This is another reccy for another Durham CC walk, which happens on Friday, so I was a bit late with this. This was due to many things including a funeral and the car not passing (I hate to use the “fail” word) its MOT. But its all fixed now, so this morning off I jolly well went up to Bowlees, just a bit to the left of Middleton in Teesdale.
The last time I did this walk was on a really perishing cold day in the winter, when the Tees was partly frozen and the snowdrifts were touching places where cold snow should never be allowed. And it was minus echty blob as well. I’ve put a picture or two of that in this post, to contrast to the warm and sweaty day it was. The Dale is still busy with haymaking and the place has that fresh hay perfume that you have when they..er.. Its the Sweet vernal Grass, y’know…
Its called the Best of Teesdale because you have to have a title for the walks brochure, and this has Bowlees, Wynch Bridge, The Juniper woodland, Lots of wild flowers, High Force, some iron age hut circles, The Green Trod, sugar limestone, mediaeval iron workings, the River Tees again, a Victorian pencil factory/quarry, some limestone caves which had bones or sumfink inside and the old road down the dale before they built the current one (as a work creation scheme in a Victorian economic slump) It misses Cronkley Snout but that’s because its too far upstream on the wrong side of the River. Whoever put it on the wrong side of the River needs telling.
So, its full of stuff and its 13 miles and 1700 feet long and up.
Not much happened. I met a bull, who seemed to be asleep, probably just as well – and just a few walkers and some lapwings. Teesdale is lapwing central. They’ll be off to Redcar soon, I shouldn’t wonder. I had a scramble in the cave, but I had no headtorch so it was a bit limited.
I’ll be back on Friday.
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4 comments:
Not liking the look of that bridge! Or the bull...
Louise - The Bridge is about 200 years old and replaced an older one that collapsed with some miners crossing it. Its a bit wobbly. Yoofs jump off it into the river. The sign says "One at a time"
The bull was uninterested and determined to doze. He's a big lad, though..... ooer.....
It’s a lovely walk by the looks of it and i am sure it will be appreciated by those who partake.
I like the photo’s of the differing seasons. Very nice..
Yes, no bull, he’s a big fellow.
I don’t mind bulls but Sheila is not too keen on the breed at all. Although she has helped deliver one once. That was quite a messy, brown experience for her.
Thanks Alan, I think the walk's a goodun too.... You can see from the pic that the bull just can't be arsed doing anything, which suits me. They're usually like this, to be fair. Sheila's very brave to stick her arm anywhere up a cow, I think....
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