Michelle

Frosterley circular via White Kirkley, High Bishopley and Granite Quarries.

Sunny most of the day, warm in the shelter of the quarries and burn but a little windy at the very top of the walk.

Michelle, Michael, Richard, Diane.

Ashley - injured back

Sandy - dog sitting

Ron - cold and cough

George - at a 60th birthday party

Ken - injured back

Lance and Julie - in Skye

Bernie - weekend in Walsingham

Comments

The walk centred on the industrial landscape to the South and West of Frosterley. This consisted of ‘Granite’ and Limestone quarries and Lead mines.

We commenced the walk from the public car park in Frosterley, where there is a rather large specimen of Frosterley Granite with a plaque explaining the use of the granite in Durham Cathedral, Bishop Auckland Castle and local churches.

The route took us over the River Wear and along the top of the quarries via part of the Weardale Way. After passing large Lime Kilns and remains of railway tracks we reached White Kirkley where the route turned along the valley of the Bollihope Burn. We continued along the disused railway line, passed numerous spoil heaps and eventually left the valley and headed up to High Bishopley. From there we returned over fields back through the quarry area and back to the cars.

A two lunchstop walk. At the first we sat on a ‘walking boot’ seat, overlooking the quarry area, and at the second we sheltered behind a wall with a view down Weardale,and up to Tow Law.

Of Note:
Bishopley Lime Kilns (we believe these were still in use up until 1975).
Old railway branchline built to transport limestone to the main rail line leading from Weardale to Middleborough.
Massive rock cutting, originally the route of the burn until it found another route to the left.
Waterfalls on the Burn, and mini-gorge (strid). The lower part of this burn was originally an underground stream through a limestone cavern, the roof of which collapsed at some point to expose the stream. There is still a sinkhole a little way up the valley where the stream disappears into the limestone in particularly dry weather.
Caves in the rocks above the burn.
Circular wall in the quarry engraved with the names of the rock strata.
Unfortunately the burn was too full of water to see the fossil corals.
Lots of evidence of lead mining.
The ‘marble’ is not technically marble – it is white marine fossils encapsulated within a dark grained limestone.
Richard in Industrial Heritage ecstasy!!
Michael wearing new boots.

Wildlife: Donkeys, goats, running ducks, cormorant, all sorts of chickens and ducks on small allotments over the river, rabbits, mallards, Sally the sheepdog, big white bull, Louie the riverdog, blue and coal tits.

No evening meal organized as Diane and Richard off to a harvest festival supper.

Hungry goat (Frosterley)

Frosterley walkers

River Wear

Quarries and Nature Reserve

Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly

Right-angled Bridge

Old river bed

Bollihope Burn

Old wheel

Remains of old lead mines

Frosterley

Donkey