9.83 miles.

Expolorer Map 308, - Durham & Sunderland

The highlights of this walk are a visit to Causey Arch, - the oldest railway bridge in the world, and the Tanfield Railway. This latter is also the oldest railway in the world, having started out using wooden rails and horse-drawn wagons to take coal from nearby mines to Newcastle.
For the most part the walk uses fairly flat terrain, though at the very end there is a surprisingly steep ascent of a "mini mountain" in woodland near Beamish.
Similarly, although much of the walk uses well trodden paths, it was also surprisingly easy to take the wrong turn on at least a couple of occasions. For this reason, a 1 : 25000 map is recommended, together with a sat nav aid.

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!!

Park in the Eden Place picnic area, on the access road to Beamish Museum (NZ219 537).
Head Westwards along the nearby railway track bed (The Great North Forest Trail).
A short distance along, at NZ209 538, a footpath heads Northwards through the woods. This footpath emerges near the picnic area by the Beamish Burn.
Do NOT cross the Beamish Burn at the footbridge, but instead turn left to emerge at the minor road.
Turn left and head a short distance uphill to where Mole Hill Farm is indicated.
Take the footpath on your right, contuing Westwards and crossing the A6076.
Where the footpath emerges at the minor road, turn right and continue until you see the sign for East Tanfield Station.
From here, take the easy footpath to Causey Arch bridge.
Continue to the Causey Arch picnic area and then emerge at a minor road.
Turn left and just past the steep double bend (CARE : traffic), take the waymarked track Northwards over farml;and to Andrews House Station.
Cross the A6076 and take the track Eastwards past the remains of a colliery on your left.
Not too far past this point there is a footpath on your right, which is reached up some steps.
Follow this to Hedley Lane, cross the road and almost opposite take the footpath to Hedley Hall Farm.
Emerging from the farm buildings the continuation of the footpath is clearly shown.
But just past this point, there is a waymark indicating to go straight ahead. Ingore this, and take the unsigned track that bears half right at this point.
This takes you almost due South to emerge at a lane by a largish pond.
Turn left here and continue until you reach a lane on your right. THis lane is reached just before a gate on the lane you are on.
Now head South through woodland until you eventually emerge at a minor road above High Forge.
Continue Southards along this road until you see a lane leading to Ousbrough Woods.
Continue through Ousbrough Woods until at NZ226 539 there is a footbridge over the Beamish Burn.
Cross the burn, then ascend steeply uphill until you eventually emerge at the railway track bed of the Great North Forest Trail.
Turn right to return to the Eden Place picnic area.