The Grey Panthers

Explorer Map OL31, - North Pennines Teesdale and Weardale

This walk takes in the old quarrying remains in Frosterley. Although these relics of past industry are visited, much of the scenery is highly pastoral. A disused railway track through an old quarry, in particular, gives you an opportunity to see Nature at its best.
The walk takes you beside the Bollihope Burn for a goodly pat of the way.
Although there are a few gradients these are fairly gentle.
There are a couple of stiles, but these are well managed and should present little difficulty.

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 available 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 web site, - just use QUO!!

Park at the Western end of Frosterley's main street (NZ026 369). This only a small car park, so you may be unlucky at busy times.
Walk Westwards along the main street and a short distance along a road heads downhill towards Frosterley Station.
Cross the bridge over the River Wear, past the station, and continue to the Methodist Chapel on your left.
Just past the chapel is a footpath heading East.
Where another footpath leaves this footpath and heads uphill in a Southerly direction, take this footpath.
At the top of the hill (looking down into a disused quarry) pass through a gate and then turn right.
Keeping the fence on your right, continue until you come to a field gate.
Now take the path and track towards the road at Low Bishopley Farm.
Turn left on the road and walk down the hill to the entrance to the field footpath (on your right) to the track beside the Bollihope Burn.
Continue over a footbridge and old quarry workings until you come to a second footbridge.
Just before the footbridge there is a track that ascends up some steps to a field footpath that returns you to Low Bishopley Farm.
You may choose to avoid this footpath and simply return beside the Bollihope Burn to the road at White Kirkley.
Here, head over the bridge to the group of houses, and take the footpath on your left that is part of the Weardale Way.
Continue on the Weardale Way footpath past the Harehope Gill Lead Mine (ruins), until you come to where the Weardale Way branches off sharply to the right.
Here head down the road on your left and continue along the road, crossing the railway line and then the River Wear,
As you meet the main road, turn sharp left and there is a (hidden) footpath to the right of an industrial building.
Now continue Westwards on minor roads and footpaths through Frosterley to return to the car park from where you started.