The Grey Panthers

Explorer Map 305, - Bishop Auckland

A walk that starts from the National Railway Museum in Shildon, where the day started with a visit to the Museum to see "The Great Farewell", - the final gathering of six A4 Pacific steam locomotives from all over the country, and the world. However, even without a special event taking place, this walk would make a great day out by combining a visit to the Museum with a walk that takes in some great countryside, with Roman history and 200-year old railway history.
There are no especial difficulties with the walk, though on the outward leg it very much helps to have a 1 : 25000 scale OS map to hand in order to follow field boundaries.
At times of wet weather, the field footpaths can be very muddy.

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!!

Start from the parking area for the National Railway Museum (NZ238 254).
Walk along the Museum access road to Dale Road, then turn left and walk up Dale Road to the junction with Redworth Road.
Cross over and head down the lane to All Saints' Church (currently disused). Just past the church, turn left down the footpath that takes you to the A6072 main road. Cross the road and continue on the field footpath for two fields.
At the farm track turn right past New House Farm. Continue for a further mile or so along field footpaths until you come to the minor road of Brusselton Lane.
Although this is a minor road it can be surprisingly busy, and needs care to walk along.
Continue Westwards along Brusselton Lane until you come to the sharp left hand bend by the radio mast.
Here take the footpath into Brusselton Woods and continue to Redmires Farm.
The footpath continues through farmland past this farm, before swinging round across heathland back into Brusselton Woods agin.
When you reach the point at which you entered the woods in the first place, turn sharp left to descend down Haggs Lane. This can be quite steep and muddy, and is well used by mountain bikers.
Soon after reaching a farm track, turn right onto the field footpath to Low West Thickley Farm.
Just past the farm buildings, a gate takes the footpath up onto the old railway track bed to cross Brusselton Lane by the old railway bridge. Descend by steps to the farm track, and turn right to walk to the Brusselton Engine House.
Continue along the track which takes you directly back into Shildon.