Weardale Way Section 12 (Chester-le-Street to Mount Pleasant)
Introduction
Section 12 of the Weardale Way starts from the east abutment of Old Lumley Bridge, Chester-le-Street and finishes on the riverside at the end of Beatrice Terrace, in Mount Pleasant. You might notice that the major historic landowners in this section belonged to either the Lambton or the Lumley families. The undulating route is quite sheltered and makes a pleasant walk at any time of year although parts of it can be muddy in wet weather.
Stats at a Glance
Distance 9.1 km/5.6 miles | Elevation Gain 119 m/390 ft | Maximum Elevation 55 m/181 ft (Lumley Burn between Lumley Forge and Bournmoor) | Going Generally firm with potentially wet, muddy sections on trails, tracks and roads through woodland, farmland, parkland, urban | Exposure Fairly sheltered | Supplies & Hospitality Chester-le-Street (All) [0.5 km]; New Lambton (PH); Fence Houses (All) [0.5 km]; Bournmoor (Ga); Fatfield (PH) | Start Old Lumley Bridge, Chester-le-Street NZ 284509 | Finish Beatrice Terrace (Mount Pleasant Park), Mount Pleasant NZ 314541 | Grade Moderate|GPS File
Description
From the east abutment of Old Lumley Bridge, Section 12 begins by heading downstream on the riverside trail before crossing the golf course into Lumley Park Wood. The route then follows the Lumley Park Burn upstream (also part of the Northern Saints Trails ‘Way of Learning’), past The Garden House and, briefly, onto an access track. Before the track crosses the bridge over the burn, the route bears left on the trail, steeply uphill through the woods until you reach The Manor House where an access road takes you over the A1(M) to Forge Lane. Turning right on the lane brings you to a short flight of steps that cut out a hairpin bend, delivering you back to the road under Lumley Forge (A1M) Bridge.
There’s an option to turn left on the ‘low route’ before passing under the bridge OR continue under the bridge, uphill, to join a higher trail which runs parallel with the low route (this was the preferred option when The Smiths Arms pub was open – it’s now a house). The lower route is the easier and shorter of the two which come together just before emerging on a busy road at Bournmoor/New Lambton opposite The Floaters Mill pub (very handy given that the Smiths Arms closed). After a short distance on the road towards Fence Houses, the route turns left on what was the course of the Lumley Branch of the Lambton Railway. It crosses the Lumley Park Burn for the last time, then uphill over the grass before crossing a quiet road to a railway path from where Penshaw Monument can be seen in the distance.
At the end of the railway path is a tunnel leading into Elba Park – the reclaimed site of Bournmoor Colliery. The route however, leaves the track, to the left, just before entering the tunnel, to cross a potentially boggy field alongside the decommissioned Leamside Railway. A short flight of steps at Wapping Bridge brings you to the main road (A183) between Shiney Row and Chester-le-Street where there’s a garage store not far away should you need it. Diagonally across the A183 the route continues on the access road to Biddick Hall before switching to the track into Biddick Woods – on the edge of the Lambton Estate. There follows a gentle descent of just over a mile to rejoin the now tidal River Wear at Chartershaugh Bridge near Mount Pleasant and Fatfield.
On crossing the road in Mount Pleasant you’ll see Fatfield Bridge (aka Penshaw Bridge or East Bridge) on your left. Out of sight, across the bridge is Worm Hill, the actual site associated with the legend of the Lambton Worm (rather than Penshaw Hill on which the monument stands). The finish of Section 12 lies a short distance away along East Bridge Street on the riverside between Mount Pleasant Park and the end of Beatrice Terrace.
Updates
The following updates have been published by The Durham Cow for this section: 100525
