From Barnard Castle in in the East, to Garrigill in the west, Teesdale is one of the most unspoilt and beautiful areas in the North East of England.
Image via Wikipedia
It is the southerly one of the two great dales of County Durham that provides a rich culture. Whether you are looking for history in the collections of John & Josephine Bowes at the Bowes museum or prefer the calm isolation of Balderhead reservoir, or anything in between this dale really does have it all.
Balderhead Reservoir
Barnard Castle is a bustling market town. It always appears to be busy during shopping hours and this may due to the range on independently owned and run outlets that have survived, managing to stave off the onslaught from international brands. In doing so, Barnard Castle has retained its own identity and has not been homgenised like so many other market towns across the country.
The Market Cross forms a centre-piece which acts as a main roundabout, traffic filtering east to head for the museum or continuing down the hill, south towards the river and the A66.
Following the B6277 instead of the main A66 will take you through the village of Lartington, famed for its game fair, then on to Cotherstone. Cotherstone provided a home for Hannah Hauxwell who featured in a number of television programmes, when she finally gave up farming Low Birk Hatt Farm. Her traditional farming methods provided such a rich biodiverse meadowland that it has now been preserved as a site of special scientific interest.
Continuing westward you pass through the pleasant village of Romaldkirk and approach the hub of Middleton in Teesdale, where you can nip in to “Meet the Middletons” or simply have a cup of tea in one of the cafes and tearooms, watching the world go by.
Image via Wikipedia
Pushing on you will reach High Force. Stopping at the High Force Hotel car park, you can cross the road and walk down the path towards the river to reach the foot of the spectacular High Force waterfall, part of the Raby Estate. It is always best after a period of heavy rain, so visiting in the autumn or even winter is to be recommended to feel the full power of the water as it flows.
Continuing west, you will notice the grasslands change to moorland as your altitude increases.
The rolling hillside of the gently sloping dale is replaced by the scarred landscape of the crags near Holwick.
Teesdale near Holwick
Before finally ending up at the Langdon Beck Youth Hostel, which you can easily spot with its micro-generating turbine and solar panels on the roof. Whether you drive, cycle or walk the dale, you can be sure of a warm welcome from the locals. Just make sure you treat the area how you would like your own to be treated.
Featured Pic
