Six of us followed the Teesdale Way (Dipper emblem), initially downstream passing through some lovely woodland with a few slippy tricky paths for a coffee stop at Cotherstone. We then turned upstream to Eggleston Bridge. Passing up through the village we took a path out onto the former Medieval Middle Field. Its remarkable staircase of terraces, called side riggs, each up to half a mile long, were created to allow for easier ploughing on the steep valley slope. These are clearly seen from the other side of the dale.
Great to be out and about despite the very high winds and blustery showers. Meandering through the flower meadows in Waldendale was a complete delight. This has got to be one of my favourite dales; cacooned in natural beauty. Not a clue about the flowers themselves though Ann & Glenys greeted them like old friends. And the joy of popping into the Fox and Hounds for a quick pint at the end of walk was a restorative tonic in its own right. It's been a long time coming!!
I have driven from Richmond to Stanwick and have also cycled but never walked, so with the possibility of being able to do this as a linear walk, I plotted a route with my new OS online mapping skills (10 miles). Thanks Geoff W for all your help.
Having returned to the UK on Friday 20 March my plan was to swap my sailing kit for walking kit and head out into the hills as soon as possible with my SOC friends. The UK going into lockdown three days later put paid to that little plan.
I donned my shorts for the first time this year on another sunny day in lockdown and headed off for a solitary walk as Ron was busy with his lockdown project of building a shed cum summerhouse at the bottom of the garden.
