Above Low Force from Langdon Beck and return

Despite the fact that this was quite a short leg that we had to walk "there and back", starting from what would logically be the end point, this was one of the best walks of the whole Teesdale Way, largely because the walking was so varied, including (in the order in which you'd pass them if walking on one continuous walk up the Teesdale Way) the spectacular waterfall of High Force, some classic Pennine Way walking over moorland and some delightful walking along the upper Tees and its tributaries though upland scenery. Much of the UK had rain today so we were extremely lucky to have another dry day. It was sometimes muddy and wet underfoot but I think that is probably just the normal state of this section of the path.

I had been working in the morning and Richard had done some shopping and had a short walk on the Weardale Way near Stanhope. We had an early lunch then drove the short distance from Weardale To Teesdale and parked near the Langdon Beck Hotel at Langdon Beck Bridge (NY854313). There are good lay-bys both on the 'main' road that goes past Low and High Force and on the road down to Cow Green Reservoir: we chose the former. I will describe the walk in more detail from the Low Force end, though in reality this was our return leg: we started by walking to the point we reached yesterday and set off back from there around 15.45.

The section of Tees between Low and High Force was pretty enough, with occasional small waterfalls and lovely wildflowers by the path, but there was nothing particular noteworthy. However High Force, where the river plunges 20 metres over the Whin Sill, was spectacular: we've visited several times before but it was nice to be viewing it from the southern back of the river rather than the rather touristy north bank. As we left High Force we obediently scrubbed and disinfected our boots as requested, in an attempt to limit the spread of a disease that is killing juniper trees.

A short distance above High Force there is a quarry, helpfully marked on the map as 'Quarry (stone)'. They appear to have quarried away a large fraction of the hillside here, but I find working quarries interesting, and this one had been operational as we walked downstream. Opposite the quarry was another pretty waterfall. Our route was right on the edge of OS Outdoor Leisure map 31 (North Pennines) so I wasn't able to check the name of the waterfall until we got back to the cottage where we had left the adjacent map, OL19: the waterfall is Bleabeck Force.

Soon the path veered away from the river and climbed, with paving slabs and wooden walkways protecting us from the worst of, but not all of, the squelchiness underfoot. Another waterfall, White Force, was visible in the distance. After the climb we veered to the right, now with paving slabs indicating our route across the moor. Eventually we descended, with a tricky little bit just above a farm at Cronkley. Generally I am not good at descents, but this one was not as bad as I'd feared from the climb up it earlier. According to the OS map, the route goes straight through the farmyard, but (sensibly) it was been re-routed around the edge.

From the farm we took a track down to and across the River Tees, turning left immediately after the bridge to walk alongside the rapidly flowing river through delightful North Pennines scenery, with whitewashed cottages, sheep and a ridge of higher land (the Whin Sill?) to the South. We reached the point where Harwood Beck joined the Tees and we continued up Harwood Beck, another pretty stream.