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- stanhope circular route four
Stanhope Circular Route Four
Route facts
Waterways:
River Wear »
Distance: 9.94 miles / 16 km
Duration: 1-2 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Circular route from: Stanhope
Take this route to see both views of the dale, local country villages and the beautiful River Wear.
1.1 Turn right out of Dales Centre at Stanhope and go along along the A689 for 1km (just over half a mile) past Old Stanhope Hall. On the outskirts of the village, on the brow of the hill, turn right up the minor road beside Toll Cottage (signposted: Greenfoot Caravan Park). There is a long uphill section and two gates to pass through, but a magnificent view of the dale from the top makes it all worthwhile. 1.2 Follow this road downhill and give way at the bottom as you are now joining the main road into Rookhope. At the end of the descent into Rookhope turn left at the T-junction. 1.3 Continue straight along the road which gently undulates alongside Rookhope Burn and continues down into Eastgate. 1.4 Turn left onto main road. Take care over the narrow bridge, as lorries are sometimes a danger here! 1.5 Turn right after quarter of a mile (half a km), crossing over River Wear, then turn left at the T-junction along a pleasant country lane. Watch out for the occasional vehicle which can be travelling quite fast. 1.6 Follow this road along the south side of the valley for about 4km (2 and a half miles). Follow this road taking care in wet weather as the sides of the roads become heavily silted. This section of the route is used by farm vehicles and the occasional car does travel quite fast. Keep well to the left and go round corners in single file. Near Stanhope, turn left across the bridge over River Wear and turn right onto A689 back into Stanhope.
Getting there
Parking: Town centre.
