Stile? Call That a Stile? This is a Stile….
I have loads of these pre-reccy walks to do for the Durham County Council guided walks summer programme. There’s a couple at Wolsingham which go to Tunstall and, whilst I was pretty sure that this one was all right, I went and did it today anyway. Bruno came too.
The pools on Waskerley Beck.
This one starts at Demesne Mill picnic place,, which my sprogs know as “Wolsingham Pools” and which the Ordnance Survey has as “Waskerley Beck” Coz there iz pools innit? We swam here sometimes and floated on things at other times. It was usually quite refreshing. The main pool is quite deep but the waterfall above it seems smaller somehow. I have seen local kids wandering past here carrying some very large and dead salmon wrapped in their jumpers. They swim up here in the autumn. The little waterfall would be a really good place to watch them jump.
Weardale from near Fawnlees Hall
Me and Superdawg slopped through the clart alongside the ancient park wall, up past the ex-Pet Shop Boys house at Fawnlees and over the biggest stile in the whole universe, including that really big one on Zephilon Seven, the one that the Great Magrab of Dumple fell off and broke his flipper…. Anyway, despite his superpowers, Bruno couldn’t quite manage this one without a bit of a push….
No! Don’t! Stoppit!
And then down to Tunstall Reservoir which is quite pretty and has lots of interesting signs telling you to stop doing whatever it was you were thinking of doing. There’s quite a nice, but very short walk around the reservoir, suitable for a warm summer evening destined to end in the Black Bull.
Tunstall Reservoir
A quick zip around the reservoir and back to the dam and a short road walk followed by some nice but muddy meadows beside the beck and we’re back in Wolsingham in just about three hours, including lunch and shouting at some geese.
Quite an easy and pretty walk. I seem to remember getting stung by wasps or bees or something last summer on one of these paths, though.
It was seven miles. Quite a nice day, really almost spring-like – I noticed there was much more bird song today
More Tunstalling later.
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6 comments:
Looks very pleasant - might have to look this one up on me map, the kids would definitely enjoy it, if we happened to be over Crook way in some sunny weather. (We are sometimes in Crook, but not always in sunny weather sadly.)
Don't go enjoying yourself Mike...
Its a nice walk, Mark - not too difficult but a bit sloppy at the moment. Its needs to dry out a bit, or , maybe, freeze...
It was awful Louise. I wouldn't do it again [koff]
They should put up a sign saying "No garishly coloured signs". That would confuse everybody.
does your dog manage the step stiles ok?
I struggle a bit when i take my boy, he is a 6 stone lab and not keen on going over some of the step stiles!
and he's not the easiest to lift lol
Peter - I'd like to see a sign which says "This sign is intentionally blank"
Gordon - The dog can do quite big ladder stiles and fences up to about three feet or so high - and five foot walls if there's no wire on the top.
I have to stop him jumping fences though as he does it when he's not supposed to.
He's very good on steep, hard snow as well....
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