8.9 miles.

Explorer Map OL31, - North Pennines (Teesdale and Weardale)

A fine year-round walk which can be tailored to suit needs. The walk consists of two "loops", so that if a shorter walk is required then just one of the loops could be used.
The first half of the walk follows the River Tees upstream from Barnard Castle, then returns beside it but using field footpaths.
The second haslf of the walk heads downstream beside the River Tees to Egglestone Abbey, and returns via a delightful footpath beside the Thorsgill Beck. This particular footpath proved to be very muddy and slippery in parts after recent wet weather.
The only navigational difficulty proved to be in finding the footpath through the caravan park, but a bit of care should eliminate this problem.

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For a Memory Map overlay of the walk described, please select the above link.
(Overlay made with Version 5 of Memory Map)

Some new mapping software is now availabe which you may want to try, - QUO mapping. You can download the software for free from the link below, complete with demonstration maps. Having installed QUO, you can import and export Memory Map overlays. Thus YOU DON'T NEED Memory Map to use any of the overlays provided on the Grey Panthers website, - just use QUO!!

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Start from parking area by the Demesnes (NZ05049 16022), - at the bottom of Barnard Castle's main street there is a lane, Grey Lane, which leads to the Demesnes.
Walk along Bridgegate to the road bridge over the River Tees, then take the footpath up towards the castle.
Continue on the footpath beside the River Tees for the next two miles or so. Where the footpath appears to go up towards the old railway viaduct, ignore this deviation.
The footpath emerges from woodland into a field. About 200 yards along the field footpath there is a gate on the right wich takes you up to the return footpath. This footpath follows the field boundary above Tees Bank, descending eventually to rejoin the riverside footpath and returning to the road bridge over the River Tees.
Cross the road bridge, then turn left and follow the pavement until the riverside footpath is found on your left.
Follow the riverside footpath to the caravan park.
Shortly after entering the caravan park, turn right and head up the hill to the caravan park's main road entrance.
At the top of the hill, follow the field footpath until it meets the road near to Bow Bridge.
From here walk up the road to Egglestone Abbey.
After visiting the Abbey take the field footpath that goes to the right of the farm buildings. Head down into a dip and cross the footbridge.
Turn left and follow the footpath to the stile that takes you into Thorsgill Wood.
Head West along the footpath beside the Thorsgill Beck until you emerge at the road after about one mile.
Turn right, and after about 200 byards take the footpath up a track on the left.
Shortly, take the field footpath on the right to Wyse Hill Farm.
Where the footpath emerges at a minor road, turn right and follow the road downhill to Startforth.
From Startforth take the footpath down to the river, then cross by the footbridge which takes you to the old mill buildings (restored as apartments).
You are now back at the Demesnes.