Time is slipping away at an alarming rate these days. With such lovely weather over the last few months, we’ve been spending as much time as possible outside, but that does mean that the boring ‘adult’ jobs have been piling up. Unable to put it off any longer, we dropped one of the cars off at the garage for some work, but rather than wasting a day waiting for it to be fixed we decided to head for a walk nearby in a new(ish) area.
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With the car in Darlington, it was just a short hop over to the North Pennines AONB. We managed a few outings around here last year to Bowes and Grassholme Reservoir, and every time we’ve visited it’s been so quiet. I’m always saying we’ll have to get up there more often, but then months pass before we get around to it. Must try harder!
The sunny weather we’d had throughout March and April experienced a bit of a blip on the day in question, and we arrived in Cockfield (pronounced ‘coh-field’, if you were wondering) in a haze of fog. It was trying very hard (and succeeding) in turning from fog to cloud, so we decided to crack on with the walk as planned. The dogs needed a walk either way, so we set off with slightly lowered expectations, prepared for a grey and misty stroll.
The route we were following was a 5km circular from our Pocket Mountains guide to the North Pennines. This book has only been released in the last few months but as soon as I saw it I jumped on it: I think it’s definitely going to help get us out in the area more over the summer. If you don’t have the book, a similar route is available on the Northern Echo.
Parking is free along the village green in the centre of Cockfield (please make sure to park considerately), and we set off down the road onto Cockfield Fell. Rather than being a fell walk up a hill, it’s more of a loop around some common land. The common was shrouded in cloud but we could just about see the outlines of the view we would’ve had if it was clear – it would probably have been quite nice! There were a few local dog walkers out on the common but there was plenty of space for everyone, and we dropped down to the track at the bottom without really bumping into anyone.
From here we crossed the river, picking up a quiet, tree lined path above the water. Even in the relative gloom it was actually very pleasant walking, and I can imagine in summer on a warm day this is a great walk. If you do this walk, keep your eyes peeled for various industrial remains lurking in the trees: Cockfield Fell has been mined for coal and quarried for whinstone, and there’s plenty of old remains scattered throughout the walk.
Towards the end of the path we saw what looked like the remains of a weird brick sculpture across the river. As we got closer, we saw that it was the remains of a toppled brick pillar. More specifically, one of the pillars which had previously held up the Gaunless Viaduct: you can see the rest of it standing over bricks. At first we’d thought it was some sort of modern construction, but once we’d realised that the pillar was part of a viaduct, we realised what it was.
The walk finished off with a gentle climb up a small hill to get back onto the common. As we neared the end, we walked past a load of sheds on the common. At first, we thought they were allotments, but we couldn’t see much in the way of plants. Handily an information board on the edge of the common had all the answers – they were pigeon sheds! The residents of Cockfield still have commoner’s rights on Cockfield Fell, and quite a few of them exercise this right by keeping a shed with pigeons in. Not something you see on many walks! We finished off with a tasty brunch from the Chatterbox Sandwich Shop. While they aren’t dog friendly they do have outside tables, or you can do what we did and take your food to go.
Dog friendly rating: 4/5. This walk was both stile and livestock free when we did it, although I believe that the common is grazed at some times of year by sheep and ponies. If this is the case, make sure to keep your dog on a lead around livestock. Our dogs also appreciated the opportunity to have a paddle in the river in a few places.
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