tees railway path - this is durham · tees railway path total length: 6 miles (9.7km) grid...

Tees Railway PathTotal length: 6 miles (9.7km)

Grid Reference for main access points:

Lontonwest: NY 951 245

Mickleton NY 968 233

Romaldkirk NY 992 220

Cotherstone east: NZ 011 192

Can also accessed from Middleton-in-Teesdaleand Public Rights of Way

Map: OS Explorer OL31

Directions: Approximately 30 miles southwest of Durham City centre

Middleton-in-Teesdale (on foot): take Bridge St (B6277) and follow thepublic footpath sign which is immediately to the south side of the bridgeover the River Tees. Follow the footpath along the river banks and thenthrough fields to Lonton. Nearest postcode DL12 0QB

Lonton one mile south of Middleton-in-Teesdale, on the B6277Middleton to Cotherstone road. The entrance is on the B6277 just afterthe junction with B6276, on the right, and on a very sharp bend so beaware of oncoming traffic. Nearest postcode DL12 0PL

Mickleton Approximately two miles southeast of Middleton-in-Teesdale,on the B6277 Middleton to Cotherstone road. At Mickleton village, takethe road on the right heading towards Hunderthwaite. The entrance is ¼mile, just before the sharp turn. It is signposted from the road. Nearestpostcode DL12 0JN

Romaldkirk Approximately four miles southeast of Middleton-in-Teesdale, on the B6277 Middleton to Cotherstone road. Park inRomaldkirk village. At the main crossroads, follow the small directionalsigns to either the north or south access points. The entrances aresignposted. Nearest postcode DL12 9DZ

Cotherstone Approximately six miles southeast of Middleton-in-Teesdale, on the B6277 Middleton to Cotherstone road. Park inCotherstone village. At the junction with the Hall, follow B6277 to accesssoutheast of the village, or follow the Bowes Road towards Low Lathburyto access southwest of the village. Nearest postcode DL12 9PH

What is special? The Tees Valley Railway was the remnant of a scheme fora line from Barnard Castle to Alston. It was opened in1868 by an independent company and was taken over bythe North East Railway in 1882. The line closed in 1964and is now a fabulous way to explore Teesdale on foot,cycle or horseback. There are amazing views along theentire route, passing picturesque villages and apatchwork of fields, dry-stone walls and maturehedgerow.

Along the verges wildflowers have colonised in profusion,the primroses and cowslips make the place lookwonderful at spring time. During early summer the air isheavy with the smell of May blossom.

Whilst every effort has been made by Durham County Council to ensure accuracy of information,the Council cannot accept any liability resulting from omissions or inaccuracies.

Contact the Countryside Servicetelephone: 0191 372 9100email: [email protected]/countryside

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© Crown Copyright and database right 2013 Ordnance Survey 100049055

Keep an eye out for skylark, weasel and stoat. Ponds containing frogs and toads occur in the wet ditchesalong the side of the track and at nearby Hayberries Nature Reserve which is between Romaldkirk andMickleton. These ponds also support marshland plants such as water forget-me-not and lady’s smock –a favourite food of the orange tip butterfly.

Tortoiseshell

About two miles down the valley, the church tower of Romaldkirk appears through thetrees. This pretty village hasn’t changed much since the 18th century - there are stocksstill standing on the green. It’s well worth taking time to appreciate Romaldkirk asthe Railway Path is diverted through the village. Please do not follow the routestraight ahead (it is incorrectly marked as a national trail on some OS maps) asthis is private land. Waymarkers direct you to the next section of the routewhich starts south of the village.

Hard Ings cutting is sheltered with well drained slopes that support a numberof orchids and butterflies. On a sunny day, it is a good spot to find tortoiseshell,ringlet and small blue butterflies.

Just before reaching Cotherstone, you will cross over the tall nine-arched Balder Viaductwhich spans a deep river valley. This village lies near the junction of the rivers Balder andTees. Its lush herb-rich pasture has long been responsible for producing tastyCotherstone cheese. When the Tees Valley Railway was in operation Cotherstone wasa popular holiday resort. It’s much quieter these days but definitely worth a visit.

You can continue, on public rights of way, to Lartington and the bustling markettown of Barnard Castle. Please remember, cyclists and horseriders can usebridleways but not public footpaths.

Accessibility Statement

This 6 mile linear route is relatively flat along its entire length.There are several slopes where bridges once stood but onlythose which are particularly steep have been marked on themap so you are advised to also look at the route profile.

The path width varies between 0.6m and 3.7m and is mainly a mixtureof grass and bare earth with some short sections of hard unsealed surface.

There are a number of gates along the route to prevent livestock from escaping,and the ground may be churned up and large stones exposed at these points.

Tees Railway Path

Photographs: M Rothery, S Priestley, T Coult, www.northeastwildlife.co.uk

Primrose

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Orange tipbutterfly

Weasel

Ringlet

Stoat

Cowslip

Parking:Car park at Mickleton (2 disabled parking bays).Bridge Street, Rose Terrace and Market Place inMiddleton-in-Teesdale. Park responsibly inRomaldkirk and Cotherstone villages.

Public transport:Numbers 95, 96 (Scarlet Band) serve the villages

Dogs:Allowed under control. Please clean up after your dog

Designation:Railway Path, Local Site, part of the North PenninesArea of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Suitable for:Walkers along entire route. Cyclists and horse-ridersbetween Lonton and Low Lathbury (at Cotherstone)and on bridleways east of Cotherstone. Horse-ridersare advised to dismount before crossing viaducts.Limited access for wheelchairs (see map)

Habitats:Woodland, part ancient woodland, grassland, scrub

Small blue

Tees Railway Path

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© Crown Copyright and database right 2013. Ordnance Survey 100049055

Map 1

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Map 2

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Map 3

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Map 4

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Map 5

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Lartington

ft

600miles: 1 2 3 4 5 6

Lonton Mickleton Romaldkirk Cotherstone LartingtonNZ 951 245 NZ 968234 NZ 992220 NY 011192 NY 021183

Cotherstone

Romaldkirk

Mickleton

Lonton

Map 6

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Map 7

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Tees Railway Path Map 1

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© Crown Copyright and database right 2013. Ordnance Survey 100049055 0 500mN

KEYSeat

Parking

Gate

Steps Up

Steep Slope Up1:10-1:1

Bus Stop

Direction of Travel

Hard Unsealed Surface

Grass

Road Crossing

start of Tees Way

X

Middleton-in-Teesdale

River Tees

3m

X1.1m wide

Lonton

to Rose Tce B6277

2m widex2

Mickleton

Rive

r Lun

e


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KEYPicnic Area

Seat

Parking

Disabled Parking

Gate

Medium Slope Up1:20-1:10

Medium Slope Down1:20-1:10


Bus Stop

Direction of Travel


Road Crossing

Information

X

20m

1.5m wide

X

x2

23m

1m wide

1m wide

x2

33m

25m25m

X19m

x2

Mickleton Station Picnic Area Ba

ll Hill Rd

Ball Hill Rd

1.5m wide

x2i

Tees Way

to Middleton-in-Teesdale

Tees Way

to Romaldkirk

to Mickleton

i

1.5m widex2

x3

Mickleton Station Picnic Area

Eggleston


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KEYSeat

Gate

Steps Up




Direction of Travel


Road/TarmacX

1.3m widex2

30m

x2

20m

x2

35m 20m

38m42 or

HayberriesNature Reserve

River Tees

X


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KEYPicnic Area

Seat

Gate

Steps Up




Steep Slope Down1:10-1:1

Bus Stop

Direction of Travel


Grass

Road Crossing

Footpath (walkers only)Some OS maps are incorrectly marked andshow a National Trail linking the twosections of RailwayPath. Follow diversionthrough the village.

X

1m widex2 River Tees

46m

X

X30m

13m

gap2m

5m

40m

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42 or 38m

Romaldkirk

1.3m wide

2m wide

80m

! No public accessFollow signs through village.

Road signedBaldersdale &HunderthwaiteReservoirs

X

X

Nofootpath!

!

50m

50m


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0 500mN

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X1.1m widex2

46m

30m

X30m

River Tees

River Balder

Hallgarth Hill


KEYSeat

Gate




Direction of Travel


Grass

Road CrossingX

1.1m widex2

50m


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0 500mN

KEYSeat

Gate

Steps Up




Bus Stop

Direction of Travel


Grass

Road Crossing

Stile

Footpath

Xzoomout

25m

x4

River Tees

Low Lathbury

Cotherstone

X

25m x438m

43m

bridleway

toRomaldkirk

toBarnard Castleon rights of way

38m

60m

Walkers only on this stretch!Cyclists and

horseriders shoulddetour through

village

to Lartington


gap0.3m

9 stepsNo publicaccess

x16

X

X

1.1m wide

1.1m wide

1.1m wide

1.1m wide

1.2m wide0.8m wide

x2

0 500mN

KEYSteps Up

Direction of Travel

Grass

Footpath

Bridleway

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Lartington

to Barnard Castlevia road, public footpath

or bridleway


to Cotherstonevia road, public footpath

or bridleway

River Tees

B6277

x5

Lartingtonbridelway


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tees railway path - this is durham · tees railway path total length: 6 miles (9.7km) grid...

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