2nd June 2011
A beautiful summer’s day, warm with clear blue skies could only mean one thing a walk in the country side was called for. A local route quick, easy to get to and ending at a hostelry providing food all day was selected from our Cicerone Guide “Walking in County Durham”
We parked in the centre of the village set off down the main street and turned down a track passing the local allotments then climbing a rickety style entered sloping fields.
The meadows were in full bloom the field on one side carpeted like snow with scentless Mayweed while the other was golden with an underlying hue of ruby from the red clover mixing with the predominant buttercups.
Entering a wooden ravine we passed an unusual farm cottage. Remember the fairy tale of the three pigs?
Well reader I can safely say it is a true story and it has a happy ending.
The walk continued through a patchwork of fields and mixed woodland going down hill to meet the Derwent Valley Railway Path for a short while before heading up again.
The directions sent us across a “rushy field” but more accurate it was a “boggy field” although we were compensated by seeing numerous early-purple orchids as we squelched our way across.
With the midday heat increasing entering the dappled shade of Collierley Wood was very welcome. We climbed uphill to Pontop Hall leaving the woods just in time to spot two pairs of kites enjoying the thermals. A lovely ending to our walk.
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