We must go down to the Tees again (Yorks/Durham) Sept 13th.
An extra walker, John Hall has returned after a summer's bowling and Paul had driven over from Grange over Sands to join us. Six of us are off to do a familiar walk from Middleton in Teesdale to Barnard Castle. A proper gadgie walk requiring a bus pass. We drove to Barnard Castle, lovely old market town on the north side of the river Tees and parked in an all day place at the bottom of the high street, (turn left at the beautiful old Butter Market built in 1747) Only £1.50 for a full day, a bargain.
Bargain all day car park in Barnard Castle. Thanks to the two of you who follow my car park shots, signed copies of the book will be yours.
The Butter Market in Barnard Castle.
We intended, after breakfast, to catch a bus from Barney, as the town is known to the locals, to Middleton in Teesdale. They run at five minutes before the hour from the high street numbers 94 or 96.
The whole of the walk is covered by OS Explorer OL 31 North Pennines and is fairly easy going as it follows close to the river which in parts is the boundary between Durham and Yorkshire.
There are two walks down the Tees, on the north bank in Durham the Teesdale Way and on the south side in Yorkshire the Tees Railway Path. We have chosen the former.
The day almost got off to a bad start, it is Friday the 13th, as I was driving to John Hall's house to be picked up. Not sure where he lived I used my Sat Nav. Either she got it wrong or I wasn't listening but I arrived twenty minutes late which meant we were twenty minutes late picking up Joh Hampton and twenty minutes late arriving in Barnard Castle. We though we had missed the 10.55 bus but it too was late, saving the day.
Once in Middleton in Teesdale we headed for a café, the Tees-Pot, great name, lovely staff dressed in some traditional costume that made them look like extras from A Handmaid's Tale but in black and white. As it was late everybody tucked in to bacon or sausage sandwiches, scones or teackes and tea or coffee.
About to leave the Tees Pot
Fed and watered we set off down towards the river. Just before the bridge we took the footpath on the left. It clings to the river, pleasantly flat to start with but as it crosses a number of small streams joining the Tees there are a series of steep up and down steps, the treads are compacted earth, the risers thick blocks of wood.
At one point the path leaves the river bank and crosses fields before returning to the Tees. (The path is well marked with the usual yellow markers or the special Teesdale way markers.)
The Tees
Out of focus. The bird is a dipper, not that we saw one.
One of the steep steps.
Near Ornells Farm the path leaves the river and crosses fields and a road towards Egglestone. About a quarter mile before the village the path turns downhill but we decided to stop for a Herbie at a conveniently placed picnic table and bench.
(Hobnobs, Titans, Lemon slices from Mr Kipling Caramel Wafers and lemon and chocolate cake from Mrs A.) "This is the only walk I know where I put weight on," as somebody said.
Close to the Herbie Spot. Hard to imagine there was once mining round here.
Lunch over we followed the signpost into the village of Eggleston. Walking downhill through the village, turning left at the road and then right at the next junction we were soon at Egglestone Bridge. On the north side of the bridge the footpath joins a road for a while before heading uphill again, more steps. We followed the path markers across several fields to Shipley Wood. There was no marker as we entered the wood but after a few hundred yards a stile, with marker, took us out of it and then downhill to the caravan park at Cotherstone.
At this point John h and I were beginning to suffer aching hips and/or knees and decided to end our walk. We headed across two footbridges into Cotherstone and after a wait of about ten minutes caught bus back to Barnard Castle.
Cotherstone, the pub was closed.
The other four continued on the Teesdale Way back to Barnard Castle, a further three miles on the river bank.
John and I were, not surprisingly, first into the Golden Lion on the main street. We were joined just over an hour later by the others. The pub had Hobgoblin. Sneklifter and Lancaster Bomber on offer, between us we sampled the lot.
Contains OS data, copyright. Crown copyright and data base right 2019>
John and I walked just over 8 miles, the others completed a walk of 11.75 miles.
For John and I the total walking time, excluding Herbie time was 3 hors, 25 minutes.
Gallery
Middleton in Teesdale
Easy start
Strengthening the bank
The Tees
View over Teesdale
Eggleston war memorial
Egglestone
The Tees again
An extra walker, John Hall has returned after a summer's bowling and Paul had driven over from Grange over Sands to join us. Six of us are off to do a familiar walk from Middleton in Teesdale to Barnard Castle. A proper gadgie walk requiring a bus pass. We drove to Barnard Castle, lovely old market town on the north side of the river Tees and parked in an all day place at the bottom of the high street, (turn left at the beautiful old Butter Market built in 1747) Only £1.50 for a full day, a bargain.
We intended, after breakfast, to catch a bus from Barney, as the town is known to the locals, to Middleton in Teesdale. They run at five minutes before the hour from the high street numbers 94 or 96.
The whole of the walk is covered by OS Explorer OL 31 North Pennines and is fairly easy going as it follows close to the river which in parts is the boundary between Durham and Yorkshire.
There are two walks down the Tees, on the north bank in Durham the Teesdale Way and on the south side in Yorkshire the Tees Railway Path. We have chosen the former.
The day almost got off to a bad start, it is Friday the 13th, as I was driving to John Hall's house to be picked up. Not sure where he lived I used my Sat Nav. Either she got it wrong or I wasn't listening but I arrived twenty minutes late which meant we were twenty minutes late picking up Joh Hampton and twenty minutes late arriving in Barnard Castle. We though we had missed the 10.55 bus but it too was late, saving the day.
Once in Middleton in Teesdale we headed for a café, the Tees-Pot, great name, lovely staff dressed in some traditional costume that made them look like extras from A Handmaid's Tale but in black and white. As it was late everybody tucked in to bacon or sausage sandwiches, scones or teackes and tea or coffee.
Fed and watered we set off down towards the river. Just before the bridge we took the footpath on the left. It clings to the river, pleasantly flat to start with but as it crosses a number of small streams joining the Tees there are a series of steep up and down steps, the treads are compacted earth, the risers thick blocks of wood.
At one point the path leaves the river bank and crosses fields before returning to the Tees. (The path is well marked with the usual yellow markers or the special Teesdale way markers.)
Near Ornells Farm the path leaves the river and crosses fields and a road towards Egglestone. About a quarter mile before the village the path turns downhill but we decided to stop for a Herbie at a conveniently placed picnic table and bench.
(Hobnobs, Titans, Lemon slices from Mr Kipling Caramel Wafers and lemon and chocolate cake from Mrs A.) "This is the only walk I know where I put weight on," as somebody said.
Lunch over we followed the signpost into the village of Eggleston. Walking downhill through the village, turning left at the road and then right at the next junction we were soon at Egglestone Bridge. On the north side of the bridge the footpath joins a road for a while before heading uphill again, more steps. We followed the path markers across several fields to Shipley Wood. There was no marker as we entered the wood but after a few hundred yards a stile, with marker, took us out of it and then downhill to the caravan park at Cotherstone.
At this point John h and I were beginning to suffer aching hips and/or knees and decided to end our walk. We headed across two footbridges into Cotherstone and after a wait of about ten minutes caught bus back to Barnard Castle.
Cotherstone, the pub was closed.
The other four continued on the Teesdale Way back to Barnard Castle, a further three miles on the river bank.
John and I were, not surprisingly, first into the Golden Lion on the main street. We were joined just over an hour later by the others. The pub had Hobgoblin. Sneklifter and Lancaster Bomber on offer, between us we sampled the lot.
Contains OS data, copyright. Crown copyright and data base right 2019>
John and I walked just over 8 miles, the others completed a walk of 11.75 miles.
For John and I the total walking time, excluding Herbie time was 3 hors, 25 minutes.
Gallery
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