10.1 miles.

Explorer Maps 304 & 305, - Darlington & Richmond / Bishop Auckland

A walk that is right on the doorstep of urban Darlington, and yet one which takes you into peaceful farmland where you are completely out in the countryside.
The walk uses farm tracks, green lanes, and footpaths. The entire route is mostly well marked and easy to follow.
There are no gradients of any note, BUT in wet weather, - or following wet weather, some of the tracks become incredibly muddy and heavy going.
There is also a descent into a small wooded valley in order to cross a stream which can be very slippery in wet conditions.

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!!

The start of the walk is from Brafferton village hall, NZ2932 521030.
Head East-North-East along High House Lane for about 1 mile, to where a gate on your right leads to a green lane (NZ30589 21715).
Follow this lane for about 1 mile to Newton Ketton(NZ3133920687), and at the junction turn sharp left along Salters Lane.
Just before Fir Tree Farm, turn sharp right down Catkill Lane.
After about 200 yards, take the field footpath on your left that takes you to Hauxley Farm.
Here take the footpath towards Viewley Hill Farm. It helps to follow the OS 1:25000 map for these field footpaths, though there are waymarks to help you.
Past Viewley Hill Fam, take the field footpath to Biers Gill Wood, where you cross a small stream in the bottom of the wooded valley via a footbridge.
Continue to a derelict industrial brick building, where you turn left to follow the footpath to Catkill Lane.
Here turn left, and after about 100 yards take a poorly marked footpath that is on your right. (NZ32856200081).
Follow this footpath to Barmpton village.
At Barmpton, turn right, then take the footpath that follows the River Skerne to Ketton Bridge.
Follow the footpath due East at Ketton Bridge and follow the waymarks to Ketton Hall on the footpath to Brafferton village.
Return to Brafferton village by following the footpath signs.