

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

36. Beamish Heritage Walk
Date: 09/08/2021
Meeting Point: Museum Entrance, Beamish Museum, Stanley, DH9 0RG
The North East’s iconic Beamish Open Air Museum is the unique start to this stage of The Big Smile, as we take a few steps back in time to the Victorian and Edwardian eras.
From here, we say goodbye to the past and head off-site, down towards Urpeth Burn, past the old paper mill, and then up the through Ousebrough Wood Nature Reserve, which is a haven for wildlife.
After wandering along Beamish Burn, we head up out of the valley towards Causey Arch, the oldest surviving single-arch railway bridge in the world. From here we turn back towards the museum, making our way through some beautiful countryside.
This walk shows us a perfect example of County Durham’s environmental and industrial heritage, and is one of the less demanding routes.
Distance: 18.2 km (11.31 miles)
Difficulty Rating: ★★☆☆☆