Rickleton

The 8th section of the Along the Great North Road walk continues through urban landscapes of many different architectural types, traditional Tyneside flats, modern developments, Victorian and interwar semi-detached houses, and many inns, both new and old, giving plenty of evidence of the Great North Roads route. The walk also passes the iconic Angel of the North and the beautiful Victorian Saltwell Park, allow plenty of time for diversions.

Start this walk by exploring more of Washington Old Hall and the new town of Washington with its mining heritage at the 'F' Pit Museum and Bowes Railway before crossing fields to Birtley along the Bowes Railway Path.

The path continues along the C2C cycle route then passes through the new village of Rickleton and the old village of Picktree before passing the Lambton estate with its ornate castle then winding its way through the grounds of Lumley Castle on the banks of the Wear.

This section of the walk follows the old railway route and forms the second part of the Bowes Railway Path, starting at Birtley near the Bowes Incline (named after the system of pulleys used to pull coal trucks uphill) and continuing through open farmland to the Tanfield Railway and Causey Arch, the oldest surviving single span railway bridge. This walk celebrates the history of the Pontop and Jarrow Railway.

This rural stretch of the Angel's Way begins at the Angel of the North and after passing under the A1 follows a paths across farmland and through woodland passing a number of villages on the way to Beamish. On there way, there are views of the area where once coalmines could be seen including those of Kibblesworth and Bewicke Main.

An easy circular walk around the historic Lambton Estate.

This 3rd section of the Durham Round Trail walk, begins with an urban walk through the outskirts of Chester-le-Street before picking up the C2C cycle route making the walking easy going, however the entire route is uphill alll the way from Chester-le-Street to Beamish. Look out for sculptures along the way which relate to the industrial past as well as legend.

This section of the walk follows the banks of the Wear then climbs up into the suburbs of Sunderland finishing at Hylton Castle. The Shipwrights is the only reminder here of shipbuilding in Hylton and Ferryboat Lane, the only reminder that there was once a ferry here.