Spring Walk 2022 - Middleton-in-Teesdale to Cothersone on the Teesdale Way

Friday 18th March 2022

Walking Diary (All Walks) North Yorkshire & Co Durham Country Pub Crawls Other Dales

The first ever 'Spring Walk' was enjoyed in almost glorious summer conditions - Dry & Sunny throughout. Eight young lads endured a daunting trek through wild Teesdale. Actually it was more of a gentle stroll through the countryside stopping off at the occasional watering hole.

I did have an alternative route planned for today, but a couple of concerns made me re-think at the last minute and fall back on a guaranteed good walk that we have done before. Pubs are usually the problem these days, they are either shut for good or only open at certain times and even then they can be closed even when they are meant to be open - so it make the planning of these days much more complicated than you would expect. Today's walk had the novel feature of a cafe lunch rather than the usual pub lunch, which did raise a few eyebrows especially when we reached Romaldkirk at 3pm having only had two pints since 11:30am, this was unheard of. We had a bit of catching up to do.

As for the walk itself, we visited Eggleston and its Hall, Romaldkirk and finally Cotherstone before a minibus ride into Barnard Castle for the evening and then finishing the day off in the Golden Smog in Stockton.

Good day all round.

The information contained in the material on this Website is for information purposes only and does not constitute advice.
Distance: 10.2 miles
Duration: 6:15 hours
Ascent: 1171 ft
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
Accompanied By: Dave, Davy, Ste, Mark, Rob, Gary & Casino
Weather: Dry & Sunny

3D outline of route

Parking

Spirits high as the group arrives in sunny Middleton

Teesdale Hotel - Nice pub, nice beer and very friendly - Great start to the day !

Now for the walk- Joining the Teesdale Way as we leave Middleton-in-Teesdale. We have been to Middleton a couple of times recently, as we finished the first half of the Pennine Way here last year.

The very picturesque River Tees

Gilding the Lily possibly ? A good looking bunch adding a touch of beauty to the idyllic country backdrop

I'll treat myself to an appearance - the selfie (arm) is something I've become useful for !

Gradual erosion can be seen on the river bank in places, but these local stretches on the Teesdale Way have been well protected.

Youngest and fittest leading the way.

Nothing too strenuous today, but a few small ups and downs were always a welcome relief.

I'd have just moved the nameplated churn to one side when constructing the fence - but then I'm an engineer after all.

All smiles at the moment - but if they'd known it was another two hours to the next pint, it might have changed the mood ! Eggleston used to have a good pub (Three Tuns) but its now shut for good - that would have been an ideal interim stop, the other pub in the village doesn't open till 5pm, so we had no alternative but to press on without real refreshment.

Leaving the Tees near Egglesburn

Crossing the mighty Eggleston Burn

Arriving at 'dry' Eggleston

Holy Trinity Church Eggleston (1869)

As I said earlier, a change for lunch on this spring walk - a cafe rather than a pub. Nice enough to sit outside and the food was really good though. Other than the lack of real ale, Eggleston Hall cafe was a really nice & friendly place to go.

Back on the Teesdale Way as we re-join the river

Don't get too many traffic lights on national trails.

Approaching Romaldkirk

Church of St Romald (Romaldkirk) Romaldkirk, a village with three greens, stocks and a splendid water pump. Its church is dedicated to St. Romald. Apparently it has a Devil's Door inside, behind which Satan was supposed to lurk. It was blocked up in the Middle Ages to keep him out. I think parts of this church date back to the twelth century.

The stocks can come in handy if anyone is out of order.

After the Rose and Crown it was over to the Kirk. It's very welcoming and friendly and certainly an experience - there's not many like it, if any these days. Paul the eccentric landlord, is very welcoming and certainly has a good sense of humour - maybe not the most popular chap in the village, but we certainly enjoyed his latest addition to his village green beer garden as we sat at the newly arrived tables. Good luck with that one Paul and thanks for the pen !

The last bit of walking for the day as we leave Romaldkirk and head for Cotherstone

Spring has certainly sprung

The last shot of the Tees as we start to head slightly uphill into Cotherstone.

The Fox & Hounds was shut (even though it was supposed to be open at the time we arrived) so we had a 15 minute wait for the Red Lion to open up at 6pm. Worth the wait, as the beer was good - even had some strong stuff for Phil and the atmosphere in there was soon lively - obviously popular with the locals. All too soon it was time to leave and pitch up in Barnard Castle for the evening. Unfortunately, the excellent micro pub 'The Firkin Alley' had closed during Covid, so we didn't get to enjoy that one this time round.

The day ended badly for me though. Having took my boots off and replaced them with some light shoes for the last part of the day - I then managed to leave them in Barney as we got our minibus home. Didn't realise until I was chatting in the pub in Stockton later that night - fortunately, they were found and kept safe for me until I returned in the car the next day. The things I do to keep everyone entertained !