WolsIngham in Weardale

Wolsingham in Weardale August 29th

We have not walked from Wolsingham for several years so it's  a welcome return . From Newcastle take the A69 west, near Corbridge take A68 south and at High Stoop take the B6296 to the village.

An old town with a 13th century church, the name may come from Waelsingas,a Germanic family.

Breakfast at Number 10, Cosy little café.

.As you enter the town there is a car park on the right that charges, but we carried on over the river to the station where parking is free. The station is is on the Weardale Heritage line. Trains do not run every day and the season is from May to October..

The walk is covered by OS OL 31 North Pennines and OS Explorer 305 Bishop Auckland.

                 Station car park and friendly dog.

Once ready we left the station and headed back towards the bridge. We didn't cross it but turned left and climbed the first short hill of the day and the first marker of the day that sent us across sloping fields fields  to High Wiserly and onwards, contouring past Wigside and Crowsfield to a heathery patch.

At this point we took a short diversion to admire the trig point on Knitsley Fell.

              Admiring the trig point. (Old fashioned mapping point)

Back on the track we entered Black Bank Plantation and joined the Weardale Way, a well marked walking trail. We followed the trai through the timber, left it and at the corner of Bracken Hill Plantation and at a distance of almost four miles we called a Herbie, sitting near a dilapidated, circular brick construction. No purpose was evident.

          Cake with berrie (two varieties, apple pies, flapjacks and sweet and savoury from Mrs A0

                           The lone diner, probably on his phone.

After lunch we headed downhill across fields to a footbridge across the River Wear.

                        The Wear, the Wear, the Wear and the railway.

WE passed close to a noisy gravel pit and walked up to the farm at Low Harperley. From the farm we took the metalled road, crossed the A689 and found the footpath crossing fields (uphill) to the village of Thornley.

St Bartholemews Church, Thornley. Mid 19th century. 

Leaving the village we followed hthe road, which became a track heading west. At Heartwell  Plantation the footpath heading down to Wolsingham is a bit difficult to spot and the footpath through the wood is a bit difficult to follow, foot grasping brambles, steep sections too but eventually we made it. Footpaths through housing estates took us to the town centre and soon we were back at the station.

On the way home we called in at the Fox and Hounds for a well earned TTL or Guinness.

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The walk is about 11 miles with some steady climbs. Great views over Weardale. And there are a lot of stiles in different styles.

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