Walking & Cycling in Northern England

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Walking is core to what we do here at The Durham Cow. We translate our passion for exploring the natural and heritage sites of County Durham, Northern England and beyond onto the pages of this website so that, if you’re not already doing it, you might be inspired to get out and enjoy them yourself. Up here in ‘The North’ we’re lucky to have a fantastic network of quiet lanes and paths within glorious countryside and diverse landscapes many of which lead to sites rich in history, often of international significance and ‘world’s-firsts’. The health benefits of weight-bearing exercise like walking, whether in a group or on your own, are well understood but, by doing it our way, you get to exercise the mind as well as the body. All of our routes are offered free of charge along with any advice should you need it or feel free to offer it yourself.

Cycling is the perfect way to get further afield on your travels. We publish the bike routes we’ve used to sites that we find interesting. You’ll need a reasonable level of confidence to get the most out of them but if it’s lacking, we can advise on ways you might gain it. Fitness will come naturally, so start small and build. If our routes are too long or challenging they can be adapted easily (having a goal and some suggestions for hospitality breaks should get you started). Most of the routes we offer at the moment are day rides which generally start and finish at the same point, though most GPS devices will allow you to join a route wherever you choose. Again, if you’d like advice on any aspect of mixed terrain cycling (including tandems) or, if you can offer any, use the comments or contact us directly by email. We ride so you feel you have to!

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT COUNTY DURHAM’S LONG DISTANCE WALKING TRAILS

The Weardale Way

78 miles from the lead mines of the North Pennines along the River Wear through Weardale. The trail visits the historic towns and cities of Bishop Auckland, Durham, Chester-le-Street and Sunderland to the reach the coast at Roker.

The Teesdale Way

92 miles across the North Pennines from Cumbria’s Eden Valley to the North Sea at Teesmouth or Redcar. The route follows the River Tees through Middleton-in-Teesdale, Barnard Castle, Darlington, Stockton & Middlesbrough.