Report by Mary Barnard
Despite leaden skies, a group of seven of us, set off from the drinking fountain In Middleton in Teesdale village centre. We followed the road through the village turning onto a single track, Beck Road, which drops down through woodland to Hudeshope Beck.
We walked up through trees, admiring the beck on the left-hand side. The trees were impressive, being newly in leaf, so we could see through to the beck. We followed the road up the hill until we emerged out of the woodland onto farm land. We had to traverse some difficult stiles but enjoyed the open scenery.
This area has been used for lead mining and there were a number of interesting buildings and shafts which still remain. There were extensive views over the Hudeshope Valley. At one point we had a good view back over Teesdale to Kirkcarrion and across the valley which showed many of the scars of the now long-gone mining activity.
Once we reached the road, we could look up and see the track that went up to the old Coldbery mine. There was the old mine shop which became a museum when the mine closed in 1955. It is of course no longer open. Having walked further down the road we stopped for a coffee break braving the wind but enjoying the beck.
Further up the road we turned off right heading back towards the direction of Middleton. The path crossed Marl Beck and then broadened out into a pleasant grassy track. We followed the track past the abandoned mine working, with the Hudeshope Beck on our right. We proceeded up a slight incline to a gate into fields. Having passed through a number of fields, we passed the Jack Scar Gorge.
We returned into woodland along a path high above the beck and then passed Skears Quarry and Parker’s Lime Kilns before dropping down and rejoining Beck Road. We took a different track back to Middleton where we completed our walk.
It was typical Teesdale weather, changing from windy wet periods to sunny dry periods. We thoroughly enjoyed looking at the nature all around us including seeing mountain pansies and copious amounts of for-get-me-nots growing along the path. A raven was spotted and a dung beetle. We were blessed with the call of a cuckoo.
Walk leader Nicky Grace.