Long Walk, 15th. August 2019 The Durham Coastal Path Peterlee to Dawdon (9¼ miles, 1250 ft. of ascent)

Not very many years ago, the coast of County Durham was badly polluted by colliery waste which was disposed of by tipping it over the cliffs, so that the beaches were black with coal dust. Since this practice ceased in 1991, a clean-up programme, aided by the action of the waves, has changed the coastline beyond recognition, and parts of it are now managed by the National Trust as a Heritage Coast. The Durham coastal path, together with those in Sunderland and Hartlepool, is now incorporated into the England Coast Path (a National Trail) which is being created in stages. We will be walking along a section of this path today, but we also get to see parts of Castle Eden Dene which is a National Nature Reserve. We meet at Gateshead Interchange and travel out to Peterlee on the X9 bus (which also calls at Heworth Interchange, but nowhere else, on its way out of Gateshead). From Peterlee bus station we cut through the shopping precinct and make our way out through a part of the town which is well endowed with grassy open spaces, before descending a long flight of steps into Castle Eden Dene. The woodland here is thought to be little changed from that which sprang up over much of Britain after the last Ice Age. A path leads us downstream, eventually ascending to the A1086 Coast Road. On the other side, we descend again into the lower part of the dene, where the woodland gives way to an open meadow. Just short of the shingly beach at Dene Mouth, a turning takes the path round the corner to the parallel Limekiln Gill, where late-summer flowers provide plenty of colour, then up onto the cliff tops, near to a metal sculpture of the rare Little Tern. Here, and elsewhere along the coast, the characteristic flora and fauna of Magnesian Limestone grassland can be found, including some comparative rarities. The coastline is broken up at intervals by denes where streams flow down to the sea. At the next one, Blackhills Gill, we descend almost to the dene mouth and then walk up the densely vegetated valley bottom to find an escape route and regain the cliff tops. Whitesides Gill is less steep, and only a partial descent is necessary to get across. A stone windbreak with seating would make a good place to have lunch, if we have not found it necessary to stop before this. At Warren House Gill we again have to descend close to the sea and then walk up the dene. Beyond this, the path threads its way between the cliff tops and fenced-off grassland, until progress is interrupted by the densely wooded Foxholes Dene, where we detour inland for some distance instead of descending. The next dene, Busiers Holes, is also crossed by means of a detour, then there follows a stretch of nearly-level walking. The Hartlepool to Sunderland railway line now comes close to the cliffs, and our path continues alongside it, until we reach the deep wooded valley of Hawthorn Dene, which the railway crosses by a viaduct while we descend part way and then make use of a footbridge. The last significant climb of the walk leads to the flower-rich Hawthorn Meadows, then we follow the railway on its landward side until a bridge enables us to cross over and rejoin the cliff tops. On a clear day, there are views along the coast from here to Sunderland and beyond to the north, and well into Yorkshire to the south. Blast Beach, down below, gets its name from the blast furnace that once stood just above it, but no trace of industry remains here now. The footpath eventually meets a road at Dawdon on the outskirts of Seaham, which is served by frequent buses to Sunderland for our homeward journey. This will be the most challenging walk of our season, including several significant climbs. There is also a lack of facilities en route for obtaining refreshments.