Oh we do like to be beside the Teeside. (Durham) 

August: Friday 13th 

Holidays hit numbers again, there are four of us out for a gentle walk from Barnard Castle along the River Tees. The four are: Me, Dave, Harry and John H.

Barnard Castle is a small market town on the river Tees in County Durham. There are several ways of reaching it so no directions today.

The map to use is OS OL 31 North Pennines but it is a well poste walk and could be followed without the assistance of the Ordnance Survey.

At the bottom of the street, turn left by the old town market and turn left again into the long term car park. It costs £1.50 for four hours, but after 2 pm it is free, so arriving at 10.30 we got a bargain.

All day for £1.50! 

The walk:

 We left the car park, turned right and right again at the ancient octagonal market built in 1747 and walked up the busy main street. Barnard Castle is a fine old market town, very busy with a variety of stores, especially opticians, one of the towns specialities.

                 The old market, dating from 1747 and one of the many shops, quiet at the moment.

At the top of the street we turned  left, passing a chapel and the green in front of the ruined castle.

The castle; dates from 1125 and was connected to Bernard de Baliol. The family were connected to Baliol College Oxford. At one time the castle was the property of the Duke of Gloucester who became Richard III

From here we followed the Teesdale Way, crossing a footbridge and walking a stony path close to the river, generally fairly level but with short up and downs. Approaching East Holme the path climbs away from the river and crosses fields  until, after four miles it heads down again towards the Tees. We crossed the river by the footbridge, turned left, crossed the River Balder by the footbridge and settled own on a couple of benches for a Herbie.

                       The Tees from the footbridge

                                 Metal plate on the footbridge

                                                   And the footbridge!

                      Fine stone bench and Herbie Spot. We shared apple pies, Snickers and almond slices, admiring the view of the river as we ate.

Lunch over we walked to the village of Cotherstone, turned left to follow the long village street before turning right and walking past the village church. Cotherstone used to be in the North Riding of Yorkshire but after changes to boundaries in the 1970's found itself in County Durham.

                                     St Cuthbert's church, Cotherstone. Built in 1881.

Not far up the hill from the church we found the Tees Railway Path and headed back on the dismantled railway towards Barnard Castle.

At the corner of Spring Wood we left the Railway Path and crossed a field to join a seond dismantled railway. Strictly speaking this is not the official footpath but it is popular with walkers and mountain bikers.

We walked the overgrown path to Pecknell Wood. At the buttress of the old Barnard Castle Railway bridge the path goes downhill to join the Teesdale Way on the south bank of the river.

Once it carried a steel framed bridge over the river to Barnard Castle.

From here we walked the road to Deepdale aqueduct, crossed the bridge and headed back to town, changed and went home!

Contains OS data, copyright. Crown copyright and database right 2021

The walk is just over 8.5 miles, mostly easy going with a few short steep climbs away from the river bank.

                               Helpful gate for dogs!

                                          Fine ladder stile

                        Many Teesdale farms are whitewashed

                                            Teesdale way sign, slightly out of focus. It's a dipper

                        The path goes under the bridge. We cheated and climbed up to the railway, as others had obviously done