Cycling along the Deerness Valley - 27/03/2012

Unbelievable weather for March, the weather forecast promises 21C!

Watching the news this morning, threats of a strike by tanker drivers. The word is do not panic, do not go out and fill up the car with petrol / diesel. So, I dutifully, take the campervan and fill it up with diesel, £100, ouch that hurts!

We decide, we may as well have a ride out in the campervan and use some of the very expensive diesel. I load the bikes on the cycle rack and off we go.

For anyone who wants to make use of this ride, or a variation on it, to find the car park we started from, proceed as follows:

• from A167 at Nevilles Cross, take the A690 toward Crook.
• at the first roundabout (Stonebridge pub on your left), turn right, onto the B6302, toward Broompark.
• After a bridge, crossing the main east coast railway line, watch out for the brown picnic area sign, and "Railway Paths" sign, turn left at these signs for the car park.

From here, you have at least three choices to walk or cycle:

• follow the Deerness Valley trail, towards Esh Winning
• follow the Brandon, Bishop Auckland railway path, towards Bishop Auckland
• follow the Lanchester Valley Railway path, towards Lanchester.

We (well Kathleen) choose the Deerness Valley trail, and go on past Esh Winning. It is uphill all the way (serves her right), and we peddle for 6.5 miles, just beyond Ivesley Cottages.

Here, we are cruelly cheated, there is a pub, we stop for refreshments, but it is closed!

We turn back and head back to the van, we will have to settle for our picnic lunch and a cup of tea.

You can see the abridged journey here.