Weardale Way Section 6 (White Kirkley to Wolsingham)
Introduction
Section 6 of the Weardale Way starts from White Kirkley Farm, White Kirkley near Frosterley and finishes at the railway station in Wolsingham. The route from the hamlet of White Kirkley to the busy dales town of Wolsingham passes through a couple of working farms and involves a long and reasonably strenuous ascent onto the exposed escarpment of Sunnyside Edge. Not far away is the distinctive Weardale landmark of ‘Elephant Trees’, actually a compact, isolated copse of wind-bent beech trees. The escarpment, on the edge of a grouse moor, offers superb views up and down the dale while the last few kilometres to the station are almost entirely downhill.
Stats at a Glance
Distance 9.2 km/5.7 miles | Elevation Gain 224 m/734 ft | Maximum Elevation 372 m/1220 ft (Sunnyside Edge) | Going Generally firm with some potentially wet/boggy sections through upland pasture, moorland, coniferous forest and farmland | Exposure Very exposed (particularly the first half) | Supplies & Hospitality Frosterley [0.5 km] (FF; GS; PH); Wolsingham [0.5 km] (All) | Start White Kirkley Farm NZ 027359 | Finish Railway Station, Wolsingham NZ 076368 | Grade Challenge | GPS File
Description
The first distinctive location after leaving White Kirkley is Bishopley Lime Kilns on the other side of the Bollihope Burn. As ‘running kilns’ they were operational 24 hours a day, serviced by the railway which ran in front and along the top of the kilns. Certain bands of limestone in this part of the dale are populated with a particular fossil known as Dibunophyllum Bipartitum. When polished, these fossils give the otherwise ordinary limestone a decorative quality at which point it’s referred to as ‘Frosterley Marble’. Although demand has long since fallen away, examples of Frosterley Marble grace many ecclesiastical buildings, in particular Durham Cathedral’s Chapel of the Nine Altars. A great place to see these fossils in their natural state is in the Bollihope Burn below Wise Eel Bridge, just off the trail.
With the exception of another mine at Sunnyside, Harehope Gill Lead Mine was the furthest east in the dale and is the last lead mining site to be visited on the trail. Beyond the mine, the route passes the diversion to the previously mentioned Wise Eel Bridge before skirting the former limestone quarries at Broadwood and Harehope. On reaching an access road it turns sharply uphill to begin the long ascent to Sunnyside Edge via West Biggins Farm.
Persistence is required as the Elephant Trees seem to defy your approach but eventually the trail kicks up viciously onto the lip of the escarpment. What you’ll find is an endless expanse of heather with the ‘Elephant Trees’ only a short distance away, though in the opposite direction. With the hard work out of the way, the route turns east on a wide track of sand and stone that turns easily to sticky clay in wet weather.
On reaching a small plantation of conifers at the track junction, the route leaves the escarpment for a long descent with endless views of the dale and of Wolsingham in particular. After passing through the farm at Towdy Potts the final metres are downhill on the road at Wear Bank which offers a bird’s eye view over Wolsingham Station, particularly nice if there’s a train at the platform.
It’s worth noting that, by using the Weardale Railway‘s heritage service both this section and the previous one can be turned into a memorable day walk. Alternatively Section 6 offers an easy circuit which can be completed by returning alongside the railway line on a well-marked trail.
Updates
The following updates have been published by The Durham Cow for this section: 020525