The Grey Panthers
23 November, - Piercebridge & Winston
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11.8 miles

Explorer Map 304 - Darlington & Richmond

A walk that is relatively easy to navigate, and on which there are no ascents or descents of any note.
Although the route described starts out from Piercebrudge, the walk could also be started from either Gainford or Winston.
The part of the walk between Winston and Piercebridge on the North bank of the River Tees follows the Teesdale Way, affording plenty of views of the river itself.
However, the route described on the South side of the River Tees mostly looks down onto the Tees Valley from an escarpment, and provides some superb views.
Although the walk can be done at any time of the year, choose a fine day with sunshine and you will be well rewarded by the scenery.

Memory Map
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!!

Quo logo

Start from the village green in Piercebridge (NZ44631 22733).
Cross the River Tees by the road bridge. A few yards after crossing the bridge, there is a signposted footpath on your right. Take this footpath Southwards over fields until you reach a minor road. Turn right on this road, past the entrance to Cliffe Hall.
Continue along the road, which becomes a narrow lane (but still carries road traffic) to Low Field Farm.
To the right of Low Field Farm the track continues to Chapel House Farm, wherethe footpath now continues to the left of a hedge line (though a friendly farmer showed us the way to avoid the mus in this particular field).
Continue on field footpaths until you meet a farm track at Low Fields Farm. Continue Westwards on this track.
At a minor road, turn right and then almost immediately left on the lane past St. Lawrence's Chapel (a ruin).
Continue along the lane to Barforth Hall. Just past the farm buildings, a footpath is waymarked on your left. This footpath is fairly overgrown in parts, but eventually comes out at a lane that runs beside the River Tees.
The lane eventually emerges near Winston Bridge.
Before crossing Winston Bridge, it is worth walking down to the river on the South bank, upstream of the bridge. This is a particularly scenic part of the river.
Cross Winston Bridge and almost immediately on your right the Teesside Way footpath is signposted.
This footpath takes you beside the River Tees to the West Tees Bridge (an old railway bridge) just outside Gainford.
Here you have to turn left and follow the Teesdale Way to the A67 main road, and walk beside the A67 for about 1/2 mile.
On your right, a footpath takes you down to the Gainford Spa (a spring), and then onwards to Gainford village.
Pass through Gainford village, until you join the signposted Teesdale Way footpath on your right. This now takes you all the way back to Piercebridge.