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(S/E) From parking on the grounds of Bowes Museum. Walk to the gates, turn right and follow the path into Barnard Castle. As you get to the church on your right, cross the road to a driveway, follow this driveway to a gate leading onto an open meadow/grassland (Demesnes).
(1) Ahead of you are some fenced off allotments. A path crossed diagonally over the meadow to meet the right boundary of the allotment. (Alternatively, take the path on the right which skirts the edge; this is the path followed on the way back) From the edge of the allotments, the path descends a short steep bank to flatter ground below with a play area on the right. Descend to a good track.
(2) Turn left and follow the track to the buildings which were the Demesnes Mill and are now homes. (look out for the mill wheels) Walk between the buildings where the track becomes a path and follow this into open ground passing through gates as necessary. Follow the path with the river on your right you will see the waterworks ahead of you; the OS map shows the path curving away from the riverside and then back towards it to avoid the remains of a ruined barn. You can take this way but we stuck to the riverside path by crossing a collapsed wire fence, low enough to easily step over) Continue past the waterworks and through a gate. Keep following the path along the bottom edge of fields to a gap in the wall after which the path splits. Take the right hand lower path which leads to a gate and into woodland with the path rising to meet the road beside Abbey Bridge.
(3) Turn right and cross the bridge. It is narrow and controlled with traffic lights so pick your time to cross, stick to the sides and use the passing bays if cars approach. On the far side turn right and walk along the side of the road to Egglestone Abbey and a road junction on the left.
(4) Turn left and walk up to the abbey. Entry is free, have a good look around (good place for a picnic) and then return to the road (4). Turn left and walk along the minor road. Soon you will come to a bridge with the old Bow Bridge on its left. It is still possible to walk over the old Bow Bridge but in summer the vegetation can be intrusive at the start. Continue along the road which starts to ascend and bend to the left. Look out for an opening on the right, next to a hedge with two upright stones to squeeze through.
(5) Turn right and squeeze past the stones to gain a good path. Turn left and follow the path above the River Tees, crossing grassy fields. Pass above the caravan park and arrive at a road leading down to it.
(6)Turn right and follow the road into the caravan park. The layout looks complex and the path is not well signposted. As a rule of thumb, you are heading down and leftward to the bottom left hand corner of the caravan site. There are usually people about to ask if you get lost. (More detailed directions are: at the first split in the road turn right and then left. At the T junction turn right then ignore the footpath on the left and continue down to a left turn into a a cul-de-sac. At the end of the cul-de-sac you will pick up the path beside the River Tees again) Follow the path to a pedestrian bridge.
(7) Cross the bridge into Barnard Castle. Walk up the street on the right hand side. Look out for a narrow passageway between the houses which leads via a lane flanked with stone walls back to the Demesnes or, if you miss it; just before the main road through the town, there is a turn right along a street (Gray Lane) (Note the GPX route shown goes via Gray Lane)
(8) Turn right and walk to the Demesnes, Ascend the obvious path that slants up and across the grassy bank back to (1)
(1) Follow the lane to the road, cross over, turn right and walk back to Bowes Museum.:/A
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