1. Raby Castle
Meeting Point: Raby Castle
We begin the Big Smile in the magnificent grounds of Raby Castle. We follow a broad path through the grassy landscape where Red and Fallow Deer herds live wild. We pass the impressively maintained medieval castle, built between 1367 and 1390 by John Neville, the 3rd Baron Neville de Raby.
We wander through Ladywood and then up towards Raby Home Farm and then Shotton enjoying the beautiful countryside home to some superb flora and fauna.
Eventually, we leave the Raby estate and find ourselves heading over Cockfield fell, common land pock marked with evidence of human habitation including flint arrowheads dating back to 8000BC.
We skirt around Cockfield itself and back through the estate to finish back at Raby Castle in a wonderful start to the Big Smile Walks.
Distance: 20 km ( 12.47 miles)
Difficulty Rating: ★★★☆☆
Sponsored By: The Ramside Hall Hotel
1. Raby Castle
Meeting Point: Raby Castle
We begin the Big Smile in the magnificent grounds of Raby Castle. We follow a broad path through the grassy landscape where Red and Fallow Deer herds live wild. We pass the impressively maintained medieval castle, built between 1367 and 1390 by John Neville, the 3rd Baron Neville de Raby.
We wander through Ladywood and then up towards Raby Home Farm and then Shotton enjoying the beautiful countryside home to some superb flora and fauna.
Eventually, we leave the Raby estate and find ourselves heading over Cockfield fell, common land pock marked with evidence of human habitation including flint arrowheads dating back to 8000BC.
We skirt around Cockfield itself and back through the estate to finish back at Raby Castle in a wonderful start to the Big Smile Walks.
Distance: 20 km ( 12.47 miles)
Difficulty Rating: ★★★☆☆
Sponsored By: The Ramside Hall Hotel
28. The Red Kite Trail
Date: 28/07/2021
Meeting Point: Land of oak and Iron, Winlaton Mill, Blaydon-on-Tyne, NE21 6RU
This is a popular and well-established walk, which begins in Winlaton, at the Land of Oak and Iron’s café shrub. We take the riverside path through Derwent Walk Country Park, passing Kite Hill - a key site in the successful reintroduction of the Red Kite, where there is a good chance of spotting at least one of these magnificent birds of prey.
We follow the Derwent Walk to Lintzford, before turning off and heading up towards Chopwell Wood. The 360 hectare mixed woodland is a real gem of a spot, with miles of paths for walking, and is home to many species of birds and mammals.
Once we leave the wood, we follow the trail up above Rowlands Gill, before descending and picking up the river for a leisurely return to our start point at Winlaton.
Distance: 17.4 km (10.81 miles)
Difficulty Rating: ★★★☆☆