Middleton-in-Teesdale to above Low Force and return

We were staying at the delightful Butterfly Cottage in Weardale and I'd spent the morning writing. Richard had been exploring the area around Butterfly Cottage, towards the upper end of the Weardale Way. We had an early lunch then drove across to Middleton-in-Teesdale. The route took us over a high-level road between St John's Chapel in Weardale and Langdon Beck in Teesdale. The first car park we tried in Middleton was full, but there was space at the (free) long stay car park at NY253947, an old school. We set off on our walk around 1.30pm, reckoning that we could reasonably walk until about 5.30pm - two hours out and two hours back (though we made faster progress on the return journey so got back to the car at about 5pm). It had rained heavily in the night, but it was dry and sunny all the time we were walking, if slightly windy. It was busy around Low Force but otherwise remarkably quiet for a sunny summer Sunday afternoon.

We crossed the Tees and passed the Middleton-in-Teesdale Auction Mart (where, for some bizarre reason, a large number of vans associated with TV and filming were parked) and turned right. We were walking through lovely North Pennines countryside, crossing tributaries from time to time, and coming close to the River Tees on one occasion, but it was a couple of miles before we came right down to the river bank.

We walked alongside the South bank of the River Tees, with wildflowers and dippers for company. We passed a footbridge which would have taken us to Newbiggin then, almost at Low Force, a footbridge with access to the Bowless Visitor Centre. There were large numbers of people milling about on both sides of the river here, including a group with helmets and red life jackets, who were leaping into the river just below the falls. Amazingly, I managed to get some photographs of Low Force without people on them.

We decided that we didn't have sufficient time to extend the walk all the way to High Force, so we walked for just another half-mile or so (onto the other side of the map!) then crossed a delightful little meadow area and sat on stones by the river, watching dippers and ducks resting on stones in the river. We turned around and retraced our steps to Middleton-in-Teesdale and back to the cottage.

following leg