Description
Crimdon Dene
The Crimdon Dene Walk was suggested by John, one of our walkers. He runs this route and thought it would be a good walk too. It’s a circular route from Castle Eden, down a disused railway to Crimdon, along the coast and back to Castle Eden along the Castle Eden Dene.
Details
| Hills: |  |
Some small hills |
| Distance: |  |
Medium-long distance |
| Grade: |  |
Difficult (distance) |
| Map: |   |
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| This walk is on OS maps 306 Middlesbrough and Hartlepool and 308 Durham and Sunderland. Click on map image to buy this map. | ||
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The start
We will start at Castle Eden, as the Castle Eden Inn is here and there are no other facilities on the route.
From here we will join the Hart to Haswell Walkway, which runs past the rear of the inn. Castle Eden station has been converted into a home, but the station clock is still visible on the side of the house.
This is a beautiful path and very popular. It is also part of a cycleway. It passes Hesleden Dene, a local nature reserve. and Silver Hill Plantation, where there are plenty of paths for walking.
Crimdon Dene
Soon we reach Crimdon Dene. Oddly though, there isn’t a right of way through the dene itself. So, we continue on until we meet the railway from Sunderland, which used to join with the Hart to Haswell line.
We cross a bridge over the railway line and continue towards the coast. If the tides are right, we will get onto the beach and avoid some of the holiday park, before returning to the clifftop.
Blackhall Colliery
We will continue to follow the coastal path past Blackhall Rocks and Blackhall Colliery, where the closing scene of the film Get Carter was filmed back in 1971. The colliery was still in operation then and spoil was being dumped into the sea using a conveyor system. This area is now a nature reserve.
Castle Eden Dene
Just north of Blackhall Colliery is where the burn that runs through the dene meets the sea. We go into the dene and follow the paths through the gorgeous wooded valley. The path goes under the railway line and then meets the road. There is a path through a tunnel, through which the burn runs. If it is safe, we will use this path and emerge on the other side of the road.
We will continue up the dene, enjoying the beautiful woodland and wildlife. The Dene is a nature reserve and has over 450 different species of plants. It is the largest semi-natural area of woodland in the region. It is part of what used to be the wildwood that covered most of britain.
Back to Castle Eden
We will leave the dene when we reach the Castle. This Castle is really an 18th century mansion and Castle Eden village was here long before this Castle.
The route crosses the road and goes through fields to reach the Hart to Haswell Walkway again. From here, we retrace our steps back to where we started.
Look forward to seeing you there.
Julie and Martin x
Gallery – Crimdon Dene
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