Teesdale Way Section 13 (Stockton-on-Tees to South Bank)
Introduction
Section 13 of the Teesdale Way links Stockton-on-Tees, in the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees and the ceremonial county of Durham, to South Bank on Teesside. The trail follows the river as far as Middlesbrough, entirely on tarmac or well consolidated trails without a single stile or even a gate. While it makes for good progress it can be a strain on feet and hips if walking multiple sections. The most significant hills on this section are the steps on and off the Tees Newport Bridge when you cross to the other side of the river.
Stats at a Glance
Distance: 12.8 km/7.9 miles | Height Gain 32 m/106 ft | Maximum Elevation 12 m/40 ft (South Bank) | Going Firm, on footpaths, trails, tracks and road through urban, semi-urban and industrialised areas. Generally sheltered | Navigation (OS Maps Explorer 306; Landranger 93); GPS File | Hospitality & Supplies Stockton on Tees (FF); (All) [0.5 km]; Tees Barrage (Ca; PH) Middlesbrough (All) [0.5 km]; South Bank (All) [0.5 km] | Start Chandlers Wharf, Stockton-on-Tees NZ 447183 (w3w: alerting.cubic.sake) | Finish Railway Station, South Bank NZ 533212 (w3w: fonts.zeal.card) | Grade Gentle | GALLERY
Trail Updates
The following updates have been published by The Durham Cow for this section: 170525
Description
A year after the Stockton & Darlington railway opened in 1825, John Walker of Stockon-on-Tees invented the friction match. Today Stockton is a busy, sprawling town but beneath the concrete are the foundations of Stockton Castle. The medieval fortress that once hosted King John belonged to the Conyers family, a name that crops up often around this part of the Teesdale Way. Unfortunately the castle was destroyed after the English Civil War having been a Royalist stronghold.
Downstream from the historically significant Victoria Bridge you’ll find the Teesquay Millenium Footbridge, Princess of Wales’ Bridge and the elegant Infinity Footbridge all of which link the city to Durham University’s Queen’s Campus. The next crossing point is the Tees Barrage, which hosts the International White Water Centre. Opened in 1995, the barrage is a truly impressive piece of engineering responsible for mitigating the effects of tidal-related flooding further upstream.
Downstream from the barrage is Portrack Marsh Nature Reserve. If you’re looking for wildlife along the river, this is a perfect section of the trail on which to see it. Apart from the many species of bird you’re quite likely to see common seals or grey seals patrolling up to the barrage. At the beginning of the c19th this part of the river comprised a couple of extreme meanders until two cuts were made to improve its commercial potential. First came the 200-metre Mandale Cut (1810), made where the barrage is now, followed by the Portrack Cut (1831) – approximately 1 km long – between today’s barrage and the A19 Tees Viaduct.
Further downstream is the Tees Newport Bridge, erected in 1934 alongside the Billingham Beck, the last significant tributary on the Tees. The vertical-lift bridge was painted red and silver for its 80th anniversary in 2014. With no reason for large vessels to proceed further upstream, the deck is locked permanently in the lowered position.
On the other side of the river, the trail enters Middlesbrough which, at the beginning of the c19th was little more than a farm. By the end of the 1860s there were about 100 furnaces between Stockton and Middlesbrough gaining the latter the epithet ‘Ironopolis’ while that part of trail downstream of the Newport Bridge was known as the ‘Ironmasters’ District. It’s all gone now, replaced by the silent grey boxes that frequently characterise today’s commercial enterprises.
On a reclaimed slag heap dating from the Ironmasters era you’ll find Teessaurus Park. The first of the large, steel-fabricated dinosaurs that populate the compact public park was installed in 1979. It’s had its ups and downs but, unlike the dinosaurs, avoided extinction and has never looked better.
The area after leaving the park, has seen significant development as the Port of Middlesbrough which extends along the trail, beyond the distinctive Dock Clock Tower, to Middlehaven. Here you’ll eventually get an uninterrupted view of Middlesbrough’s symbolic Transporter Bridge, framed nicely through the red-brick portals of the historic Vulcan Street Wall that once delineated the boundary of the Cleveland Salt Works.
Anish Kapoor’s fishnet-like sculpture ‘Temenos’ is impossible to miss and just as difficult to photograph. In my humble opinion the area around the Middelhaven Dock – the transport hub of Victorian industry in Middlesbrough – is messy and needs to mature. Middlesbrough FC’s Riverside Stadium at least offers a sense of purpose. Statues of ‘Boro’ legends George Hardwick and Wilf Mannion mark the ‘Boro-brick Road’ in front of gates taken from ‘The Smoggies” original ground at Ayresome Park.
Beyond the football ground the route crosses the Middlesbrough-to-Saltburn railway at Whitehouse Signal Box, next to the Navigation Inn. The Ormesby Beck, alongside which the Teesdale Way runs for a short distance, is the last Tees tributary that the trail crosses. Although you’re separated from traffic on this final stretch alongside the railway to the station at South Bank, you can certainly hear it, both the traffic itself and hi-revving engines from a nearby auto-sports centre. Before things start to quieten down you’ll encounter the first of Jim Roberts’ fabricated Teesdale Way way-markers and be offered an optional detour to Cargo Fleet River View Park.
A few years ago, the panorama offered – up and down the river – was worth the short detour. Unfortunately, as trees have grown so the view has diminished to the extent that, unless you’re looking for somewhere quiet to eat a packed lunch, I’d advise investing the time in inspecting the community art mural a bit further on. Aspects of South Bank’s history have been curated on the retaining wall of a chemical plant and it’s well worth taking the time to have a good look at. From there it’s a short walk to the finish of Section 13 at South Bank Railway Station – which is close to a superstore should you be looking for a cafe or supplies.