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
48. Bolt's Law Beat
Date: 25/08/2021
Meeting Point: The Durham Dales Centre, Stanhope, DL13 2FJ
This walk through history follows the Weardale Way out of Stanhope where we head west towards Eastgate, then trace the Rookhope Burn north, until we reach Rookhope itself. Climbing up onto the hills, we eventually reach our highest point of 541metres at Bolt’s Law - one of the prominent hills situated on the moorland ridge dividing Weardale and Derwentdale.
From here, we follow the Weatherhill and Rookhope railway path, before dropping down into the valley and then rising up onto the moors, picking up a path through woodland and back down to Stanhope.
A true dales walk in the Wear Valley, rising up to the trig at Bolt’s Law, this is a challenging but rewarding hike with plenty of wildlife on and around the moors. There is much evidence of Weardale’s lead mining and railway heritage throughout the walk, making it a fascinating reminder of how things used to be.
Distance: 25.0 km (15.53 miles)
Difficulty Rating: ★★★★☆
Sponsored By: County Durham Sport