route closed for passengers and this was followed two years later by the cessation of passengers on the Annfield Plain route. Eventually in 1964 only Consett was open for goods traffic but indeed that is only part of the story.
The Consett to Tyne Dock line was the only line with access to Consett and was kept open to supply the steelworks. This was a dramatic line with a steep incline from South Pelaw all the way to Consett (which you will be walking on later) and powerful locomotives were required to haul the hoppers carrying the iron ore. These were a tremendous sight when hammering up the incline with the smokebox door open and the fireman working overtime to feed the engine! For many years this was done by a class called Q7 0-8-0 which had small driving wheels to carry heavy loads. Fortunately one has been preserved and can be sometimes seen in action on the North York Moors Railway. In 1954 British Rail built its largest class of ocomotives called 9F which were 2-10-0 and these are the ones most remembered, looking very much like European locomotives. Regrettably with the rush to diesel traction these were only in use for twelve years until they were replaced by Sulzer Diesels which could pull an additional waggon and these remained in use until 1974 when Consett works closed. Fortunately again a 9F was preserved, this being “Evening Star” which was the last steam locomotive built by British Rail. The premature scrapping of these fine engines was in all probability a mistake as they could have been employed elsewhere.
You can now appreciate the fine work by Durham County Council in acquiring all these lines and more which give us the finest collection of railway walks in the UK.
In just over half a mile and with fine views to our left we arrive at Bantling Lime Kilns, two of which have recently been restored under the Mineral Valleys Project which is partly funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund as well as Durham County Council. A new path and a seating area has been created which will link in with other paths on the Stoney Heap opencast site down the hill. Over the last few years the Mineral Valleys Project has been responsible for the work at Harehope Quarry near Frosterley, the Deerness Valley Information Centre at Butterknowle, creation of otter holts on the Wear and the improvements of footpaths and new walking guides in Weardale plus many more initiatives. The project terminated recently. It is only a short distance to Pontop Pike Lane but we will go a very short distance further to view the Old Transformers and King Cole by the artist David Kemp. This is one of the many sculptures which are found on this part of the C2C and my own personal favourite is the Beamish Short Horns made out of JCB type equipment at Beamish.
We now head uphill up Pontop Lane, over the A693 at East Castle and to just short of Pike Farm after the second bend. Here three paths leave the road at the same spot and we take the middle one which is the access road to the mast. At the entrance to the site we take the footpath on the right over the stile and up the side of the field and at the top cross the fence onto a path which takes you to a trig point.
Pontop Pike television mast was completed in May 1953 and was a special priority construction to allow the people of the North East to watch the Coronation in June. It transmitted on the 405 system until 1965 when it switched to UHF (625). The VHF was switched off in 1985 and Pontop will be the last transmitter in the country to complete the digital switchover on 25/10/2012.
The plantation here has seen a fair amount of logging and the paths are currently a little messy. The best way is to head downhill to the west to pick up the bowling greens at the edge where a clear track is reached which is taken to the right to go to Simpsons Hill in Dipton.
Dipton consisted of three settlements in the past which were Dipton, Collierley and Pontop and coal was mined here from very early days. Old maps indicate many old bell pits and drift mines and as time went by shafts were sunk. The Delight Colliery (l bet it was!) was sunk in 1854 and owned by the Bowes family and mined three seams; namely the Hutton, which was 6ft 6ins and a depth of 114 fathoms, the main Coal which was 3ft and a depth of 70 fathoms and the Busty which was 5ft and a depth of 64 fathoms. Coal was taken out of the area initially by horses and chauldrons similar to that seen at Causey Arch. The two routes, depending on the ownership, were the Bowes railway through Burnopfield which went past Marley Hill to Kibblesworth (and eventually Jarrow Staithes) and the Tanfield Line which goes through Causey to Sunniside, Lobley Hill, then onto Dunston Staithes.
Sunniside and District History Society have recently produced a fine book and DVD of the Tanfield Railway entitled “Like Carrying Coals to Newcastle” by Nick Neave and Colin Douglas which l cannot recommend highly enough. It can be purchased at Gateshead Libraries (who partly funded it), Durham and Chester le Street libraries and Lintzford Garden Centre for £9.99. Money well spent!
We continue over the road along the clear waggonway route with houses down on our left and at a point where the houses cease look for a track to the right which you take uphill to reach some further houses just short of the main road near to a sports field. Here you can continue to the road where you turn left towards Flint Hill or to miss the traffic you can work your way through the houses to emerge on a signed route at Flint Hill (GR164543). Immediately opposite is a path and cycle route to White le Head, which is taken and followed down to White le Head and then down an incline to Tanfield Lea. This was the White le Head balanced incline where descending waggons pulled the empties back up by a pulley system. This was one of three on the Tanfield Railway, the others being Bakers Bank at Sunniside and Lobley Hill to Dunston. The Bowes Line at Springwell on the Gateshead / Washington border still has one in working operation.
You continue over the road and pass houses on your right before reaching a large open space area. At the corner near to a wood ignore the footpath sign on your left and turn right along the edge of the open area to the road where you go left for a very short distance and follow the waymarked route on the other side along into Tanfield Lea Nature Reserve. After going through a wood you turn sharp left back on yourself before reaching some other factories.
Tanfield Lea Nature Reserve which is sandwiched between two Industrial Estates is 28 hectares in size and has breeding grey pheasants, water voles and pipistrelle bats. In winter siskin are sometimes seen as well as short eared owls. Our route brings us on to the Tanfield to Stanley road near to East Tanfield Station which is the terminus of the restored Tanfield Railway, and we proceed towards Stanley on the right for just over 100 yds before crossing the road and taking the clear path on the other side up a small incline. This footpath is part of the great North Forest Trail, a lengthy circular route starting at Marsden and passing near to Kibblesworth, Hedley Hall, Tanfield, Pelton, Bournmoor, Hetton-le Hole and Penshaw before crossing the Wear and ending to the north of Sunderland. We cross over the Causey Road A6075 and descend an ancient lane which has interesting flora in summer to the old Stanley Road and head uphill past Park House, named from the adjacent Beamish Park. At the top near to the Blue Bell we take the path to the left of the pub and head south to arrive at the Consett to Sunderland Railway Path. Look out for rare breeds at South Causey Hotel and Equestrian Centre on the other side to the Blue Bell.
The C2C is well surfaced here and we head back towards Consett noting the gradient. There are good views to the north and we continue on this route to just short of Annfield Plain where the path turns slightly left after passing Kyo Bogs Nature Reserve on your right. You then cross the road at Annfield Plain over the specially prepared crossing and almost immediately leave the line and walk in front of a terrace of houses. At the end this unsurfaced road turns left and passes some Aged Miners Homes before crossing over the Annfield Plain bypass via a pedestrian bridge. We continue on the path which turns right to pass some small factories and reach a road which is crossed. We now take the path to the left of the fishing lake and after 300 yds reach the minor road used earlier in the day to reach the C2C. Here we turn left to arrive back at the start.
Finchale to Bournmoor (Weardale Way)
Filed under: Weardale WayApprox. Distance: 12.5 miles or 11 miles if the east bank of River Wear is taken from Lumley Bridge to Hag Bridge.
Start: Roadside Verge above Cocken Wood between Leamside and Plawsworth (GR NZ 297473)
Click to view start position on Google Maps
Map : OS Explorer 308 – Durham and Sunderland
This section of the Weardale Way cannot be described as one of its better stretches as little is seen of the river close up. The reason for this is that there are no footpaths alongside the river partly due to its steep banks around Finchale and the Bow Burn, which is not seen on the route. In addition regular walkers will have observed the shortage of paths in the proximity of the large country estates around here such as Lumley Castle and Biddick Hall. Other notable locations near here are the lands around the former Ravensworth Castle and Gibside Estate before it was given tho the National Trust by Gateshead Council.
We take the road named Cocken Lane towards Great Lumley and head north to pass by Cocken White House Farm. Just after this are Charles Pit Cottages on the site of the former pit opened early in the 1800s. There were several smaller pits nearby but signs of these have disappeared. Where the road bears right we continue straight ahead towards Great Lumley, a former mining village (now mainly houses) where we turn left, leave the road and head due north on the waymarked route towards Lumley Riding. This is a gradual descent and just before the farm we turn left, cross the stile and for a short distance descend more steeply towards the river before heading north again. To the left across the river is the Durham County Cricket Ground (now hosting Test Matches and currently the home of the County Champions) to arrive at the B1284. We now cross Lumley Bridge leaving the Weardale Way for a while and engage in some river walking alongside the Wear through Chester le Street Park. Lumley Castle on the other bank was built in the 14th Century and Sir Ralph Lumley, the owner at that time, was prominent in the continuous battles with Scotland, fighting in the battle of Otterburn in 1388. However in 1400 he was executed for treason, so he had evidently backed the wrong horse on that occasion! The castle is now an excellent hotel.
We go under the A1M to get to Lambton Bridge and head east up the hill. Here we have joined the Great North Forest Trail and after a short distance cross the road and take the footpath past Virgin’s Well, cross the motorway by a bridge, and drop down to Lumley Park Burn where we rejoin the Weardale Way, which here shares the route with the Great North Forest Trail. The path is muddy up through Lumley Park Wood past Garden House and the back of the castle – a view not seen by many and best seen in winter when the trees do not obscure the view. Just short of The Manor House we cross over the burn to reach some houses at Castle Dene. We turn back left immediately down the road towards the burn and the Smiths Arms public house and pick up the Lumley Park Burn. This is followed upstream to the A1052 road at Bournmoor emerging from the dene at the Floaters Mill public house.
We again leave the Weardale Way (which we will return to later) and follow a path through some houses and past the school to the main Chester to Sunderland road. Opposite is Lambton Park which in the 1970s hosted the Lambton Lion Park and was for many years the home of the County Showground before it moved to its new site on reclaimed land next to Penshaw Monument. We now walk to Bowes House Farm and just after passsing this farm we pick up the Weardale Way. From here the Weardale Way on its way to the river mouth is a fine walk all the way to the sea with abundant river life and some interesting places. On this walk we head the other way back towards the source of thr Wear and walk on part of the old Leamside railway which we also met on the previous walk south from Finchale. We leave this after a short distance on the right, dropping down to cross the Lumley Park Burn for the last time and here leaving the Weardale Way but staying on the Great North Forest Trail. The land here on the site of the New Lambton Colliery has been well restored and is now well wooded as well as having open areas. On reaching the road we head left for about 100 yards and cross over to go on the bridleway to Morton House. The Great North Forest Trail continues ahead but here we turn east to go through Morton Wood (owned by the Woodland Trust) to arrive back at the Leamside line, where we go south to Black Boy Road after crossing the line. Turning left we stick on the Great North Forest Trail to enter the Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve owned by the Durham Wildlife Trust. They own many other such sites which we visit, notably Low Barns at Witton le Wear and Hedleyhope Fell near Tow Law. It is interesting to note that they have recently acquired a new site called Stanley Moss, near to Crook, which is a sphagnum moss habitat and has breeding meadow pipits, skylarks and lapwings. They plan to improve the only Right of Way on the site along the edge too.
Both Rainton Meadows and Low Barns are on reclaimed land (from former coal pits and gravel pits respectively) and illustrate what can be achieved and created from derelict land. After a look around the site and a call to the Visitor Centre and Cafe we exit from the south-west corner on to the locally known red track to come to Marks Lane (GR319477). Nearby at West Rainton the local walking group (West Rainton Green Group) have developed three walks called Clover Leaf Walks and have produced walk leaflets to cover the routes. We continue west along Marks Lane to Little House Farm near to the Three Horseshoes public house (recommended). West Stables Farm (which is passed) was where the pit ponies and horses were kept for the nearby Adventure Pit now remembered on Adventure Lane in the village of West Rainton. We now take a footpath over the field in front to reach the side of the motorway where we head south and climb the stairs of the embankment on to the Leamside to Plawsworth road which is followed west back to the start of this walk.
Tunstall Reservoir and Wolsingham Moor
Filed under: OtherApprox. Distance/Time: 10 miles
Start: Demesne Mill Picnic Area on the B6296 at Wolsingham (GG NZ 077373)
Click to view start position on Google Maps
Map: OS Explorer OL31 – North Pennines: Teesdale & Weardale
Some of this walk is taken from a leaflet produced by Wolsingham Wayfarers in conjunction with Durham County Council Parish Paths Partnership Scheme. and Natural England which was formerly the Countryside Commission. Wolsingham Wayfarers are an independent volunteer group dedicated to monitoring and where possible caring for and improving the designated footpaths of the area. There are more than 150 footpaths in Wolsingham and there is a map of all the definitive footpaths on the wall of the Town Hall in the Market Place opposite the Post Office.
The walk starts ay Demesne Mill picnic area and the word demense means the land of a medieval manor which was retained by the lord. Indeed remains of the old mill walls can be seen in the corner. The church of St Thomas of Canterbury to the south-west over the field is the only Roman Catholic church in Weardale, the area having strong Wesleyan chapel associations which are very evident throughout the dale.
We leave the site by Waskerley Beck (which flows out from our objective of Tunstall Reservoir) and cross a field at the end of which are the remains of of the old mill race which brought water more than 500 metres from a weir across the beck to power the mill and grinding stones. On the way there are a series of small waterfalls called the Sills. Continuing alongside the beck we now cross a bridge over Thornhope Beck called Jack Walker bridge. We now pick up a path heading north-west to the road to Tunstall. This is the Long Dyke which runs up the hill to arrive at Park Wall which is a ruined farmhouse. At this point we are crossing over a side valley of the Wear which was formerly a park belonging to the Bishop of Durham and indeed Fawnlees Hall (which we pass) and Bishop Oak on the roadside have foundations going back to that period. We continue past Middle Fawlees but ignore the track to High Fawlees to go through Park Wall Plantation and then turn right to Park Wall and over a stone stile. This wall is part of the old boundary of the Bishops Deer Park dating back to 1274. This old building was thatched similar to the building at Levy Pool on the Pennine Way north of Bowes over Deepdale Beck. You are now at an altitude of 300 metres (1000 feet) and your efforts are rewarded with fine views of the Reservoir to the north. A zig-zag path takes us past Jofless Cottage to Jofless Farm and passing the farm to the right hand side we take a footpath on the left and gradually descend on the path through Machine Gill Wood to arrive on the road near to the dam.
Tunstall Reservoir was built in 1879 by the Weardale and Shildon Water Company to serve the Durham Coalfield towns which were expanding rapidly at that time. The area is very attractive and there is a good blend of deciduous trees and conifers which give a constantly changing picture throughout the year. We follow the road north to the picnic site and just after it we can leave the road to take up the lakeside path which emerges back on the road at the head of the reservoir. The scenery here, from certain angles, can be very reminiscent of the Lake District. The feeder stream here goes through a Nature Reserve which is wetland and a good place to observe waders such as snipe whilst the main lake has geese (mainly Canada) and duck. From time to time rarities turn up here though.
In case of bad weather there is alternative route back to Wolsingham at this point, taking the path here down the side of the lake south through Backstone Bank Wood which is a fine oak wood and a SSSI. Further details on this route are given at the end. However, in good weather it is now time for the second climb of the day back to the 300 metre height to reach the old railway near to Salters Gate. This was on the route of a pack horse route for salt transportation. The railway line (now a fine walkway) ran from Crook and gradually climbed up to the Waskerley Line which it joined and hence reached Consett. This line was opened on 16/5/1845 by the Stockton to Darlington Railway and gained its height via the Sunniside Incline and Tow Law. It was built on behalf of the Derwent Iron Company and at the time there was no viaduct at Hownes Gill. In 1859 the situation changed when Hownes Gill was built and trains could go from Crook to Consett via Burnhill Junction just to the north of where you have joined the line. The line eventually closed to passengers in 1939 whilst the Waskerley line lasted until the 1950s.
The line is followed south-east to just short of Greenfield Cottage on the A68 and then a path is taken which heads off north-west before turning south-west on open moorland to eventually arrive at a disused quarry at GR088402. This is open access land but here we are on a Right of Way. Below you can be seen Redmires Farm which is passed before turning right to pick up the track which becomes surfaced to Castle Hills. Enjoying the views we reach the B6296 at Redgate Head and start the descent to Wolsingham leaving the road to continue past Redgate Hall and back into Wolsingham.
Bad Weather Alternative:
The lakeside route back through Backstone Wood passes Backstone Farm, where height is gained, goes south on a contour along the hill with super views of the valley to arrive at Baal Hill House. The origins of this name are varied – there is another Baal Hill to the south of Ragpath Wood, owned by the Woodland Trust, south of Esh and the name has been associated with pagan gods and the Middle East. However the pamphlet states that the name is derived from an ancient lead smelting technique of boling (boiling) which separated the lead from its impurities. Swallow holes or baals were dug on high sloping ground exposed to westerly winds and this enabled the charcoal to be burned at a higher temperature thereby making the operation more efficient. The process ceased in the 15th century but looking at the situation of both the Baal Houses this appears to be a more likely derivation. However Iain Brown in his excellent book “The North Pennines” (Summary House Publications) states that Baal Hill House was the home of the bailiff of the hunting park and the house has the remains of an advanced bastle design including a vaulted basement.