Adopt-a-path walks in North Durham

Readers with really good memories may remember that I’ve done this walk a couple of times before. In fact, it’s two walks – one five or so miles starting at Blanchland and one of about ten miles starting at Edmundbyers. I do this twice a year and the purpose is to provide Durham County Council with a report on the state of a number of public footpaths and bridleways. I do the reporting on-line.

I don’t take superdawg because there are supercows on part of one of the walks and they once mugged me to try to get at the dog. They can be a bit lively sometimes as they’re suckler cattle with young and a bull. I don’t mess with them any more….

But worra smashing day for doing this kind of thing. There were blue skies all day and the thermometer in the Knipemobile on the way up there was minus one. There were ice patches on the road and some of the ice didn’t melt all day. This, together with the wind blowing off the arctic ice pack from somewhere oop North, meant that I had my cosy stuff on today. It could be described as “refreshing”

Walk number one was along by the river and through some woods to the small township of Townfield and then back over the moors to Blanchland with a small diversion for an off-route path. Everywhere was pretty much unchanged from the last time I did this in May. I took a trowel to try to drain some of the boggy bits in the wood. This was particularly unsuccessful. I’d need a proper spade for this. This is beyond my willingness….

At one point, whilst plodding up the road wondering whether or not I had angina, I was passed by a walker going very fast. He kept picking stuff up and putting it in a plastic bag. he was picking litter, bless ‘im. He marched off towards Stanhope with a growing bag of chuckaways.

I also met four walkers, two of whom weren’t where they thought they were and were having a slight whinge about the map. I pointed them in the right direction and we had a good chat.

Not much to report, really.

Walk two was along the lead mine trail from Edmundbyers, past Pedam’s Oak, where they’d locked up the youngsters in a barn If I was them, I would fear for my life, I think. Their mum’s were in the next field having a moo.

I returned by a higher path and met another five walkers and three cyclists. this is remarkable. I never meet anybody up here.
On the way back, I started noticing sweety papers and isotonic drinks bottles. I picked up quite a bit of litter on the way back and deposited in somebody’s wheelie bin in Edmundbyers. I’ve not come across litter before. The evidence was that whoever was responsible , did it very recently. Amongst my finds were some tinfoil containing half a ham and pease pudding butty. This is a North-Eastern food habit. The bread was fairly fresh (possibly frozen overnight)

I might have a rant about this. You’re expecting a rant, aren’t you? Be honest.  You’re expecting me to say that whoever leaves their chocolate wrappers, empty plastic bottles, yoghurt tubs (yoghurt tubs?) and ham and pease pudding butties is a slob and a slut and dirty sleazebag. Aren’t you?
Well, I’m not. I left the food for the local vermin to scoff but removed the packaging. rats need love too, y’know. And the owls eat ‘em.
15 Miles and 1700 feet of up. For some reason, this walk is a mile longer done anti-clockwise…  ?

Pennine Journey Westgate to Blanchland

The heat of the sun got me out of bed and I was away by 9:00 ish (ok, I know its not early, but if you’d been to Darts practise at the Hare and Hounds….)  I called at Charlie’s and had coffee….
A bit later I slugged up the hill out of Westgate. various people stopped to chat. It took a while.
Eventually, at a strategic bend in the road, I headed off along a contour with a lane on it and this took me towards Heights Quarry. it was all very lovely so far.

The route follows the old railway line to Rookhope and its all very lovely with some smashing Weardale views until a deep gorge suddenly appears at the feet. There is a moment of doubt (cos its a big drop) – but by poking around, a path on the left is found which drops down gently to the beck and then appears on the other side of the gorge without much at all in the way of drama. For geologists, there’s a very nice mined-out mineral vein here.
For about a kilometre after this point, its best to keep your left eye closed. The path goes alongside heights Quarry, which is still working and is very busy. Its well waymarked and fenced off from any danger and eventually industry is passed and the intrepid Pennine Journier pops out on the other side into old railway cuttings with bits of woodland, lots of flowers and many buzzing insects. Its green and damp and beautiful.

After that, the Weardale Way goes easily along the railway line to Rookhope where it meets the cyclists’ Coast to Coast route and, of course, the Rookhope Inn where a short period of celebration is allowed.

After “lunch”, I climbed the Bolts law incline, a bit wearily and followed PJ instructions to go and bag Bolts Law, scene of recent solstice partying. There’s a lot of grouse living in the Bolts Law heather, and its very heavily managed, so if I had a worry about the PJ route, it would be here. I’m not sure the shooting estate will be too chuffed about this route going through here. There could well be conflict. True, its open access, but its not open all the time, and Journiers with doggies will have to find another route.

There is, in fact, a perfectly good footpath system from Rookhope running up by Stogel Clough and then over the North East slope of Bolts Law, crossing the summit and then down to Ramshaw. The path down to Ramshaw, though, is a mess. its difficult to follow, has what appears top be an old leat which is crossed on a rotten footbridge, and there’s electric fences. And lots of thistles. But its a right of way and can’t be closed. It just needs a bit of TLC, really. I followed this path down to Ramshaw, as best I could. I might report this to Durham County Council. I’m not sure its bad enough, though.

After Ramshaw, there’s some quiet lanes and some woodland footpaths to Baybridge, then a pleasant riverside path to Blanchland.
There’s no phone signal in Blanchland, so I used the phonebox to ring home. I got a minute for 60p. 60 PENCE for a minute.  Absolute robbery.  I allowed myself to be exploited to the sum of three pints of Black Sheep in the Lord Crewe Arms whilst waiting for Maggie to arrive.


And that, folks, is the sum of my Pennine Journey sampler.
It might not be exactly the route in the book. It won’t be far out though. Its not an official route anyway… 
Today’s was 11 miles and 1300 feet.

A Little Light Lone Rangering

Every year, just before the TGO Challenge, in fact, I do a little walk starting at Blanchland and another starting at Edmundbyers, both on the same day. The purpose is to check the paths, waymarks stiles and signposts for any problems and report these to Durham County Council. I do the same walk in October and similar walks at Crook in January and July. I could do more, really.

But today was Blanchland’s turn. On the first walk – about five miles, I discovered nothing much amiss that I hadn’t already discovered last October. The paths are slowly getting better used. One stile was still pivoting and is hazardous, in my view , and another path, up a steep bank is slowly slipping away. I also found a loose wendy house, which I returned to a garden. I assume it was the correct garden.

The first half was sunshine, hail showers and a perishing wind coming from somewhere in the general direction of Norway. The second half was sunny, but even colder. I even had me warmest hat on.

One of the attractions of the first walk is the riot of colour provided by the bluebells. Unfortunately these always flower the week when the TGO Challenge starts, so I always miss it.

After lunch, I did the 9 mile circuit of the lead-mine trail which involves an outward bridleway over the moor and a return on a footpath through suckler cows and lambs. it is these suckler cows who once mugged me and are the main reason for Bruno’s absence on this walk.

There was nothing much amiss with the paths. I met half a dozen cyclists who were all friendly, a sullen farmer at Pedams Oak with his butties in a tupperware box (although his dog was very friendly) – and the black cattle.

Blanchland is named after the white monks who’s monastery was on this site before the Scots and Henry VII trashed the place (pre-menstrual or somethink…) and Pedam’s oak is the Oak in which one local thief, bandit and cattle riever called Pedam used to hide out. I believe they strung him up eventually.

There was also a sign on a farm gate which said that there wasn’t a right of way through the gate. Its true, there is no right of way through the gate. I guess that the waymarks are a bit obscure just there. there’s one on a telegraph pole, but there’s a choice of two lanes at that point. I expect that some people are choosing the wrong lane. I’ll make a suggestion to DCC.

And that was that.

14 miles and 1850 feet of uphill.

I’ll be back in October. The reports will be done on-line tomorrow evening.

Wot fun. Wot? Tonto?

Adopt-a-path walks in North Durham

Really attentive readers may recall that last May and last October, I did my bit for the footpaths and bridleways of the very very North of Durham – so far North, in fact, that the walk started in Blanchland, which is, of course, in Northumberland.
I’m a Voluntary Countryside Ranger for Durham County Council, y’see. I work alone. I’m the lone ranger. Today, to indicate my authority I wore a badge in my hat. It says Burnley FC and has a claret and blue shield.
And so, in the fair parish of Hunstanworth, I checked out the following footpaths and bridleways:

FP28
FP1
FP24
BW22
BW31
FP29
BW32

And in Edmundbyers:

BW5
BW9
FP8

The Edmundbyers paths are much longer than the Hunstanworth ones , of course.

And I found that on FP24 there are absolutely loads of blackberries and the locaal farmer has lost two rolls of hay over the wall, which he has partially demolished. Nowt to do with me.

On FP1, the path is collapsing a bit more than it was last May and I realosed that at the road start, you can’t tell which gate the path goes through, unless you know already.

On FP29, the stile takes you by surprise when one side shoots up in the air and this dumps you in the woodland on the other side.

BW32 doesn’t go anywhere that horses and bikes can go and the cows on PF8 have been replaced by little black ones that aren’t very aggressive. The gorse at the Edmundbyers end of FP8 will close the path soon (maybe next summer) unless it gets trimmed a bit.

And that BW5 aka the Lead Mine trail is a fab high-speed thrash of easy walking over purple moors. Cyclists seem to like it a lot.

And that was that. Autumn is upon us, the leaves are turning there was some odd bright skies and drizzle at the same time and an edge to the wind.

I’ll be putting in reports about the things that need reporting.

14 miles done in two circular walks – and nobody met.
And I can do this walk without a map now….

I’m off to Wales on Friday, so if anybody posts late comments, they probably won’t get authorised till I get back in a fortnight – unless there’s a library with interwebby stuff or something

Adopt-a-path stuff in North Durham

May (Yes, yes, I know its still April) is the other time that I do my twice-a-year walk around the moors, pastures and moors of the very North bit of County Durham – so far North, in fact that the walk starts in Northumberland. Its only 20 miles from chez Knipe, so its no big deal.
Superdawg is banned from this trip, partly because of the fact that its lambing time and the foelds are full of new lambs and/or very fat sheep – and there’s the little matter of three big fields full of suckler cattle. These girls seriously mugged me once when I had Bruno with me. I’m not letting that happen again. So I diverted the dog with his ball thingy that you put doggy bics in and he chases around trying to get them out again – and sneaked out of the house. There may have been some howling.
Anyway, two walks. Number one started at Blanchland and went through some woods, down a track (where I fell over and put a hole in my leg – lucky I had a spare…) up to a hamlet, up onto the moors, a bit more woodland and back to Blanchland. About 5 miles.

I should explain that the reason for this patrol is to monitor the footpaths and bridleways for the County Council. I report any problems on line. There was just one report to be made where a steep path is shored up by timber, and its starting to collapse.

I also clipped a few bits of overgrowth and ate a banana. I also came across a little blind rabbit. I believe this is a symptom of myxamatosis – a disease deliberately spread in the 1950’s to reduce a rampant wabbit population. This particular wabbit appeared to have just a few days left. It knew I was there, but couldn’t see me, and couldn’t run away. Not a good position to be in…
After a short lunch, I went off to the next village, Edmundbyers and had a good old thrash up a long bridleway onto the moors and back again on a footpath through those pesky cows. Fab weather – sunny and breezy and warm – and a really good old bash through the heather. No footpath problems to report. And I get expenses for this…..
I’ll be back in October.
The bluebells are just coming out and this year there seems to be a lot more lapwings – and curlew, oyster catchers and a large bunch of golden plover. So the moors were fair buzzing today.
A total of 14 miles and 1800 feet of uphilliness. Some readers may recognise the footbridge in the pic. A few may recognise the rabbit.

Incidentally “Blanchland” was so named because it had an abbey which was run by white monks – that is monks in white robes. Unfortunately between the Scots and Henry VIII, the place was ruined – the only bits surviving in tact being the Church and the pub - and, maybe the gatehouse. The rest was rebuilt by Lord Crewe, a Bishop of Durham, using stone from the abbey, and forming a square. All of the land to the South belongs to the Blanchland estate – originally Lord Crewe’s land, in fact.Edmundbyers, on the other hand is named after it’s one time owner, King Edmund. So there you are….

Northumberland - Devils Water and Carriers Way

My get-yourself-fit-for-the-TGO-Challenge plan (see how it takes over your life?) calls for a walk of a minimum distance of 12 miles in January (14 in February) and so - me and superdingo found ourselves in the enormous and free car park at Blanchland for this little toddle on to the Northumberland Moors.

Blanchland Moor is a pretty flat and heathery sort of place and has bridleways suitable for a good old blast along at high speed - or in my case, fairly moderate speed.

In brightening and windy weather, me and Bruno fair blasted along over the moor to Slaley Forest where, in a small and sheltered copse of Scots Pine and Gorse, I almost fell asleep in the cosyness of it all....

Down to the Devil's Water - no idea why its called this - its a fairly small beck in a beautiful wooded and almost wild setting - just the place to camp out, in fact.

And then it was back over the moor again via the Carriers Way. The Carriers Way is an old packhorse route blazed for the purpose of carrying bings of lead from London lead Company's mines in Allendale to the coast - before there were things like trains. So its an old route, and it shows it in places as it cuts a deep groove through the landscape and contours easily along the scarp of the moor. Fab bit of fell walking, that.

The odd thing about this moor, though, is the unusual use of scarecrows. These are very realistic from a distance, mainly due to the shredded polythene arms which sway purposefully in the wind. The giveaway is that they never actually go anywhere. there's dozens of the things, though, placed on scarp edges and hilltops and in lines like grouse beaters. It seems like a good idea if it works - keeping the raptors and corbies away from the grouse eggs and chicks in a non-lethal sort of way.

We did just about 12 miles, finished almost in daylight and were in time for the two meals for £8 happy hour at the pub at Billy Row.

And - I finished my TGO Challenge food plan. The most I'll have to carry is five breakfasts from the start (probably quite a lot of porridge) - and two evening meals (its complicated, but thats how it works out). After that, its pretty easy. I'll need to shop in Ft Augustus, Newtonmore and Braemar. I'm only staying overnight in atown in Newtonmore - probably camp - and there's a transport cafe there for dinner and brekkies...

I'm not staying in Ft Augustus or Braemar - but just scoffing, shopping and passing through to wild camps or bothies further on. I will be overnighting at Tomdoun, but not in a bed - far too overpriced for me. I'll stick me tent up somewhere after the night's celebrations of whatever it is we might consider worth celebrating.

North Pennine Footpath Stuff

Just been out doing a very pleasurable duty. I do a spot of light rangering for Durham County Council, part of which is walking around on some footpaths that I’ve adopted and reporting any issues – blockages, duff stiles, that kind of thing.

Today’s task was to do two little walks with lots of paths on them. The first was at Blanchland and is about six miles of woodland, pastures and moor, and the second is at Edmundbyers– about nine miles of high, sweeping moor on easy paths.

This is great countryside for marching manfully, or gracefully girly, or, should you so wish – just doing a bit of mincing. It doesn’t matter – nobody will see you. You can sing entire albums at the top of your voice if you want. Nobody will complain.

Cos there’s nobody there…

So, today was fabulous quick, easy walking in lots and lots of lovely space and big views – right up to the Cheviots , thanks to a bit of an arctic blast. These always bring clear, crisp air – and so it was today.

I don’t think I’ve enjoyed myself so much since the siege of Pontefract.

Actually,, no I wasn’t there was I? Anyway, it were grand. Didn’t see a soul, broke off some overhanging branches and kicked a bit of a drain to clear a boggy bit. Nothing much at all to report to DCC, though in the past we’ve had new bridges, extra waymarks, people with chainsaws…..

Anyway, me and your mum and superdawg are off on our hols for two weeks now. . Try not to get into any bother. Any damage will come out of your spending money. Please do the washing up at least once during the fortnight, and don’t have loads of kids in. No parties. Are you listening? As I say, I will find out. Your drawer is full of clean pants and socks. Feed the cat and let him out if its not raining…

Oh, and could you pay the Rington’s man, I’ll leave the money behind the clock. Get some of those chocolate teacakes……..look, don’t sigh……