Brusselton Wood & Dere Street

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2014 The Northern Echo 35 Walks what’son Walks Brusselton Wood & Dere Street Street, protected by a string of where you turn left along another Walk information forts, with a river crossing a fort track and over a metal barrier (blue at Piercebridge, and forts further cycle sign, and roofless small brick Distance: 4.5 km (2.8 miles) north at Binchester and Corbridge. building). Haggs Lane leads down through Time: 1 - 2 hours Brusselton Wood, an ancient Maps: OS Explorer 305 woodland of oak, birch, hawthorn Follow this enclosed bridleway 2(Burnshouse Lane) straight Parking: Limited roadside parking and blackthorn; this is a beautiful on, hemmed in by hawthorn and in small lay-bys around Brusselton swathe of woodland, particularly in blackthorn bushes, for 950 metres Hill transmitter mast; please park autumn. The views from the foot of considerately and safely. the woodland across the Gaunless (meandering River Gaunless across Valley towards Bishop Auckland to your right) until you reach a Refreshments: None en route. are superb. junction of tracks at the entrance Terrain: Woodland paths and to Bankfoot Farm across to your tracks, field paths and farm tracks. left (line of old railway across your Muddy in places, with a long Bellow Brusselton Wood, our route path). Carry straight on along the downhill and uphill section. follows an old track known as gravel track/lane and follow this for Burnshouse Lane, which crosses How to get there: From the A68 275 metres then turn left through the line of an old railway beside a wooden bridlegate in the hedge/ at Royal Oak (to the south-east of the entrance to Bankfoot Farm. West Auckland), take the turning fence on your left (Backsandsides This long disused railway formed Farm with its wind turbine up to towards Shildon and follow this to part of the original Darlington reach the sharp right-angle bend your left, some 400 metres away and and Stockton Railway, along which slightly in front of you). beside the large transmitter mast ran the world’s first passenger on Brusselton Hill, where you train in 1825. Wagons of coal were will find some roadside lay-bys. hauled from Witton Park Colliery After the bridlegate, walk Alternative parking can be found at to Shildon using stationary 3straight up the field alongside Royal Oak, but this will then mean engines, horses and gravity, from the fence/hedge on your left and a fairly long road walk to reach the where the wagons were attached through a bridlegate in the corner start of the walk. to Stephenson’s Locomotion, and of the field, after which continue up Caution: Some of the paths are a number of passengers climbed across the next field and through muddy underfoot. I encountered aboard some empty wagons, and the another bridlegate in the corner cows and horses along this walk; rest is history. of the field (with Banksansides not recommended for dogs. Farm now across to your right). Head through this bridlegate The walk and continue up across the field Points of interest alongside the fence on your left From the sharp right-angle bend then, just after you have passed JUST to the south of Bishop 1beside the transmitter mast, the farm buildings across to your Auckland lies a remarkable take the track off this sharp bend right, follow the fence on your left reminder of our Roman history, (sign ‘Keep Out, Private Property, bending sharp left (‘Z’ bend in the for here you will find a stretch of No Motorcycles or 4x4s’ - this sign fence) to quickly reach another ancient Roman Road that is still relates to the adjacent land, not bridlegate tucked away in the very much a pedestrian track that our Right of Way), and follow the fence corner that leads out onto a gives you a real sense of history as narrow track straight on down field. Head through this bridlegate After the gate, follow the clear right up this track and re-trace if you are walking in the footsteps into woodland (Dere Street, Roman and walk straight on skirting to 4path bearing very slightly to your steps back to the sharp right- of Romans. The short stretch of Road). Follow this very clear the left of the gorse bushes for 25 the right through the trees and hand bend in the road near the track that we follow along this path/track straight on heading metres, then follow the clear path bracken for around 150 metres transmitter mast. walk is known as Haggs Lane, and gradually downhill through the bearing up to the right through then, as you enter more dense oak Mark Reid once formed part of the famous ancient woodland of Brusselton undergrowth to quickly reach a woodland, the path forks - follow Walking Weekends 2014 the right-hand grassy path bearing Dere Street. Following the invasion Wood for 700 metres all the way metal gate in a fence across your Peak District, Yorkshire Dales, gradually up to the right through of southern Britain in AD43, the to join a farm track (leading from path. Head through this gate and Lake District & Snowdonia the woodland and follow this all victorious Roman Legions pushed Brusselton Farm), where you walk straight up the field to reach walkingweekenders.co.uk the way for 550 metres to reach a northwards from York in around also leave the woodland behind. a field gate at the top of the field pallet ‘gate’ in a fence, just beyond Unique corporate activity days, AD80 to capture the lands held Follow this farm track straight (waymarker), after which bear left which you re-join Dere Street navigation skills and team building by the British tribes. A military on (Haggs Lane) for 800 metres to up across the next field to reach (track) which you walked down at experiences in the great outdoors. road was built from York to the reach a sharp right turn in the another gate that leads back into the beginning of the walk. Turn teamwalking.co.uk Firth of Forth, known as Dere track (and a junction of tracks), Brusselton Wood. Countrydiary By Phil GatesBBirdwatch y Ian Kerr N Monday morning the long spell of deeper soil levels, NOTHER exciting arrival of yellow- during summer, but the largest numbers fine autumn weather was broken by whilst their burrowing A browed warblers was triggered by are often recorded in early October. Peaks O rain lashing the window pane. It was Monday’s heavy rain and south and feeding slowly but included 360 off Saltburn, similar numbers enough to make most of us want to curl up surely recycles mineral easterly winds. Locally by Tuesday night at Hartlepool Headland, more than 650 at and crawl back under a duvet. As the old nutrients between the two were at Whitburn and one at Seaton Whitburn and over 300 at Tynemouth. soil layers. saying goes, ‘nice weather for ducks’, but it Snook. Many more of these tiny Siberian Most were slowly moving northwards was even better news for the earthworms, These overlooked breeders made landfall along the east coast so these counts will undoubtedly have for whom it must have come as welcome animals also play a of Scotland and in north Northumberland, involved many of the same birds. While relief after the driest September on record. pivotal role in food giving the prospect of them quickly numbers involved have been substantial During dry weather earthworms burrow chains that support filtering southwards. Once again, Holy they are far below the record period of deep into the hard-baked soil, curl up many larger animals. Island was the epicentre of this regional October of 2003, when in a single day a in a tight ball and remain inactive – a When wet weather arrival with at least a dozen present, while staggering 3,890 were off Hartlepool. It used state of suspended animation known as brings earthworms to a couple were also on the Farne Islands. No to be considered that coastal sewage outfalls aestivation. When rain returns they can the surface of lawns doubt many more remain to be found. and the rich feeding they created were the they often fall prey to start burrowing and feeding again and Our local coast seems to hold a great attraction. Thankfully, most of them have these activities are particularly important blackbirds, leading to the familiar sight of attraction for Europe’s smallest members of now gone, but the gulls keep appearing so at this time of year. Earthworms have a the bird engaged in a desperate tug of war the gull family. Flocks of dainty and aptly- obviously must still find abundant food. habit of dragging decayed autumn leaves with a worm that’s are trying to regain the named little gulls have appeared offshore Passage of pink-footed geese has gathered down into their tunnels, adding to the safety of its burrow. Hedgehogs, now in over the past few days, with substantial pace with large skeins moving towards humus content, and this is just one of many the final weeks before hibernation, are also counts from several localities. Small their main wintering areas in East Anglia. ways in which they maintain soil fertility. partial to them and earthworms also form a numbers nest in Scandinavia, but the bulk A wonderful thing is that no matter how Their tunnels also provide drainage and major part of a badger’s diet. Earthworms of the population breeds on huge areas of high geese fly their calls can be clearly lessen surface run-off, by allowing heavy are vital for some of the best-loved birds fresh-water marshes east of the Baltic and heard, often the first indication of their rain to drain away and penetrate into the and mammals in our fauna.

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