10.9 miles.
Explorer Map No 304, - Darlington and Richmond
This walk takes in some absolutely delightful County
Durham agricultural countryside, starting from one village and passing
through three others.
The walk is very easy, both in terms of terrain and navigation.
The route uses farm tracks and farm footpaths, with some road walking.
The final stretch follows the Teesdale Way footpath between Piercebridge
and Gainford. The route is well signposted and waymarked.
The walk can be recommended for just about any time of the year.
For a Memory Map overlay of the walk described, please select the
above link.
(Overlay made with Version 4 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!!
Park in the centre of Gainford, by the village Green..
(NY17023 16793).
Leave Gainford by the main road (A67), heading East.
Where the Teesdale Way enters Gainford (on your right), there is a
lane on the opposite side of the road where the footpath to Dyance
is signposted. Follow this footpath beside an old railway track bed
to a white painted farm building, where a finger post directs you
to turn sharp left to follow a farm track to Dyance Farm.
Continue on the waymarked footpath North Eastwards to Dyance Plantation
(the footpath is to the right of the wall that encloses the plantation).
Continue on the well defined path to the village of Summerhouse.
When you reach the road at Summerhouse, turn right then immediately
past the Raby Estate farm, but before the village hall, take the footpath
Eastwards.
The footpath soon joins a field which has been planted, and you will
need to walk round the field boundary rather than cross the field
as per the map. You will also find that as you follow the Northern
edge of this planted field, you need to cross to the other side of
the hedge where there is a gap. This makes it easier to find an exit
to the minor road at Bow Bridge.
Cross the minor road and follow the footpath across fields to the
village of Denton.
From Denton, follow the well defined footpath to Walworth Park.
Cross the road at walworth Park and follow the waymarked footpath
South Eastwards.
When you reach a small copse, take the waymarked footpath Southwards
to Ulnaby Hall.
From Ulnaby hall, take the signposted footpath West then South towards
Carlbury, where you join the minor road that takes you to Carlbury.
At Carlbury, cross the A67 main road and take the footpath into Piercebridge.
In Piercebridge (after viewing the remains of the Roman Fort), head
towards the road bridge over the River Tees.
Just before the bridge crosses the river, the Teesdale Way footpath
is signposted. Follow this all the way back to Gainford.