Weardale Wander (Again)

This was my August contribution to the Durham County Council guided walks programme.

I did the reccy last Sunday in drizzle and got wet, losing my camera case on the way.

The route is exactly the same as on the two or three previous occasions we’ve done this walk as a DCC guided walk – that is to say, Wolsingham – Chatterley (the lady was out, I think) – Elephant Trees – Allotment House – Fine Burn – Bollihope Burn via the Cowboy Pass – White Kirkley – Harehope Quarry – Kingfisher Caravan Park – Wolsingham – some eleven and a bit miles.

On the day (Wednesday) – despite a very duff weather forecast, 33 people turned up including stewards Ian, Compulsory Dave and Spare Compulsory Dave.

I bought a rather nice Bakewell cake (far too big to be a tart) from Peggotty’s Cafe and Bakery in Wolsingham and put up the cherry on the top as a reward for anybody spotting my lost camera case. Unfortunately, the cherry met with an unfortunate accident before we got to the Elephant Trees, so it was a good job nobody found the case. It was, I have to report, an extremely nice bit of baking and I’m determined to bring a couple of these cakes home quite soon so they can be smothered in custard and attacked with spoons. Nom nom.

Instead of the downpour promised by the Met office department of joke weather forecasts, there was just a few showers, although these occasionally set out to be torrential, they’d mainly stopped by the time I’d got my caggy on. Many walkers didn’t bother with raincoats at all and they seemed no worse off than those who’d struggled into their waterproofs. Whatever rain fell was quite warm anyway.

We’ll likely do this walk again in the event that next year a guided walks programme survives the apparent fraying at the edges of the Countryside service which seems to be happening just now. (I blame the bankers)

Here’s a map for anybody who feels like a nice little wander from Wolsingham.

Whatever you do,  my advice is  “Take a Peggotty’s cake with you for lunchtime.” I can’t think why I haven’t done this before.