Whorlton Bridge has been closed to all users since December 2020. Access is completely fenced off and there is no other way to cross the river between Abbey Bridge (S6) and Winston Bridge (S7). This makes it impossible to continue on the Teesdale Way (TW) if you’re following our published route on the S side of the River Tees heading W to E. It’s not so bad heading in the other direction as you can continue on the N side of the river when you encounter the problem.
The trail on the N side of the river is part of a figure-of-eight route between Barnard Castle and Whorlton all of which is waymarked as TW and for which we produce a route sheet. Although there are fewer features on this part of the trail, you can still access the riverbank at the Meeting of the Waters and discover two pairs of parish boundary markers that you’d normally miss. A pair of binoculars or a long camera lens will improve views of Mortham Tower and the park. It’s worth descending the steps to the N end of the bridge at Whorlton as the well preserved toll house is still accessible.
Because of its historic importance, a restoration programme has been developed by Durham County Council in partnership with Historic England and the Environment Agency for the Grade II listed bridge which is also a scheduled monument. Such is the scale of works that they are not due for completion until March 2023.
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