Riding Mill to Ebchester – 1 February 2020
This one is close to home, after picking up at our last stop in Gosforth we are off on a short trip west of Newcastle and over the Scotswood Bridge to pick up the A695 road which we more or less follow all the way to the last drop off at Riding Mill.
Originally this was going to be a journey from Riding Mill to Shotley Bridge which we last did way back in 2003 but there is a difficulty in finding a place to park the coach somewhere convenient in Shotley Bridge once all the drop-offs have been made. Perhaps that is why we have not been back to Shotley Bridge since 2003 and it is that long ago no one can remember where the coach was on that occasion. So we have decided to make the finish just outside Ebchester on the Derwent Walk. Ebchester lies just to the north of Shotley Bridge and the pub at the finish lies close beside the Derwent Walk. The Derwent Walk runs for 11 miles (18 km) from close beside the River Tyne all the way through to Consett where it then connects with the Waskerley Way and the Lanchester Valley Railway Path. Our walks will only be on it for a short distance as all the routes are coming from a northerly direction.
The first drop-off is just past Crawcrook on the A695 road where the 11-mile route starts. This route goes west towards High Mickley before going south past Hedley on the Hill and then cuts south-east to cross the River Derwent at Blackhall Mill. It then crosses the A694 at Hamsterley and does just over a mile along the Derwent Walk to the finish. The next drop-off is the 8-mile route at Stocksfield which heads south to New Ridley and then south-east towards a Spring House before joining the same route as the 11-mile route. The final drop-off is the 12.5-mile route which gets off at Riding Mill and goes south towards Healey and then eastwards towards New Ridley where it picks up the same route as the 8-mile route all the way to the finish.
While these routes might be close to home we have not used them before so really this is a new location for the club. It is good to revisit our previous routes but it is always good to find new places to go to. So if you fancy a walk close to home and one that we have not really done before you can get in touch with us from our Contact Page and you can download the walk descriptions here and the GPS routes here.
Our last walk was across part of the Cheviots with a finish in Wooler. It was a great day out with lots of sunshine and the image for this post was taken while a group was going over White Law which is between Yeavering Bell and Gleadscleugh. You can see more of the images from our last walk on our Gallery Page.
Included in the last post there were a few tips on using the map of the routes that you can see further down the page. In this post are some tips on using the weather chart that you can see below. The chart is actually a link to a website called meteoblue. The chart shows the weather prediction for the next seven days at the destination of our routes but if you click on the chart it opens on meteoblue’s website. This website shows much more detail on the weather at the final destination, for example, if you click on one of the days on the chart the page shows more detail for that day and if you scroll further down the page you will see some moving radar images. The menu on the left-hand side of the page provides further information about the weather at our destination. Strangely, under the menu item Outdoor & Sports there is an option called wheretogo. If you click the option it shows where you can expect the best weather in the surrounding area of our destination. Not always a good thing to know if it’s raining where we happen to be going.
Ebchester Weather
| Walk No. 3 | Riding Mill to Ebchester | 1 February 2020 |
| Area: Durham | Map: Exp 307, 316 |
8 miles Moderate
Start A695 Road (Stocksfield) Grid Ref: NZ054613
Footpath south-east to Bat House Road – New Ridley – Apperley – Spring House – Hollins – Dismantled Railway – Bridleway to Blackhall Mill – Hamsterley – Derwent Walk to the pub on B6309 Road
11 miles Moderate
Start A695 Road Grid Ref: NZ124627
Bradley Fell – Bradley Fell Road – North View – Moor Road – Lumley’s Lane – High Mickley – Ward Lane – Hedley on the Hill – Fishpond Wood – Spring House – Hollins – Dismantled Railway – Bridleway to Blackhall Mill – Hamsterley – Derwent Walk to the pub on B6309 Road
12.5 miles Moderate
Start A695 Road (Riding Mill) Grid Ref: NZ018614
Footpath south to Broomley Fell Plantation – Burnt House – Healy – Lingey Field – Fell House – Hindley Farm – New Ridley – West Riding Wood – Spring House – Hollins – Dismantled Railway – Bridleway to Blackhall Mill – Hamsterley – Derwent Walk to the pub on B6309 Road
Pub Derwent Walk Inn Telephone: 01207 560347
