Weardale Way is a

footpath A footpath (also pedestrian way, walking trail, nature trail) is a type of thoroughfare that is intended for use only by pedestrians and not other forms of traffic such as Motor vehicle, motorized vehicles, bicycles and horseback, horses. They ...

that follows the River Wear in the North East of England. It is 73 miles long, starting at the Lindesfarne Memorial on the sea wall at

Roker Roker ( ) is a seaside resort in Sunderland, city of Sunderland district, Tyne and Wear. England. It is located north of the River Wear and Monkwearmouth, east of the southern part of Fulwell with the coastal resort of Seaburn to its nort ...

(a part of the City of

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...

). It then passes through

Chester-le-Street Chester-le-Street () is a market town in County Durham, England. It is located around north of Durham and is close to Newcastle. The town holds markets on Saturdays. In 2021, the town had a population of 23,555. The town's history is ancient; ...

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city in north east England **County Durham, a ceremonial county which includes Durham *Durham, North Carolina, a city in North Carolina, United States Durham may also refer to: Places ...

Bishop Auckland Bishop Auckland ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish at the confluence of the River Wear and the River Gaunless in County Durham, England. It is northwest of Darlington and southwest of Durham, England, Durham. M ...

Wolsingham Wolsingham is a market town in Weardale, County Durham (district), County Durham, England. It is situated by the River Wear, between Crook, County Durham, Crook and Stanhope, County Durham, Stanhope. History Wolsingham sits at the confluence ...

and Stanhope. The path ends outside the Post Office in the village of

Wearhead Wearhead is a village in the civil parish of Stanhope, County Durham, Stanhope, in County Durham, England. It is situated at the top of Weardale between Cowshill and Ireshopeburn. It is named after the nearby source of the River Wear which runs ...

County Durham County Durham, officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England.UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne an ...

. Within the area administered by the City of Sunderland local authority, the route is meant to follow that marked as the River Wear Trail; unfortunately, many of the markers for this route have been removed by vandals. Once the route goes into the area administered by the Durham County Council, it is

waymarked Trail blazing or way marking is the practice of marking paths in outdoor recreational areas with signs or markings that follow each other at certain, though not necessarily exactly defined, distances and mark the direction of the trail. A blaz ...

to some extent by plastic disks attached to wooden and metal posts, trees and

street furniture Street furniture is a collective term for objects and pieces of equipment installed along streets and roads for various purposes. It includes bench (furniture), benches, traffic barriers, bollards, post boxes, phone boxes, streetlamps, traffic ...

. There are several wooden 'finger' signs along the route that countdown the distance along the

in both directions. This path is marked on the latest series of Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 maps, Explorer sheets 305, 307, 308 and OL31 cover the walk. A guide to the walk is available: The Weardale Way, A Pictorial Walking Guide by Alistair Wallace (Jema Publications, 1997).

Points of interest on or near the route

Roker Pier Roker ( ) is a seaside resort in Sunderland, city of Sunderland district, Tyne and Wear. England. It is located north of the River Wear and Monkwearmouth, east of the southern part of Fulwell, Tyne and Wear, Fulwell with the coastal resort of ...

Penshaw Monument The Penshaw Monument (officially the Earl of Durham's Monument) is a memorial in the style of an ancient Greek temple on Penshaw Hill in the metropolitan borough of the City of Sunderland, North East England. It is located near the village of ...

Lumley Castle Lumley Castle is a 14th-century quadrangular castle at Chester-le-Street in the North of England, near the city of Durham, and a property of the Earl of Scarbrough. It is a Grade I listed building. It is currently a hotel. History It is name ...

* Chester-le-Street Riverside Cricket Ground *

Finchale Priory Finchale Priory ( ), sometimes referred to as Finchale Abbey, was a 13th-century Benedictine priory. The remains are sited by the River Wear, four miles from Durham, England. It is a Grade I listed building. Early history Godric was born ab ...

Durham Cathedral Durham Cathedral, formally the , is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Durham, England. The cathedral is the seat of the bishop of Durham and is the Mother Church#Cathedral, mother church of the diocese of Durham. It also contains the ...

Durham Castle Durham Castle is a Norman castle in the city of Durham, England, which has been occupied since 1837 by University College, Durham after its previous role as the residence of the Bishops of Durham. Designated since 1986 as a cultural World Heri ...

Croxdale Hall The Croxdale Hall Estate at Croxdale near Sunderland Bridge, County Durham, Sunderland Bridge, County Durham, England, has been owned by the Salvin family since the 15th century. Its principal building is the Grade I listed building, Grade I l ...

Escomb Church Escomb Church is the Church of England parish church of Escomb, County Durham, a village about west of Bishop Auckland. It is one of the oldest Anglo-Saxon churches in England and one of only four complete Anglo-Saxon churches remaining in Engl ...

References

Geography of County Durham Geography of Tyne and Wear Tourist attractions in County Durham Tourist attractions in Tyne and Wear Long-distance footpaths in England {{TyneandWear-geo-stub

Points of interest on or near the route

See also

References