The Grey Panthers

This walk principally uses the old railway trackbed of the Castle Eden Walkway.
However, there is also a track that takes you off the Walkway through Thorpe Wood, then loops round towards Grindon, in the first part of the walk.
The second part of the walk takes you via the Castle Eden walkway to Thorpe Thewles village and the Church of St. James.
All tracks and paths are easy to use. There is only one downhill gradient of note.
There is no real need for a map to follow this walk.

A map of the route followed has been plotted on the Ordnace Survey mapping website, By selecting the ink below you will be taken to this map, - complete with distances and heights marked on the route.

OS Link

The route shown is on a standard map. To view the route on an Ordnace Survey map, select the icon in the lower right of the screen. If the route is dispkayed on a 1:50 OS map, zoom in to see the details on a 1:25 OS map.
There is also the option to view the route in a satellite image.

Park in the Wynyard Woodland Park visitor car park at NZ402 244.
Head Northwards along the Railway Walkway, then take the second exit on your right into Thorpe Wood.
Follow the track South Eastwards through the wood, - at one point making a fairly steep descent to the valley bottom.
At the exit of the wood, turn left and follow the track towards Fulthorpe Farm.
Just before the farm, turn left and continue along the track to Grindon.
At grindon there are steps on your right that take you back to the Railway Walkway.
Return to the Visitor Centre.
Now take the footpath that runs beside the access road to the Visitor Centre, heading Southwards to woodland. Follow the track until it comes to the Railway Walkway.
Here turn right, and after a few yards turn left onto the track which takes you, via an under-pass on the A177 to Thorpe Thewles village and the Church of St. James.
Return to the Visitor centre by the Railway Walkway.