The Grey Panthers

Explorer Map 306, - Middlesbrough & Hartlepool

On paper this appeared to be a viable walk for the winter months, - close to our home area (Cleveland) and with use made of railway walk ways.
In practice the walk turned out to be one of those walks that won't be repeated in a hurry.
To begin with, the car park we have used in the past at Castle Eden is now a private one where wheel clamping is threatened.
The next problem was a footpath closure. Although a closure notice was posted, this was about half a mile from the closure, - a damaged footbridge over a beck. In dry weather it would have been possible to proceed, but in damp / wet weather to do so was dangerous. So we had a big detour.
After crossing the A19 dual carriageway (not recommended, but the footpath goes over the road), our next big problem was trying to cross badly maintained stiles on farmland. Two of these were in a really disgraceful state.
We cut short the full walk. After reaching the Hurworth Burn Reservoir, we returned to Castle Eden along the railway walkway and cycle tracks.

For a Memory Map overlay of the walk described, please select the above link.
(Overlay made with Version 5 of Memory Map)

Some new mapping software is now available which you may want to try, - QUO mapping. You can download the software for free from the link below, complete with demonstration maps. Having installed QUO, you can import and export Memory Map overlays. Thus YOU DON'T NEED Memory Map to use any of the overlays provided on the Grey Panthers web site, - just use QUO!!

The walk described below is as it was INTENDED to be. The actual route taken differed for various reasons.

Start from Castle Eden village (road-side parking), - NZ424374.
Follow the Castle Eden walkway towards Crimdon for about half a mile.
Take the field footpath on your right that heads due South to woodland, and continue over two footbridges to reach the A19 dual carriageway.
Cross the A19 and take the field footpath to the village of Hutton Henry.
Just past the public house, there is a footpath sign. Enter the cut between houses, but then turn right to walk along the street until you come to a lane.
Follow this lane to emerge at the B1280 road.
Turn right and after a short distance, cross the road and take the footpath to Wood Close Farm.
FRom here take the footpath to Catlow Hall Far. Continue along field footpaths to Black Hurworth Farm and the Castle Eden walkway.
After making a circuit round the Hurworth Burn Reservoir, return along the walkway to Station Town.
From Station Town, take footpaths back to the Castle Eden Walkway and Castle Eden itself.