Gainford to Headlam
Filed under: Pack Horse BridgesApprox. Distance: 11 miles
Start: Lord Nelson Pub, Gainford (GR NY 173168)
Click to view start position on Google Maps
Map: OS Explorer 304 – Darlington and Richmond
This walk commences at Gainford which we will see later in greater detail as we walk throught the village.
We leave the village to the east up Eden Lane and pass through Fields House to Cock Lane. A short distance to the east we take the track to Dyance farm which is the meeting place for five parishes detailed on the Gainford Parish Walks leaflet produced by the Parish Council under the Parish Paths Project along with Durham County Council. We now head North-West over an indistinct path and after crossing Headlam Beck we arrive at Headlam village, passing through the land of Headlam Hall. Pevsner describes this as a perfect example of a medium sized manor house of stone, which is Jacobean on one side and early 18th Century on two others. In the 16th Century the Headlam estate came into the possession of Thomas Birkbeck. His second son married Anne Brackenbury of nearby Selaby Hall (which will be passed later in the walk) and they were responsible for the construction of Headlam Hall in the early 17th Century. The main hall still contains a carved wooden fireplace with the Birkbeck coat of arms. The property then passed through several hands with a servants quarter being built in 1912 when the property was acquired by Lord & Lady Darlington (J A Pease MP) who lived there until the early 1940s. The property is now owned by the Robinson family who operate the hall as an upmarket country hotel.
We now proceed across the green in this attractive village to the pack horse bridge which is, as you would expect, a DOE listed bridge which is semi circular in shape. There is a length of stone-built causeway on either side. The span is 9 feet and the 12 inch parapets appear to have been added later. Pevsner dates the bridge as 17th Century or 18th Century but little else is known about the bridge or the route which it served, but it was probably on a North to South route which crossed the Tees by the ford at Gainford.
We leave the village by the North-West crossing three fields to arrive at a minor road which is crossed almost immediately to pick up a good track which, at the junction of paths, heads North to Ingleton village, visible to the North. Note the excellent old hedges hereabouts. We head West out of Ingleton to the edge of the village and, just after the road junction, we take a path to the South past a wind tower to Low Hulam. In just over half a mile we come to the hamlet of Langton. We now head West on the only footpath through a gate and along a good path to Langton Bank Wood, which we pass through to eventually emerge on to the Raby Estate. We take the hard road South here to Selaby Lane which is followed West to the ford over Langley Beck. Those of you who have done the West of Staindrop walk will have met this beck before much nearer its source. We now head South-East, on the left hand side of the beck through Selaby Park, with views of the hall to arrive at the A67 main road.
Crossing this road we go towards Gainford for a short distance and head down the footpath to Gainford Spa on the riverside. This well was discovered by miners digging for coal and led to the development of Gainford as a much bigger village. After sampling the water we stay on the riverside path which eventually comes back to the A67. The arrival of the railway in 1856 brought more visitors to the fashionable spa and houses were built to accommodate them but Gainford had a history long before that. The ford here was used by the Brigantes on the way to their fort at Stanwick to the South and there was also a ferry here until the 1950s. The site of this is behind the fine 13th Century church of St Mary built from stones salvaged from Piercebridge Roman Fort. Entering Gainford we pass Gainford Hall built in 1603. In the 19th Century this house was in ruins but happily was restored to the fine building that you see now. Note the big circular dovecote and the Tuscan column. This was originally at Stanwick Hall and was built as a memorial to the Peace of Aachen of 1748.
We now pass High Row to arrive at the superb village green which is enhanced by the fact that the village is now bypassed. A particularly interesting building is the bow-fronted Gainford Academy, founded by the minister Wm Bowman in 1818. Its most famous pupil was Arthur Stanley Jefferson who achieved fame as Stan Laurel. Wm Bowman was also instrumental in the building of a gasworks on the riverbank which lit the village until 1950. The vicar’s son here became the British Consul to San Marino, earning the title of Baron Montalbo and the name can be seen on the village hall donated to the village by his sister.
Tarn Rigg and Grisedale
Filed under: OtherApprox. Distance: 10 miles
Start: Garsdale Station (GR 789918)
Map: OL19: Howgill Fells and Upper Eden Valley
“Tarn Rigg, where’s that?” was the question when we met for a walk last week.
“It’s near Grizedale”.
“Oh we are going to the Lakes!”
“No we will be in the Pennines and the weather forecast is good. We are going up Baugh Fell East.”
“Where’s that?”
“It’s above Garsdale.”
“Why are we going there?”
“Because its one of the English 2000ft hills that l have not climbed.
“Good reason, lets get going!”
This chat illustrates how little is known about this top, in a quiet area which is Pennine rather than Dales. Wainwright in his “Walks in the Howgill Fells” visits Tarn Rigg as it is listed in the Buxton and Lewis list of hills above 2000ft in England and Wales, but in his book (Walk 29) he calls it Baugh Fell East. His walk starting in Grisedale is only 6.5 miles so we opted to start at Garsdale Station to bring the walk up to 10 miles. What a happy choice. The station is an absolute gem on the Carlisle to Settle line. Opened in 1876 it was closed in 1970 and reopened in 1986. For the railway anoraks it is the only station on the line that does not follow the Derby (Midland Railway) pattern of two gables facing the platform and another facing away. The Settle to Carlisle was built when the Midland Railway failed to get access to Scotland on the existing LNWR route over Shap and decided to build on a new route. This ended up as the most expensive railway in the country due to the difficult terrain but left us all with a magnificent legacy of Victorian engineering with many superb viaducts and a route which is arguably the most scenic in England.
Near to the station were the highest water troughs in the world and the turntable at the station was surrounded by sleepers to prevent it going out of control in the high winds which could sweep up Garsdale. Also at the station are sixteen terraced cottages from 1876 when the line was opened and a further six are just up the line near the Moorcock Inn. Perhaps the nicest thing about the station is the full size statue of Ruswarp, a border collie dog. It belonged to Graham Nuttall who was a founding member of the Save the Carlisle to Settle when it was threatened with closure in the late 1980s. Sadly Graham disappeared on 20th January 1990 when walking in the Welsh mountains and his body was not discovered until 7th April 1990. Throughout that winter his dog had stood guard over his body. An English story to match Greyfriars Bobby! Until 1959 the station served as a junction with the old LNER branch to Hawes and was known as Hawes Junction and it is hoped to reopen this line to Garsdale. Currently it terminates at Redmire in Wensleydale but after the building from scratch of the A1 Tornado who knows?
You descend the station access road down to the main road (A684) and cross over the stile opposite waymarked Flust to climb up over rough pasture on a path. After going across two walls via footpath gates you see the farmhouse of Blakeys Mire and the hidden valley of Grisedale. Those of a certain age (my own!) will no doubt recall a famous TV documentary of 1975 and a subsequent book entitled “The Dale That Died” which told the story of the last farm in the valley. The others had all been abandoned and the grazing was deteriorating badly. Mention is made of this by Wainwright as well as by Mike Harding in one of my favourite books “Walking The Dales”. Happily there has been a revival with the land being leased out to nearby farmers and some of the houses being renovated sometimes as second homes. The process is still continuing today although from my observations there is only one working farm in the valley.
The road is joined at Moor Rigg where the lady of the house does not take kindly to Wainwright’s suggestion of parking near there. He was correct however as it is on the public highway, so be warned. Here you can continue on a footpath to the derelict Round Ings past Reachy (which is lived in) or continue on the road to East House, and just past the end of the garden take the old Farm road to Fea Fow. A lovely feature here are the large number of ponies which are obviously bred at East House. The footpath continues up the valley in limestone terrain with numerous shake holes and some wet parts up to the watershed – a distance of about one mile from Fea Fow. In the mist we missed the cave although we did see it later looking down when the mist cleared.
The footpath ahead decends down Rawthey Gill to eventually join the Sedbergh to Kirkby Stephen road which makes for a fine moorland walk and avoids anything strenuous but not for today. We take a 90 degree turn up the side of Grisedale Gill for a climb of about 800ft to the plateau which is when you find out why the hill is so named. There are two fair sized tarns and other smaller ones, the first one of which was very atmospheric with its tall narrow cairn. Head south over some sludge to the summit wall where the highest point is Tarn Rigg. To the west is Knoutberry Hill or Baugh Fell West (Wainwright Walk 30).
The best descent is via Grisedale Pike with its many cairns on the 2000ft contour and continue in the same direction to make for the plantation where a red sqirrel might be seen. Mike Harding thinks that these cairns on Grisedale Pike could go back to Celtic times. This wood is not shown in Wainwright’s book. In mist you can descend by the wall all the way to the Grisedale road using the broken down wall in places to walk on but watch your ankles. Whichever way you choose you will come to the Grisedale road which is followed south to the old road. Here turn east to Clouch Cottage and then there is a climb to end the day up to the station. Hopefully this will give you a thirst as the Moorcock Inn is well worth a visit!
Finchale to Shincliffe (Weardale Way)
Filed under: Weardale WayApprox. Distance: 13 miles
Start: Roadside verge above Cocken Wood between Leamside and Plawsworth (GR 789918)
Click to view start position on Google Maps
Map : OS Explorer 308 – Durham and Sunderland
This walk is a good illustration that you do not always have to go off miles into the countryside to enjoy a walk. The route passes through Durham City but also has fine countryside, many historic buildings and structures as well as more recent industrial history dating back to the early days of railways.
We start by descending the many stairs to cross the River Wear by the footbride over to Finchale Abbey. This has an interesting history being founded by St Godric who earlier in his life had been a gatekeeper at Kepier Hospital and before that a seaman. He was born circa 1085 and reputedly lived to be 105. On leaving the sea he settled for a life of solitude at Wolsingham where he had a vision that St Cuthbert would find a hermitage for him north of Durham. Bishop Flambard in 1110 gave him leave to settle at Finchale where he built a wooden chapel dedicated to St Mary. He received so many pilgrims that the chapel was replaced by a stone one now dedicated to St John the Baptist and here he lived until his death in 1170. He was buried in his own chapel and this was the foundation of the Abbey which is worth an extended visit.
We proceed up the road for about one mile to arrive at Frankland Prison opened in 1980 with four wings. This was extended in 1998 with an additional two wings and in 2004 a specialist section was also added. It houses prisoners deemed as dangerous and on long sentences. Fortunately this is soon passed to arrive at Brasside, and on reaching the old railway track take time to go a short distance to the left to have a look at Brasside pond. This is a fine spot for bird watching and has several breeding species.
The railway linked the Leamside line (which we will see a lot more of later) with the main Newcastle to London line. In fact the Leamside was the original route north before the new route was taken at great expense over Sunderland Bridge viaduct and then through a major cutting and over Durham city viaduct (built in 1857) to arrive at Durham Station. If you wander off down the old line at Brasside you will come to the disused and closed Belmont viaduct. This is another superb structure which is to be brought back to life as a foot and bridleway bridge following their award of £500,000 in 2007 from the Heritage Lottery Fund. This whole area from Finchale has been designated as a recreation area called the Necklace Park and is part of a major plan to be developed by Durham over the next twenty years.
The route is clearly marked heading south past Frankland Farm to pass the sewage works and then Crook Hall which is a Grade 1 Listed building. This goes back to the 13th Century and over the last ten years the gardens and the buildings have been sympathetically restored. It is open to the public and enjoys lovely views of the cathedral.
We continue on the left bank of the Wear past the weir and under the bridge to follow the river upstream. This side enjoys super views of the mighty Durham Cathedral and Castle to arrive at Prebends Bridge, designed by George Nicholson the architect to the Dean and Chapter of the cathedral. It was built between 1772 and 1777 and replaced the earlier wooden bridge of 1574 which was washed away, along with many others in the region, in the great flood of 1771. The bridge was restored in 1956 and enjoys what is probably the most photographed scene in the city. Recent news has just came out of the significant finds in the river below of a vast fortune in old Cathedral treasures but how they got there is still a mystery!
We cross the river and continue on the Weardale Way upstream to arrive at Old Elvet Bridge. This has a significant history. The bridge was built in the time of Bishop Pudsey and had chapels at either end as well as shops and houses. These disappeared when the bridge was widened in 1805. We now continue upriver past the boathouse and eventually come into more open country opposite sports fields.
On a walk of this nature it is impossible to take the time to visit the extroadinary high number of historic buildings and streets in Durham. There are many guide books etc but for architectural interest “The Buildings of England – Durham” by Nikolaus Pevsner is a must and enhances any visit to this superb city.
The next section passes the rowing clubs and regularly has interesting birdlife before you arrive at the remains of an old railway viaduct which carried the Elvet branch of the LNER (more on this later). Just off route to the left is Old Durham Farm and its fine walled garden and collection of apple trees. However we keep near to the river bank crossing Old Durham Beck by the footbridge and continue along the river to Shincliffe Bridge, which dates back to 1826. Here we leave the Weardale Way and turn along the B1198 (known as Mill Lane) for a very short distance before turning into the wood on the right on a clear track. For the thirsty Shincliffe has two good pubs, one back over the brige and the other at the top of the village towards the south. Shincliffe will be described more fully on the next stage of the Weardale Way to Sunderland Bridge. The path almost immediately turns left on a very clear path through Shincliffe Park. The reason for this is that you are on a historic old railway as this was the original railway to Durham, originally opened as far back as 1836 from Sunderland to Pittington. It was extended to Sherburn House in 1837 and the terminus at Shincliffe in 1839. From there passengers either walked or took a coach to the city. In its early days it was rope handled and used to transport coal to Sunderland from the collieries en route as well as Houghall Colliery. In 1893 the Elvet branch which left this line at Sherburn House was opened and the Shincliffe branch closed. The path takes you back to the B1198 where we turn left for a short distance back towards Shincliffe to Mill House, where we head north for a few yards to pick up a poor path to the right past scrubland. Ahead is the A1M where we go through a small tunnel to get to the other side. We emerge into woodland alongside a beck and come to a very old bridge which is Sherburn Medieval Bridge. This was first mentioned in the 12th Century and was definitely present in 1335. It was repaired in 1615 and actually carried the main road until the 1930s. When the road was realigned the area reverted back to woodland and the bridge was virtually forgotten. It was restored by Durham County Council amidst much publicity about fifteen years ago.
This is not the only antiquity here as after crossing the road there is a range of buildings over the other side of the beck which were originally Sherburn Hospital. Just up the road from here was Sherburn House station where the track went to Elvet. Elvet Station closed to regular traffic in 1931, which was a short life for a station, although it remained in use on one day a year until 1953 when it finally closed. That day was the Durham Miners Gala Day when thousands descended on the city. The site is now occupied by Durham Magistrates Court. There is a website called Disused Stations which can be Googled by those wanting further information on all stations nationally.
However back to Sherburn Hospital founded in 1181 by Bishop Pudsey for five convents of lepers. It was known as a lazar hospital. Each convent was 13 inmates and this number is almost certainly linked to Jesus and his twelve disciples. The total of 65 lepers made it one of the biggest in the country. Leprosy had been brought back to the country by the Crusaders and the life here was good for the times, although they were segregated from the general population including the church visits. They were well fed and watered with a gallon of ale each day as well as either meat or fish, and bread every day. As leprosy died out in the 1400s the building’s use changed to poor people as an almshouse and this continued for many years. The hospital was taken over by the Charity Commissioners in 1857. It is now a home for the elderly. All that remains of the original is the south wall of the chapel, although the gatehouse is also medieval.
We follow the beck upstream and head north-east, after crossing the footbridge, towards the embankment of the Leamside railway mentioned earlier to come to the B1283 at Sherburn which means ‘clear stream’. This was caused by the filtration properties of the limestome in the area. Sherburn was the scene of a sensational murder many yeras ago when two policeman, who had generally been on good terms were involved in a disagreement which resulted in one named Cruickshank being shot by another called Paton. Cruickshank is buried in the cemetery in a well marked grave whilst Paton’s grave is unmarked.
The route is not clear through the houses and buildings and it is necessary to keep close to the railway, where a clear path along the line is followed to Pittington Beck which is where the old Sunderland to Pittington line went under the Leamside line near to Brookside House, an atmospheric spot. The old track is followed across several fields in a north-east direction to come to Low Pittington, near the Blacksmiths Arms. At the crossroads we head west to the left and at the next junction a few yards further we see the waymarked path a little to the right. This takes us over Ramside Hall Golf Club opened in 1996 passing what was Rifts Farm to come to the A690. Great care is required here to cross the road, as most cars are travelling at 70mph!
Ramside Hall was originally an Elizabethan style house built by the Pemberton family and was listed in 1967. At that time it was bought by a consortium to develop into a hotel which has been a great success and seen numerous improvements and additions.
Having safely negotiated the A690 we return to the trackbed of the Leamside line and follow this past Moor House. This is the largest Scout campsite in the country and is a Scout Activity Centre winning many awards. We pass under the line towrds Mallygill Wood owned by the Woodland Trust. This wood shows traces of early coal mining where the coal outcropped on the steep banks leading down to the
River Wear. Passing Woodside Farm on your left you come to Leamside where you go straight ahead (north) before taking the first left over the A1M. Shortly after passing Cocken Lodge along this road you come back to the start of the walk.
The Sheepfolds Project
Filed under: OtherIn the Daddry Shield walk I mentioned the Sheepfolds Project, here is further information.
The restored sheepfolds were the work of Andy Goldsworthy and more information can be found on www.sheepfoldscumbria.co.uk.
For those who do not have computer access they can be seen as follows
Melmerby Washfold, near Penrith (GR NY 613373)
Hesket Newmarket, near Calbeck – Potts Gill Fold (GR NY 318375)
Mungrisedale – Redmire Farm Fold (GR NY 372296)
Mungrisedale – Field Boulder Fold (GR NY375294)
Brough, Deadman Gill – Touchstone Fold (GR NY 823188)
Bretherdale, near Tebay – Megans Fold (GR NY 595046)
Tilberthwaite, near Coniston – Touchstone Fold (GR NY 307010)
Underbarrow, near Kendal – Mountjoy Farm Folds (GR SD 460931 and SD 460932) – 2 folds
Barbondale, near Kirkby Lonsdale – Jacks Fold (GR SD 64782)
Casterton, near Kirkby Lonsdale – Fellfoot Drove Folds (GR SD 635811 to 636785) – 6 small folds
Cautley Spout, Howgills – Red Gill Washfold (GR SD 676971)
A Touchstone Fold contains a touchstone sculpture.
In addition there is a further six existing and complete pinfolds not requiring restoration. For these Andy erected cones, to reflect the Nine Standards on Nine Standards Rigg which overlooks the Eden Valley where they are situated. These are located at:
Bolton Pinfold near Appleby (GR NY 638232)
Brough Pinfold (GR NY 794143)
Crosby Ravensworth Pinfold (GR NY 621143)
Outhgill Pinfold (GR NY 784016)
Raisbeck Pinfold, near Orton (GR NY 647072)
Warcop Pinfold (GR NY 750154)
These would make an interesting walk linking them all up!
Daddry Shield to Cowshill
Filed under: OtherApprox. Distance: 12 miles
Start: Market Place, St Johns Chapel (GR NY886379)
Click to view start position on Google Maps
Map: North Pennines Teesdale & Weardale ~ Explorer OL 31
The basis for this attractive walk is to find another exploration of Upper Weardale without using the Weardale Way. That is not to say that the Weardale Way is not a fine walk, indeed the section from Westgate to Wearhead and the continuation of the old route to Cowshill is probably my favourite section. Weather permitting the route to be followed makes use of the excellent leaflets produced by Durham County Council under the Mineral Valleys Project. Arguably the best one is the one on St John’s Chapel which is where we start today’s walk. For those interested in further walks in this super area there are detailed walks in a book written by Dorothy Gibson entitled Upper Weardale Way produced by Walks of Discovery (ISBN 0-86309-194-6) which covers from Wolsingham to Killhope, which is where l believe the Weardale Way should terminate. This is well documented in Nick Channer’s book “Untrodden Ways” where Chapter 6 details the history of the Wear Valley Way, devised by Alan Earnshaw, and opened in 1979. Incidentally the other walks described at some length in this book are all good and as the title implies not overcrowded; such as the Two Moors Way covering Dartmoor and Exmoor (now changed into another Coast to Coast in Devon) and the Calderdale Way which can easily be covered in daily sections using the bus service in the Calder Valley.
For those wanting greater background and informative commentary on Weardale I suggest that you obtain both Iain Brown’s “The North Pennines, Landscape and Legend” and “England’s Last Wilderness” by David Bellamy and Brendan Quayle. Both are well illustrated and enhance your knowledge of the area.
Starting at the Market Place (what a good spot for a period film location!) we head towards the river on the minor road and at the bridge follow the Weardale Way downriver on the south bank to Daddry Shield which is a hamlet of terraced miners cottages. At the west end we take the bridleway in a South-West direction up the hill passing to the right of High Pinfold House. Pinfolds were for the safe keeping of stray sheep and in a modern form are still used today when sheep are brought down from the fells for dipping etc. Over the last few years many have been restored on a project over, I believe, the north of England. One such example can be seen on the green in Melmerby (midway between Alston and Penrith). The track we are now walking was one used to bring the sheep to in-bye. This land was active in the past for both lead mining and quarrying of limestone. Note also the shake holes where water dissolving the limestone has produced what appear to be craters.
After approx one mile we take a footpath West running parallel to the valley and passing over the top of the Harthope Burn (which is one of the few places where the native high forest has survived) to arrive at spot height 364. The path now swings downhill North West in a curve to High Notts before heading South West back up the hill towards Ireshopeburn Plains, arriving at a minor road through a plantation.
Turning right we walk for a short distance to where the road descends to the valley at a junction with a track to Ireshopeburn Plains farm. This track is followed towards the farm where we turn right (just short of the farm) to Greenwell and then down to The Hole which is a pleasant corner. This area was worked for iron ore until the 1930s and the the stone structure passed on the left on the way up to the farm was the support for an aerial ropeway which transported the iron ore to the valley bottom and the railway which existed at that time. Crossing the burn we ascend a broad lane to Ling Riggs where John Wesley stayed during his quite frequent and successful visits to the area. On the road down to Ireshopeburn he enrolled one of his best ministers. We now proceed South West up the road known as the Causeway, passing the bridleway before taking the footpath right towards Wham Farm. For those wanting an airy and lengthy walk, the Causeway can be followed over to Teesdale at a height of 2000ft at Coldberry End and arriving at the top of Harwood Dale. Today is easier though, continuing ahead past Middle Rigg and over the Burnhope Burn by the footbridge to arrive at the reservoir access road just after Blackcleugh. It is all downhill now to Cowshill passing the isolated cemetery and crossing Burtreeford bridge into Cowshill itself.
Just after the church we head north into a valley desecrated by the lead mining industry but in its own way a fascinating place to visit. This was the site of several mines, not least the Burtree Pastures Mine which was very large. Originally owned by the Blackett-Beaumonts in the heyday of lead mining, the site saw further activity in the 1970s when it reopened as a fluospar mine which was never a great success. Slightly further up the valley was the Sedling Mine worked between 1818 and 1878 by the Beaumont-Blacketts. After about half a mile we take the obvious track to the right, heading steeply up the side of the valley and after a long pull eventually arrive at the top near some disused shafts above West Blackdene Pasture. This track is on the site of the Sedling lead vein and the track is known as Sedling Rake. Heading East we walk along the good track (with fine views towards Burnhope Reservoir and the earlier part of the walk) for about one and a half miles to a plantation. This road was used to transport the lead ore to the smelter owned by the Beamont-Blacketts at Rookhope. We meet up with a road from Newhouse near to Middlehope Old Workings. We now turn down this for a short distance and just past the plantation take the bridleway to the left which descends to the road at Carr Brow Pastures. This is a nice easy section after previous exertions with fine views down into the Wear Valley. A short distance to the left along this road takes us to Fairhills where we can then reach Pondenlane Bridge which is crossed over into St John’s Chapel.
In the event of bad weather the alternative route utilising the Weardale Way can be taken to Cowshill.