THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2016 The Northern Echo 53 Walks what’son Walks Barnard Castle and Lartington Hall field (indistinct grassy track) to reach a gate in a fence about half way across the field. After this gate, walk straight on across the Walk information next field and through another gate in a fence, then bear slightly right across the next field to reach Distance: 8 km (5 miles) another gate in the corner of the Time: 2 hours field (fence/woodland on your Maps: OS Explorer Sheet 31 - right). After this gate walk straight always carry a map This walk explores the beautiful on across the field bearing very Parking: Car parks throughout wooded valley of the River Tees and gradually away from the fence/ Barnard Castle its tributary of Scur Beck. The path woodland on your right, to reach a up alongside Scur Beck is a delight, gate by a large tree in the middle Refreshments: Plenty of choice at with spring flowers and a mixture of the field that leads onto a farm Barnard Castle. of trees, and eventually brings track. Follow this farm track to Terrain: Urban paths; field, you to the impressive Lartington the left, alongside a fence on your woodland and riverside paths and Hall. This Hall boasts a historic left at first, then straight on across tracks. A couple of stiles and some landscape that has evolved over fields for 500 metres to reach a muddy sections, with a couple 1,000 years. Before the Norman crossroads of tracks and lanes just of rough sections through the Conquest it was given by the Bishop before the large group of buildings woodland due to storm damage. of Durham to Earl Ughtred of and house at Towler Hill. How to get there: Barnard Castle Northumbria, a Viking. During across the River Tees. Cross this Turn right along the lane is situated at the junction of the medieval times, this parkland was footbridge to join the B6277 where 4(waymarker) and follow this A67 and A688 in Teesdale. farmed and the well-preserved you turn right along the road then straight on for 125 metres then, Please note: Take care walking medieval ridge and furrow almost immediately right along where the track curves right (sheep ploughing strips can still be seen, pens) head left just before the along the roads. Some of the paths a driveway (signpost) passing across the parkland (signpost) whilst in the 18th Century more sheep pens through a small gate are rough in places due to storm between the houses to quickly towards Lartington Hall, passing formal gardens were laid out in the (waymarker). After the gate, head damage. reach a gate that leads out onto a a small pond to reach a stile over a fashionable ‘picturesque’ style of to the right alongside the fence on field. Head through the gate and fence opposite the ornate entrance the time. your right heading along the top Points of interest follow the track straight on across canopy of Lartington Hall (wooden of the bank, with the wooded Tees From Lartington Hall, our route the field, with the Tees across building to your right). heads back across fields crossing down to your right, for 750 metres down to your left, to reach a small ARNARD Castle stands at After the stile, head to the two old railway lines along the way to reach a cattle grid across the gate in the corner of the field. the gateway to Teesdale, 3right along the gravel driveway track that leads into Pecknell Wood. After this small gate, head to the a lovely old market – the Stainmore Railway across the of Lartington Hall, passing the Pennines and then the branch line Cross the cattle grid and head down left alongside the fence/woodland town with a wealth of wooden building on your right, to on your left to reach another small B to Upper Teesdale. Towards the end along the track to quickly reach traditional shops. The soon reach a T-junction of lanes gate in the corner of the field that of this walk we pass the remains of a bridge across the side-stream dramatic ruins of Bernard Baliol’s (3-finger signpost), with the houses leads into woodland beside the old the once impressive Tees Viaduct of Scur Beck (house just ahead), 12th Century castle rise boldly of Lartington in front of you. Turn Tees Viaduct (Stainmore Railway). that carried the railway across the immediately after which turn left above the wooded banks of the Tees. right along the lane and follow it Cross straight over and down steps River Tees. The Stainmore Railway along a footpath into the woodland The Baliol family became powerful down, passing a cemetery on your through woodland that brings you closed in 1962, and is now just a (waymarker). during the 12th and 13th Centuries; left, to reach a bridge across Scur out onto a lane (Tees to your left). distant memory. indeed in 1282 Devorguilla, the Follow this clear, narrow path Beck, after which follow the lane Head left along the lane, passing widow of John Baliol, founded 2straight on heading up through up to soon reach the entrance to a house on your left, and over a Baliol College at Oxford whilst The walk the dense woodland, with Scur cottages and house at the walled bridge across Scur Beck and on their son, John, became King of From the bottom of Galgate at Beck to your left, for 550 metres garden. As you reach the entrance back to the cattle grid that leads Scotland in 1292. Their fortunes 1the junction with Horsemarket to reach a fork in the path (with a gates, follow the clear track out of the woodland. Re-trace your soon declined, however, as this new (in the centre of Barnard Castle), small stream just in front of you). curving to your left (‘Home Farm’ steps straight on along the lane King of Scotland decided upon head along the lane to the right- Take the left-hand path, down over and waymarkers) and follow this across the field back to join the conflict rather than compromise hand side of Barnard Castle the small stream then straight on straight on through an old bridge B6277. Turn left along the road with the King of England. Defeated Methodist Church heading towards through the woodland (Scur Beck beneath the Stainmore Railway. for a short distance then turn left in battle by Edward I in 1296, their the entrance to the Castle then, across to your left) for a further 700 After this bridge, do not continue back over Deepdale Aqueduct, after castle and estates were forfeited. after a short distance where the metres to join a lane at Pecknell along the clear track, but walk which take the lane to the right Ownership of the castle passed lane divides, follow the right-hand Farm (caravan park). Turn left straight on across the field, passing that leads back up into Barnard to the Earls of Warwick for the branch then head straight on down down along the lane to reach a a signpost in the middle of the Castle. As you reach the houses on next 200 years then in the late 15th the metalled path (Public Fiitoath road bridge across Scur Beck, field, to reach a grassy ramp that the edge of Barnard Castle, walk Century it passed to Richard III and sign ‘Riverside Walk, Cotherstone). immediately after which turn right leads over a bridge across the old straight on along the path passing remained in Royal hands until 1603. Follow this path down through through a gate that leads out onto Teesdale branch line. After the the crazy golf and play area on The castle, along with the lordship woodland for 150 metres to reach Lartingham Hall Park (information railway bridge, walk straight on your left, back into the town centre. of Raby, had several further owners a fork in the path, where you head sign). After the gate, walk straight across the field alongside the fence before it passed into the hands left down to the riverside path. on across the field alongside Scur on your right to reach gate in the Mark Reid of Sir Henry Vane in 1630, who Turn right along the riverside Beck on your right for 600 metres corner of the field (woodland in Walking Weekends 2016 subsequently made Raby Castle his path, passing Barnard Castle Weir then, when you are parallel with front of you). Turn right through Aysgarth Falls, Yorkshire Dales: main residence and Barnard Castle to reach a turning area beside the walled garden to your right the gate then head diagonally to Sept 9-11 fell into ruin. Deepdale Aqueduct (footbridge) across the stream, bear left up the right across the middle of the walkingweekenders.co.uk

Birdwatch By Ian Kerr However, one area of Durham including pied flycatchers and have been incubating through where they still struggle on and redstarts. Pied flycatchers normal April’s snow, hail storms and where I found myself the other nest tree holes but take readily freezing temperatures, another NE of the species I go less and less frequently across day, are the pristine deciduous to nest boxes and it’s probably demonstration of their toughness out of my way to see our woodlands. Wood warblers woodlands of the Derwent Gorge, no exaggeration to say that their in the face of adversity. Oand hear in late spring have declined so sharply that just below Muggleswick. At least provision in prime localities has is the wood warbler, pictured. birders now actively seek them three males were in full glorious really boosted the population. The These diminutive beauties with out in their few remaining areas. song. singing birds we came across were moss green upper-parts, lemon A recent edition of Birds in Our decline has been mirrored all near nest boxes. yellow eye-stripes and throats Durham, annual report of the across Britain. The British Trust While these summer visitors and silky white under-parts, county’s bird club, said the only for Ornithology estimates that are settling to breed our resident are often difficult to see as they reports of singing birds came since the early 1990s numbers species are now at their busiest move swiftly through the fresh from Muggleswick, Edmundbyers have slumped by 65%. It believes with young. The raucous hunger greenery of those most beautiful and Tunstall Reservoir, a sad state the problems might lie in their calls of starlings seem to be and English of trees, the oak and of affairs which leaves its future wintering areas in the humid zone everywhere and blackbirds, silver birch. in Durham hanging by a threat. of tropical West Africa. There, song thrushes, robins and other The giveaway is usually their Wood warblers have a generally their ability to find sufficient common species also appear to be song, a series of fluting metallic westerly distribution in Britain insect food may have been affected having a good season. notes ending with a pulsating and have probably never been by changes in land use for farming. In upland areas, lapwings, downwards trill like the sound of particularly plentiful in the The Derwent Gorge area holds curlew, snipe and other waders a spinning coin on a stone slab. north east because we have other beautiful summer visitors all now have young. They must Sadly, it’s a sound being enjoyed comparatively little of their