Weardale Way is a footpath that follows the River Wear in the North East of England. It is 73 miles long, starting at the Lindesfarne Memorial on the sea wall at Roker (a part of the City of Sunderland). Coordinates: 54°55′01″N1°21′54″W / 54.917°N 1.365°W It then passes through Chester-le-Street, Durham, Bishop Auckland, Wolsingham and Stanhope. The path ends outside the Post Office in the village of Wearhead in County Durham. [1]
Within the area administered by the City of Sunderland local authority, the route is meant to follow that marked as the River Wear Trail; unfortunately, many of the markers for this route have been removed by vandals. Once the route goes into the area administered by the Durham County Council, it is waymarked to some extent by plastic disks attached to wooden and metal posts, trees and street furniture. There are several wooden 'finger' signs along the route that countdown the distance along the footpath in both directions.
This path is marked on the latest series of Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 maps, Explorer sheets 305, 307, 308 and OL31 cover the walk.
A guide to the walk is available: The Weardale Way, A Pictorial Walking Guide by Alistair Wallace (Jema Publications, 1997).
Tyne and Wear is a metropolitan county in North East England, situated around the mouths of the rivers Tyne and Wear. It came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. It consists of the five metropolitan boroughs of Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, North Tyneside, South Tyneside and the City of Sunderland. The county is bordered to the north by Northumberland, to the south by County Durham and to the east of the county lies the North Sea. It is the smallest county in North East England by area, but by far the largest in terms of population.
County Durham is a ceremonial county in North East England. The county town is the city of Durham. The ceremonial county spawned from the historic County Palatine of Durham in 1853. The largest settlement is Darlington, followed by Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees. The county borders are shared with multiple counties: Northumberland as well as Tyne and Wear to the north, North Yorkshire to the south and Cumbria to the west.
Chester-le-Street was a local government district in County Durham, England. Its council was based in Chester-le-Street. Other places in the district included Great Lumley and Sacriston.
Sun FM is a radio station serving Sunderland and large parts of County Durham in England and owned by Nation Broadcasting. It is also available in Tyne and Wear. Sun FM broadcasts on FM, as well as online. The station plays a mix of contemporary and classic popular music alongside local news and travel.
Roker is a tourist resort and affluent area of Sunderland, North East England, bounded on the south by the River Wear and Monkwearmouth, on the east by the North Sea, to the west by Fulwell and on the north by Seaburn. It is administered as part of the City of Sunderland and lies within historic County Durham.
Pelton is a village and electoral ward in County Durham, in England. The population of the village and ward taken at the 2011 census was 8,250. It is located about two miles to the northwest of Chester-le-Street. The village of West Pelton is located to the west; separated from it by a few villages between and closer to Stanley than to central Chester-le-Street. Pelton has a newly built community centre updated in 2012, one public house and a small range of convenience stores, including a CO OP, three general stores, a Post Office, chemist, doctors surgery, dentist, library, two parks and some take-away food outlets, and some hair salons. Local schools in the area include a primary school. Pelton is served by public transport, with links to Stanley, Sunderland, Newcastle upon Tyne, Chester-le-Street and Consett with buses running up to every 30 minutes or so to 5 bus stops throughout the village. In local government they are governed by the Pelton Parish Council.
The Weardale Railway is an independently owned British single-track branch line heritage railway between Bishop Auckland, Witton-le-Wear, Wolsingham, Frosterley and Stanhope. Weardale Railway began services on 23 May 2010, but decided to run special trains rather than a scheduled service for the 2013 season.
Croxdale is a village in the civil parish of Croxdale and Hett, situated about 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Durham City, in County Durham, England and on the A167 road, formerly part of the Great North Road. It is on the route of the East Coast Main Line and at one time had a station. The railway crosses over Croxdale Viaduct, built in 1872, just north of the village. The Weardale Way long distance footpath passes through the nearby Croxdale Hall estate.
Sunderland Bridge is a bridge just outside the village also called Sunderland Bridge in County Durham, England. It lies close to the confluence of the River Wear and River Browney.
King's Way or the Allan King Way is a 45-mile-long-distance (72 km) footpath in Hampshire, England. This footpath was created by the Hampshire Area of the Ramblers' Association as a memorial to the late Allan King a former Publicity Officer who was partly responsible for the formation of a number of Groups in Hampshire. The route runs from Portchester to Winchester via Bishops Waltham and passes by sites such as Portchester Castle, Fort Nelson and Bishops Waltham Palace
The Solent Way is a 60-mile (97 km) long-distance footpath in Hampshire, southern England. With the exception of a few inland diversions, the path follows the coast of the Solent, the sea strait that separates the mainland England from the Isle of Wight. The Solent Way forms part of the E9 European Coastal Path, which runs for 5000 km (3125 miles) from Cape St Vincent in Portugal to Narva-Jõesuu in Estonia.
The Walney to Wear and Whitby Cycle Route is the name of a cross-country cycle route in Northern England. It runs from Walney Island in Cumbria to Sunderland on the River Wear or Whitby.
The A1018 is a road in North East England. It runs between South Shields, at the mouth of the River Tyne, and the A19 near Seaham, County Durham. Most of the route it follows is the old alignment of the A19, before it by-passed Sunderland to meet the Tyne Tunnel.
The Three Castles Walk is a waymarked long distance footpath and recreational walk located in north-east Monmouthshire, Wales.
The Baker Way is a footpath running from Chester railway station to Delamere railway station within the English county of Cheshire. The total length of the trail is 13 miles (21 km). Its name commemorates the life and work of Jack Baker, a former footpaths officer for Cheshire County Council.
The River Wear in North East England rises in the Pennines and flows eastwards, mostly through County Durham to the North Sea in the City of Sunderland. At 60 mi (97 km) long, it is one of the region's longest rivers, wends in a steep valley through the cathedral city of Durham and gives its name to Weardale in its upper reach and Wearside by its mouth.
The Hownsgill Viaduct is a former railway bridge located west of Consett in County Durham, England. It is currently used as a footpath and cycleway.
Harraton was a township in Chester-le-Street parish, and a sub-district in Chester-le-Street registration district, Durham. Since 1974 it is located in the City of Sunderland in the county of Tyne and Wear. The township lies on the river Wear, and on the North-eastern railway; now a cyclist route/footpath, 3 miles north-east of Chester-le-Street; includes the villages of Chaters-Hough, Fatfield, and Picktree; and forms part of the chapelry of Birtley. The soil and subsoil are clay. The chief crops are wheat, oats and turnips. A considerable portion of Lambton Park, the seat of the Earl of Durham, and the castle and gardens, being on the north side of the river Wear, are in the township of Harraton, but for particulars see Lambton Castle.
National Cycle Network (NCN) Route 70 is a Sustrans National Route that runs from Walney Island in Cumbria to Sunderland. The route is fully open and signed. From end to end the route is 149 miles (240 km), but two sections are shared with other NCN routes leaving Route 70 at 128 miles (206 km).