West Rainton to Durham

 29th June 2013 West Rainton to Durham 11mls (Camino – 84 days)

We seemed to have explored all the local circular walks of suitable distances and in order to get the required miles in we have to resort to linear ones and rely on good local transport links.

Today’s walk could have been called the nettle walk or the walk of a thousand stings. I am not joking in quite a few places the paths we over grown with very aggressive nettles.

We parked the car in West Rainton and immediately joined the footpath out of the village and across the busy A690 onto the field path leading to Moorsley road via Field House farm. The crops had been planted to the edge of the path and with the soil being very sandy the footpath was uneven and crumbling making the walking slow and uncomfortable. The last thing we want is to sprain an ankle at this stage of our Camino preparation!

The path then brought us to the pleasant small village of Low Pittington where there was a short steep climb to Pittington Hill that give wonderful panoramic views over County Durham and also provide a welcome seat so we could enjoy our coffee break in comfort and appreciate the flowers and the butterflies.

Suitably refreshed we set off down through the woods emerging at the edge of High Pittington. It was along this section heading for Sherburn Village that we encountered the dreaded thistles almost blocking our path but we are a tenacious couple and so we battled through.

Passing through Sherburn we rejoined the footpath along farm fields keeping our distance from the curious cows, suspicious sheep and inquisitive horses, they all seemed to know I had food in my back pack!

Anyone seen a Cathedral?

After crossing the bridge over the motorway we soon joined the river and could see our destination only our path was blocked and we were unable to follow the river side due to storm damage and we had to go up (groan) and through  Pelaw Woods eventually dropping down to the river and into Durham.

 Due to the extra bit of climbing at the end I felt the need for a cup of tea before heading to the bus station for the number 20 back to West Rainton.