Thwaite, Scargill Castle & Brignall Banks

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2015 The Northern Echo 35 Walks what’son Walks Thwaite, Scargill Castle & Brignall Banks

old shallow workings/quarries to join a fence and woodland across your path (above Mill Scar and Walk information the River Greta). Head to the left alongside the fence (Mill Scar on Distance: 5.6 km (3.5 miles) your right) and follow this fence to reach a stile in the field corner. Time: 2 hours Cross the stile and continue on Maps: OS Explorer Sheet OL31 for a few paces then cross another ‘North Pennines’ stile to your right that leads into Start / Parking: Roadside parking woodland. After the stile, follow for half a dozen cars, just south the narrow path straight on steeply of the hairpin bend and small down the wooded hillside, heading bridge over Thwaite Beck in the down steps (take care – slippery scattered hamlet of Thwaite; Grid path with ‘lips’ on the steps) all the Ref: NZ 035 112 way to reach a footbridge over the side-stream of Thwaite Beck just Refreshments: None; bring a flask before its confluence with the River How to get there: From the A66 Greta. between Greta Bridge and Bowes, Turn left over the footbridge and turn south along the minor road 4and walk on to soon reach a stile towards ‘Reeth’ and follow this over over a fence – do NOT cross this the narrow Rutherford Bridge then, stile, but take the path branching at the road junction at Thwaite, to the left just before it, heading up carry straight on towards ‘Reeth’ alongside Thwaite Beck on your and down over another bridge left through a wooded steep-sided across Thwaite Beck (hairpin valley (take care – slippery path). bends); the roadside parking area is Follow this path for 275 metres to just beyond the hairpin bend to the reach a small gate at the end of south of Thwaite Beck. the dense woodland, after which Terrain: Country roads and lanes, continue straight on alongside boggy moorland, a couple of fields, the stream on your left heading down to the hamlet of Scargill, your path after 300 metres (Low woodland paths and river/stream up through the sparsely wooded where you will find the remains The walk Swinston Farm just across to your side paths. valley for a further 100 metres to of Scargill Castle, which date right). reach Lodge Farm on your right, Caution: Wet and boggy paths From the roadside parking back to the 13th Century. This Head through the gate and walk and a gate just beside the wall in places. The path through the 1area just south of the hairpin strategic fortress was built to 2straight on along the enclosed surrounding the farm, marked woodland is very slippery, with bends and the small bridge across protect the important route across track, which soon becomes a lane by waymarkers (detour to the some steep slopes down to the river. Thwaite Beck, head south (away the Pennines; indeed, it was used (Moor Lane) - follow this lane left after the gate to visit the old Take care walking along the roads. I from Thwaite Beck) along the road by workmen employed by Henry straight on heading down for 600 chapel hidden in trees just beyond encountered livestock on this walk. and follow it gently rising up for II to build nearby Bowes Castle metres to reach a T-junction with a footbridge). After the gate, head 500 metres (take care – face traffic). and it is said that Edward II was a narrow country road. (Detour to the right across the field passing entertained here on his way north Where the road levels out, continue to the right along the road for 250 the farm buildings on your right Points of interest to fight the Scots. In medieval times straight on for a further 100 metres metres to view the remains of to join the gravel driveway/track there was most probably a small then take the bridleway to the Scargill Castle. Return back to leading from Lodge Farm – follow left through a gate that leads out THE scattered hamlet of Thwaite village surrounding this castle, as this T-junction). At the T-junction, this track away from the farm onto the rough grassy moorland lies in the beautiful Greta Valley the many overgrown bumps and turn left along the road, passing across fields to join the road at of Garnathwaite Pasture (two in the southern area of County earthworks in the surrounding a farm on your right, and follow Thwaite. Turn right along the road signposts). After the gate, walk Durham. There is not much to this fields testify. The 15th Century this road for 600 metres then take to reach a T-junction. Turn left straight on keeping close to the hamlet, just a few farms, but there gatehouse has been restored, the footpath to the right through along the road towards ‘Reeth’ and wall on your left, following the path is a curious abandoned chapel near although the rest of the castle is in a double wooden gate, marked by follow this road down over Thwaite heading across the boggy moorland Lodge Farm that lies hidden in a ruinous state. The castle lies on a signpost (stump of a large felled Bridge, around the harpin bend of Garnathwaite Pasture for 750 trees in a field on its own. It appears private land. tree beside this gate). and back to the parking area. metres all the way to reach a gate After the gate, walk straight on to be a Methodist Chapel, and still I had intended to walk past the Mark Reid in a wall across your path. Head 3along the grassy track alongside has its pews in place. Why was this castle and down to Brignall Banks TeamWalking through the gate, and carry straight the fence on your left across the chapel built in such a remote place? and follow the riverside path on across the rough field alongside field for 100 metres to reach a gate, Hill Skills, Outdoor Adventures upstream to Brignall Mill, but the the wall on your left for 250 metres after which turn immediately and Team Events in the Great Our route heads away from footbridge across the side stream to reach a choice of two gates in a left over a stile across the fence Outdoors, with Mark Reid. Thwaite over the rough moorland is closed, so instead I have followed wall/fence (wall ends on your left). (do not continue down along the of Garnathwaite Pasture. I would the road further west to join up Head through the left-hand gate, track into the woodland). After the Unique corporate activity days, normally now describe the lovely with this riverside path beyond Mill and follow the rough track straight stile, walk across the field bearing navigation skills and team building views, but I could not see a thing Scar. This is a beautiful section of on with the fence on your right, slightly right and passing just to experiences in the great outdoors. when I walked this route as there river and woodland, in full autumn passing a small block of woodland the left side of two grass-covered teamwalking.co.uk was thick fog! This bridleway leads colours. to reach a gate in a fence across

However, just to complicate great white egret was at Boldon boat towards the mainland a mile By Ian Kerr the situation, one or two very Flats while the now-regular bird away. He watched helplessly as Birdwatch late common swifts were also remained around Greatham herring and greater black-backed on the coast, one at Whitburn in Creek. A rough-legged buzzard gulls knocked redwings and ARTIES of screaming swifts a more prominent pale throat company with a pallid bird. was an early winter visitor at blackbirds into the sea and then which grace the skies patch. Their flight can also be These were the first reports Scaling Dam, an area which snatched them up and swallowed P above nesting sites in always seems to do well for this them whole. My friend’s father, a marginally slower with longer of pallid swift for the region older buildings in our towns glides. However, all swifts really since singles were at Hartlepool impressive Arctic raptor. retired fisherman, said that such and villages are always among do live up to their name. The Headland in October 2013 and Last week’s big influx scenes had been regular when the earliest summer visitors to subtle differences in a fast-flying Whitburn in November 2011. They of fieldfares, redwings and he was at sea. He used to take an leave, most departing by early bird, providing fleeting views, are were among a number of exciting blackbirds tailed off as more extra bucket of bait along and September. difficult to detect, making positive birds which have occurred. These westerly weather returned hurl it out to distract the gulls, identification tricky. Pallid swifts included a red-breasted flycatcher and provided unseasonal mild giving the exhausted thrushes the Consequently, any swift which opportunity to escape. appears at this time of year breed around the Mediterranean at Hartlepool and an Arctic conditions. In coastal areas I’ve always has the potential to be and, like our own nesting swifts, warbler at Marsden Quarry, the visited blackbirds remained something really special. So winter south of the Sahara. first for Durham since August prominent but the others appeared it’s proved over the past week Over the course of two days 2013. A first-winter red-backed to have rapidly moved on. Last with several sightings of one or there were sightings from Boulby, shrike was at Boulby, Richard’s week I mentioned the impact of more pallid swifts from southern the Marsden Bay and Whitburn and water pipits at Burniston big gulls on tired migrants. A Europe and north Africa. These areas and from further north at and a firecrest at Filey. Black fisherman friend told me that last birds differ from our own familiar Newbiggin. It’s quite possible that redstarts remained prominent.. A Thursday morning when he was swifts in being paler, slightly the same individual moving up grey phalarope was at the South hauling his creels thousands of more heavy-bodied and with and down the coast was involved. Gare. Among larger species, a thrushes streamed low past his