Walks in Upper Teesdale & Swaledale

14/08/2026

Kirkcarrion and Greengates Quarry - two very different bits of Teesdale history sharing the same hillside.

In the foreground, the unmistakable ring of trees at Kirkcarrion surrounds a Bronze Age round barrow, traditionally associated with the wonderfully named Prince Caryn. Beyond it are the scars of Greengates Quarry, where whinstone was worked from around 1890 until 1917 and carried away by a narrow-gauge mineral railway.

Thousands of years separate the two, but from the air they sit almost on top of one another - prehistoric burial landscape in the foreground, industrial Teesdale climbing the fell behind.

13/08/2026

If Holwick Scar was in Northumberland, Yorkshire or Cumbria, I reckon this place would be absolutely rammed.

Instead, tucked away in the apparently forgotten wilds of County Durham, you get this huge wall of rock, the Teesdale landscape opening out around it, and barely another soul in sight. It’s one of those places that deserves to be far better known than it is.

And yes, before anybody starts furiously polishing their historic county maps, I already know exactly what I’ve just done there. 😂

13/08/2026

13/08/2026

Beautiful area to walk and inspirational work to improve the environment by ordinary people without stacks of money.

12/08/2026

I’m leaning towards this being a relatively recent quarry rather than one of Teesdale’s older workings - but I’d be interested to know if anyone can pin it down properly.

It sits high above the River Lune and, unlike so many of the old quarries around here, I can’t find it marked on the historical maps I’ve checked. The surviving machinery and the condition of the workings also make me wonder if it was still active into fairly recent decades. Could this be Selset Quarry at Scarth Hills, or was there another working up here?

Does anyone remember it operating, know what was quarried here, or when it finally closed?

12/08/2026

As we head into peak Asian hornet activity (August–September), it’s a good time to refresh how to spot and record them.

Although they're not usually common in our county, two nests were identified and destroyed in north and east Yorkshire in 2023, so staying vigilant really matters.

If you come across a nest, please take extra care and report any sightings here: www.bit.ly/asianhornetreport

08/08/2026

ROMALDKIRK, EGGLESTON & COTHERSTONE CIRCULAR WALK (Approx. 6 miles).This is a fairly gentle, but varied 6 mile circular walk with good views throughout. Starting at Romaldkirk village green it leaves Romaldkirk by the Teesdale Way to Eggleston where it crossees the Tees and follows the Teesdale Way again, this time south to Cotherstone. The return route is on the old railway line.

30/07/2026

30/07/2026

25/07/2026

We know our nature reserves are beautiful - it's part of the reason we love them so much!

However lovely they are, our reserves are not the right place for barbecues. As the number of major fires in our wild spaces grows, we need to make sure our reserves remain a safe haven for wildlife already on the brink.

Our wildlife is already struggling in the heat - don't make things worse. Keep your barbecues, bonfires, and parties off our reserves, and always dispose properly of your waste.