Teesdale Way Section 14 (South Bank to Redcar)
Introduction
Section 14 starts in South Bank and finishes at The Beacon in the seaside resort of Redcar where there are a host of hospitality, entertainment and transport links. I’ve offered a few route options in a single GPS file to accommodate anyone preferring to visit Teesmouth (if you’re keen to follow the course of the River Tees for instance). Given that there are no transport links to or from the breakwater at South Gare (there may be a cafe at Paddy’s Hole) I’ve assumed that you’re happy to extend the journey by returning along the beach to Redcar where the rail link extends as far as Darlington (handy for inclusive Teesdale Way sections).
Bear in mind that there’s a lot of change going on in the area meaning that diversions are likely to play a part for some time to come. The trail alongside the railway – past the former Lackenby steel mills – offers the quickest and most interesting route; whenever it’s diverted it’s invariably going to be onto industrial and trunk roads, making it longer and, unfortunately, less interesting.
Stats at a Glance
Distance 10 km/6.5 miles (17.5 km/11 miles via Teesmouth) | Height Gain 28 m/93 ft | Maximum Elevation 11 m/36 ft (Lackenby) | Going Generally good, muddy in places. Quite exposed on trails, tracks and road partly through a heavily industrialised area, nature reserve and coastal area | Navigation (OS Maps Explorer 306; Landranger 93 goes to Teesmouth but stops short of Redcar; Landranger 94 offers only a route stub to Redcar); GPS File | Hospitality & Supplies South Bank (All) [0.5 km]; Redcar (All) | Start Railway Station, South Bank NZ 533212 (w3w: fonts.zeal.card) | Finish Redcar Beacon, Redcar NZ 602253 (w3w: candle.media.smiles) | Grade Gentle | GALLERY
Trail Updates
The following updates have been published by The Durham Cow for this section: 170525
Description
From the footbridge at South Bank Railway Station, head east on the trail (Teesdale Way/England Coast Path) in the direction indicated by one of Jim Roberts’ sculpted Teesdale Way fingerposts (the one with the boots at the foot of the post). The trail passes by the now defunct steel industry at Lackenby via a series of bridges, tunnels, steps, ramps and walkways – including a section that has always been prone to flooding and which today seems to be the normal – dare I say ‘managed’ – state of affairs irrespective of weather or time of year. Water associated with an adjacent reed bed completely obstructs the trail and is deep enough to get your feet wet. You can work around it by using the road above but it’s much less attractive and hardly in keeping with two relatively high profile trails.
On Lord McGowan Bridge, where the trail reaches the A1085 trunk road, there’s a poignant memorial plaque to the crew of a WWII Lancaster bomber apparently shot down by ‘friendly’ fire from guns protecting the steelworks. Previously the plaque was uncovered but these days it has a grille enclosing it. Then, after a short section alongside the busy trunk road, it’s on to the Coatham Marsh Nature Reserve, past the entrance to the Teesworks site and Steel House, formerly the main offices of the steelworks.
To make progress towards Redcar, from within the reserve, it’s necessary to cross the railway via the only footbridge. After that, you leave the reserve either by heading towards the car-park to see the last/first of Jim Roberts’ Teesdale Way way-marks which boldly declares that it’s 100 miles to Dufton (it might be neat but it overstates the distance slightly) OR you can knock a couple of hundred metres off by avoiding the ‘dog-leg’ past the sculpture.
If you’re in a hurry to get to Redcar, you can turn right on the road, directly into town, otherwise it’s left, following the road through Warrenby, that takes you directly to the breakwater at South Gare. Directly after crossing a remnant of railway, preserved no doubt for posterity given that it’s shockingly rough to drive over, the trail turns off the road to head across the golf course. Before 2015 I preferred to stay on the road, past what was then a fully operational blast furnace, then make my way through the dunes amongst various WWII military installations.
A yellow-topped post across the fairway indicates the footpath. As you approach the dunes, unless you’re going to Teesmouth via the beach, you’ll need to make a decision to follow the white poles along the edge of the golf course, heading to Redcar or continue through the dunes, onto the beach, at which point you make the Teesmouth (left) or Redcar (right) decision. If you’re heading to Redcar there’s nothing more to say but if you’re going to Teesmouth you should be aware that you can leave the beach in favour of the gare at any point and make your way along it. It was constructed by Irish navvies using millions of tons of balled blast furnace slag and cement over a period of 23 years from 1861. The balled slag can be seen everywhere and has provided a long-lasting, diverse habitat for flora and fauna of many types.
Among the network of paths on the gare are several military sites (this part of the coast was heavily defended during WWII). The breakwater, where you’ll find the lighthouse, has three emplacements for much bigger guns that overlooked the mouth of the Tee. The breakwater by the lighthouse is a popular spot for fishermen but is exposed so should be treated with respect, especially when conditions are rough.
If you choose to head to Redcar you can’t miss the 80 ft Redcar Beacon or ‘vertical pier’ and even though they’ve filled up the bay with wind turbines, Redcar remains a popular seaside resort with all of the attractions you’d expect.