The Teesdale Way is a long-distance walk between the Cumbrian

Pennines The Pennines (), also known as the Pennine Chain or Pennine Hills, are a range of uplands running between three regions of Northern England: North West England on the west, North East England and Yorkshire and the Humber on the east. Commonly ...

and the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

coast of

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by national parks, including most of the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors. It is one of four cou ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. The walk is in length; it links in with other long-distance walks such as the

Pennine Way The Pennine Way is a National Trail in England, with a small section in Scotland. The trail stretches for from Edale, in the northern Derbyshire Peak District, north through the Yorkshire Dales and Northumberland National Park and ends at Kir ...

and the E2 European Walk between

Harwich Harwich is a town in Essex, England, and one of the Haven ports on the North Sea coast. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the north-east, Ipswich to the north-west, Colchester to the south-west and Clacton- ...

and Stranraer.

The route

The Teesdale way starts at Dufton in Cumbria as part of the Pennine way, but does not become its own path (with waymarkers) until it reaches Middleton-in-Teesdale. The path ends at South Gare in Warrenby near

Redcar Redcar is a seaside town on the Yorkshire Coast in the Redcar and Cleveland unitary authority in the county of North Yorkshire, England. It is located east of Middlesbrough. The Teesside built-up area's Redcar subdivision had a population of ...

, having passed through the heavily industrialised

Teesside Teesside () is a built-up area around the River Tees in the north of England, split between County Durham and North Yorkshire. The name was initially used as a county borough in the North Riding of Yorkshire. Historically a hub for heavy manu ...

area, consisting of

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...

, Stockton-on-Tees and Thornaby-on-Tees. This gives a great insight into the once proud ship building and industrial heritage of the

North East The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

. Between Middleton-in-Teesdale and Middlesbrough, the way runs for jointly with the European E2 path. Between

Yarm Yarm, also referred to as Yarm-on-Tees, is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees, North Yorkshire, England. It was previously a port town before the industry moved down the River Tees to more accessible settlements ne ...

and

Croft-on-Tees Croft-on-Tees is a village and civil parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England. It has also been known as Croft Spa, and from which the former Croft Spa railway station took its name. It lies north-north west of the cou ...

the river goes through the meandering lowland section of the

Tees Valley Tees Valley is a mayoral combined authority and Local enterprise partnership area in northern England, around the River Tees. The area is not a geographical valley. The LEP was established in 2011 and the combined authority was establishe ...

. As the river flows through Upper

Teesdale Teesdale is a dale, or valley, in Northern England. The dale is in the River Tees’s drainage basin, most water flows stem from or converge into said river, including the Skerne and Leven. Upper Teesdale, more commonly just Teesdale, falls ...

, it passes through the historic settlements of

Piercebridge Piercebridge is a village and civil parish in the borough of Darlington and the ceremonial county of Durham, England. The population of the civil parish as of the 2011 census was 113. It is situated a few miles west of the town of Darlington. I ...

and

Barnard Castle Barnard Castle (, ) is a market town on the north bank of the River Tees, in County Durham, Northern England. The town is named after and built around a medieval castle ruin. The town's Bowes Museum's has an 18th-century Silver Swan automa ...

. The route can also be seen as starting at the county boundaries between Cumbria and County Durham near to Cow Green Reservoir. Also in Upper Teesdale the walk makes a U-turn at Eggleston Hall, heading down the other side of the dale, back to Barnard Castle.

Thornaby Thornaby-on-Tees, commonly referred to as Thornaby, is a town and civil parish on the River Tees's southern bank. It is in the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees, North Yorkshire, England. The parish had a population of 24,741 at the 2011 census, in t ...

and Bassleton woods are connected to each other. They are located in Thornaby, in the

Borough of Stockton-on-Tees The Borough of Stockton-on-Tees is a unitary authority with borough status in the counties of County Durham and North Yorkshire, England. The borough had a population of 191,600 in 2011. The main settlement and namesake of the borough is St ...

. A section of the way between Middlesbrough and Redcar was known locally as 'The Black Path' and was used by steelworkers. At , Thornaby Woods is a large area of ancient woodland and features trees such as

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

elm Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the flowering plant genus ''Ulmus'' in the plant family Ulmaceae. They are distributed over most of the Northern Hemisphere, inhabiting the temperate and tropical-montane regions of Nor ...

and

wych-elm ''Ulmus glabra'' Hudson, the wych elm or Scots elm, has the widest range of the European elm species, from Ireland eastwards to the Urals, and from the Arctic Circle south to the mountains of the Peloponnese and Sicily, where the species reaches ...

Roe deer The roe deer (''Capreolus capreolus''), also known as the roe, western roe deer, or European roe, is a species of deer. The male of the species is sometimes referred to as a roebuck. The roe is a small deer, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapt ...

have been seen in and around Thornaby and Bassleton woods.

Sights and attractions

Industrial Teesside

* Teesside Steel Works, Lackenby *

Riverside Stadium The Riverside Stadium is a football stadium in Middlesbrough, England, which has been the home of Middlesbrough since it opened in 1995. Its current capacity is 34,742, all seated, although there is provisional planning permission in place ...

, Middlesbrough *

Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge The Tees Transporter Bridge, also referred to as the Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge, is a bridge in northern England. It is the furthest downstream bridge across the River Tees and the longest remaining transporter in the world. The bridge is ...

Tees Corridor

Teessaurus Park Teessaurus Park is a 10 acre urban grassland recreational area and sculpture park opened in 1979 in the Riverside Park light industrial estate, Middlesbrough, on the southern bank of the River Tees. It was built on a former slag heap in what w ...

Tees Newport Bridge The Tees Newport Bridge is a vertical-lift bridge spanning the River Tees a short distance upriver from Tees Transporter Bridge, linking Middlesbrough with the borough of Stockton-on-Tees, Northern England. It no longer lifts, but still acts as ...

A19 Tees Viaduct The A19 Tees Viaduct or Tees Flyover is a high level six-lane dual carriageway road bridge in the North East of England carrying the main A19 trunk road north–south across the River Tees. The bridge is located between Middlesbrough and St ...

Tees Barrage The Tees Barrage is a barrage and road bridge across the River Tees, Northern England, just upriver of Blue House Point and is used to control the flow of the river, preventing flooding and the effects of tidal change. It is between the towns ...

and

Teesside White Water Course The Tees Barrage International White Water Course, originally the Teesside White Water Course, is an artificial whitewater course on the north bank of the River Tees, in northern England. It is part of the Tees Barrage and is located in the ...

Infinity Bridge The Infinity Bridge is a public pedestrian and cycle footbridge across the River Tees in the borough of Stockton-on-Tees in northern England. The bridge is situated one kilometre downriver of Stockton town centre, between the Princess of Wales ...

Princess of Wales Bridge The Princess of Wales Bridge, sometimes referred to as the Diana Bridge or the Princess Diana Bridge, is a dual carriageway road bridge named after the late Diana, Princess of Wales. It carries Council of Europe Boulevard across the River Tee ...

Teesquay Millennium Bridge Teesquay Millennium Footbridge is a footbridge crossing east-west over the River Tees between Stockton high street and Thornaby (Teesdale Business Park) in Northern England. It is just east of Stockton town centre and in the town's namesake ...

Victoria Bridge Victoria Bridge may be a reference to: Bridges ;Australia * Victoria Bridge, Brisbane, a road bridge across the Brisbane River in Brisbane * Victoria Bridge, Devonport a road ridge across the Mersey River in Devonport, Tasmania * Victoria Bridge, ...

Nature reserves

Maze Park Nature Reserve Maze Park is a urban nature reserve in Middlesbrough, England on the south bank of the Tees on part of the former Tees Marshalling Yard. It was created by the Teesside Development Corporation and is owned and run by the Tees Valley Wildlife T ...

, Middlesbrough *

Black Bobbies Field Nature Reserve Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

, Thornaby-on-Tees *

Bowesfield Nature Reserve Bowesfield is an area of Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England. The area is located in the Parkfield & Oxbridge ward to the south of the town centre. The area is a mix of industrial, residential, and open space. The name Bowesfield, throug ...

, Thornaby-on-Tees * Bassleton Wood, Thornaby-on-Tees *

Gainford Spa Nature Reserve Gainford may refer to: *Gainford, Alberta, Canada * Gainford, County Durham, England See also *Gainford Hall *Baron Gainford Baron Gainford, of Headlam in the County Palatine of Durham, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was cre ...

, Gainford

Waterfalls

High Cup Nick High Cup Gill (or High Cup Nick or just High Cup), almost a geometrically perfect U-shaped chasm, is a valley deeply incised into the Pennine scarp to the northeast of Appleby-in-Westmorland in Cumbria and within the North Pennines AONB in no ...

Cauldron Snout Cauldron Snout is a cascade on the upper reaches of the River Tees in Northern England, immediately below the dam of the Cow Green Reservoir. It is well upstream of the High Force waterfall, and is on the boundary between County Durham and Cumbri ...

High Force High Force is a waterfall on the River Tees, near Middleton-in-Teesdale, Teesdale, England. The waterfall is within the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and the European Geopark. The waterfall is part of the historic cou ...

Low Force Low Force is an 18-foot (5.5m) high set of falls on the River Tees, England, UK. Further upstream is the High Force waterfall. Low Force is also the site of the Wynch Bridge, completed in 1830. It is suggested that only one person at a time should ...

Museums

Great Holme Museum Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...

, Eaglescliffe *

Bowes Museum The Bowes Museum is an art gallery in the town of Barnard Castle, in County Durham in northern England. It was built to designs by Jules Pellechet and John Edward Watson to house the art collection of John Bowes and his wife Joséphine Beno� ...

, Barnard Castle

Stately homes

Rokeby Park Rokeby Park is a country house in the Palladian style in the civil parish of Rokeby, in Northern England. It is close to the confluence of the River Tees and River Greta, near Greta Bridge in what is now County Durham. It was historically in ...

, Whorlton *

Eggleston Hall Eggleston Hall is a privately owned 19th-century English country house in Eggleston, Teesdale, County Durham. It is a Grade II* listed building. Photograph and architectural description. Overview The manor of Eggleston was forfeited to the ...

Ruins

*Medieval village of Newsham *Sockburn Church Ruins *Castle Hill, Blackwell *Baydale Chapel Ruins *Gainforth Mill *

Piercebridge Roman Fort Piercebridge Roman Fort (possibly originally known as ''Morbium'' or ''Vinovium'') is a scheduled ancient monument situated in the village of Piercebridge on the banks of the River Tees in modern-day County Durham, England. There were Romans h ...

Piercebridge Roman Bridge Piercebridge Roman Bridge is the ruin of a Roman bridge over the River Tees, northern England. It is near the villages of Cliffe ( North Yorkshire) and Piercebridge, County Durham. The most recent excavations were by Channel 4's Time Team i ...

*Mortham Tower, near

Greta Bridge Greta Bridge is a village on the River Greta in County Durham, England. Geography and administration Greta Bridge lies in the Pennine hills near to Barnard Castle. The bridge (now bypassed by the A66 trunk road) is over the River Greta just ...

Egglestone Abbey Egglestone Abbey is a ruined Premonstratensian abbey on the southern (Yorkshire) bank of the River Tees, in northern England, south-east of Barnard Castle. The abbey was historically within the North Riding of Yorkshire, but since 1974 has ...

Cotherstone Castle Cotherstone Castle was in the village of Cotherstone by the River Tees some north-east of Barnard Castle in County Durham, England. This was a motte and bailey castle built around 1090. In 1200 the wooden building was replaced by a stone bu ...

Village churches

*St John's Church, Low Dinsdale *All Saints Church, Girsby *All Saints Church, Hurworth-on-Tees *St Peter's Church, Croft-on-Tees *St Edwin's Church, Coniscliffe *St Mary's Church, Piercebridge *St Mary's Church, Gainford *St Andrew's Church, Winston *St Mary's Church, Whorton *St Romald's Church, Romaldkirk

Other

South Gare South Gare is an area of reclaimed land and breakwater on the southern side of the mouth of the River Tees in Redcar and Cleveland, England. It is accessed by taking the South Gare Road (private road) from Fisherman's Crossing at the western en ...

Butterfly World Butterfly World is located in Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek, Florida, United States. It opened in 1988, and is the largest butterfly park in the world, and the first park of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. The facility houses around 20,000 ...

, Eaglescliffe * Whorlton Lido * Deepdale Aqueduct * Octagonal Market Cross, Barnard Castle.

Settlements

Dufton Dufton is a village and civil parish in Cumbria, England. Historically part of Westmorland, it lies in the Eden Valley and below Great Dun Fell. It is mostly around 180m above sea level. At the 2001 census the parish had a population of 169 ...

Middleton-in-Teesdale Middleton-in-Teesdale is a market town in County Durham, in England. It is situated on the north side of Teesdale between Eggleston and Newbiggin, a few miles to the north-west of Barnard Castle. The settlement is surrounded by the North Pennine ...

Eggleston Eggleston is a village in County Durham, in England. The population of the civil parish taken at the 2011 Census was 448. It is situated in Teesdale, a few miles north-west of Barnard Castle. Etymology The second element of ''Eggleston'' is ...

Romaldkirk Romaldkirk is a village in Teesdale, in the Pennines of England. The village lies within the historic boundaries of the North Riding of Yorkshire, but has been administered by County Durham since 1974. It is thought that the name might be deriv ...

Startforth Startforth is a village on the Pennines end of south Teesdale, England. The population of Startforth taken at the 2011 Census was 1,361. It is historically located in the North Riding of Yorkshire, but along with the rest of the former Startforth ...

* Whorlton *

Winston Winston may refer to: Places Antarctica * Winston Glacier Australia * Winston, Queensland, a suburb of the City of Mount Isa United Kingdom * Winston, County Durham, England, a village * Winston, Suffolk, England, a village and civil pa ...

* Gainford *

Carlbury Carlbury is a hamlet in the civil parish of High Coniscliffe in County Durham, in England. It is situated a few miles to the west of Darlington, on the north bank of the River Tees between Piercebridge to the west, and High Coniscliffe to th ...

High Coniscliffe High Coniscliffe is a parish and village in the borough of Darlington and ceremonial county of County Durham, England. The parish includes Carlbury and Low Coniscliffe. It is part of Heighington and Coniscliffe ward, and is situated approxima ...

Merrybent Merrybent is a linear village in the Civil parishes in England, civil parish of Low Coniscliffe and Merrybent in County Durham, in England. It is situated on the A67 road to the west of Darlington, a short distance to the north of the River Tees ...

Low Coniscliffe Low Coniscliffe is a village in the civil parish of Low Coniscliffe and Merrybent, in County Durham, England. The population of the civil parish taken at the 2011 Census was 716. It is situated west of Darlington. Its present built-up area is ...

Blackwell Blackwell may refer to: Places ;Canada * Blackwell, Ontario ;United Kingdom * Blackwell, County Durham, England * Blackwell, Carlisle, Cumbria, England * Blackwell (historic house), South Lakeland, Cumbria, England * Blackwell, Bolsover, Alfr ...

* Stapleton *

Hurworth Place Hurworth Place is a village in County Durham, in England. It lies south of Darlington on the northern bank of the River Tees, opposite the village of Croft-on-Tees in North Yorkshire to which it is linked by Croft Bridge, a Grade I listed structu ...

Hurworth-on-Tees Hurworth-on-Tees is a village in the borough of Darlington, within the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It is situated in the civil parish of Hurworth. The village lies to the south of Darlington on the River Tees, close to its meet ...

Neasham Neasham is a village approximately four miles to the south east of Darlington in County Durham, England. Geography and recreation The village sits on the banks of the River Tees which, at that point, marks the border between the counties of Durh ...

Sockburn Sockburn is a village and former civil parish to the south of Darlington in County Durham, England. It is situated at the apex of a meander of the River Tees, known locally as the Sockburn Peninsula. Today, all that remains of the village is a ...

Girsby Girsby is a village and civil parish in Hambleton District of North Yorkshire, England. The village lies on high ground on the eastern bank of the River Tees. The population of the parish was estimated at 40 in 2010. The population as of the 2 ...

Low Dinsdale Low Dinsdale is a village and former civil parish in the borough of Darlington and the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. The Parish population taken at the 2011 census was 871. It is situated a few miles to the south-east of Darling ...

Over Dinsdale Over Dinsdale is a small village and civil parish in the Local Government District of Hambleton in North Yorkshire, England. The population of the village (including Girsby) taken at the 2011 census was 151. The village straddles an ancient R ...

Middleton St George Middleton St George is a large village and civil parish in the borough of Darlington and the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It is situated approximately east of Darlington. According to the 2011 UK Census the population was 3,779, ...

Middleton One Row Middleton One Row is a village in the borough of Darlington and the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It is situated approximately south east of Darlington. The village was originally developed as a spa resort in the late 18th centur ...

Low Worsall Low Worsall is a small village and civil parish in Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England, near High Worsall and west of Yarm Yarm, also referred to as Yarm-on-Tees, is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Stockton-on-T ...

* Aislaby *

Eaglescliffe Eaglescliffe is a village in the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England. It is in the civil parish of Egglescliffe. The village was formerly known as Eaglescliffe Junction, being formed around . In 2011, the Office for Nationa ...

Preston-on-Tees Preston-on-Tees, locally called Preston, is a village and civil parish in the borough of Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England. The civil parish population at the 2011 census was 1,689. It is home to Preston Hall and it's accompanying p ...

* Thornaby-on-Tees * Stockton-on-Tees *

North Ormesby North Ormesby is an area in the town of Middlesbrough, in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. The area has gained the common nickname of Doggy, it is of unknown origin. Population of the North Ormesby and Brambles Farm war ...

Dormanstown Dormanstown is an area of Redcar in the borough of Redcar and Cleveland and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. Named after and built by the Dorman Long iron and steelworks in the 20th century, the area was originally built on t ...

* Warrenby

References

{{reflist

External links

The Durham Cow website - breaks the route down and has detailed mapsGPS walking and cycling webpage
Long-distance footpaths in England Tourist attractions in County Durham Footpaths in North Yorkshire Geography of County Durham