I joined yesterday's Durham CC guided walk as a punter, not as a steward/ranger just for the fun of it. The walk was lead by Bill Gallon and was advertised as 14 miles and, as well as the 3 stewards, there were 21 other punters and a small dog.
We started at Romaldkirk and used the Teesdale Railway path for a while (this is a fab, easy walk by the way for anybody who likes fab, easy walks - very good for blackberries which will start to be ready in a few weeks (dribble....))
Er... sorry, distracted there for a mo (they're fab hot and stewed with apple and vanilla ice cream by the way.....)... and up through various meadows and pastures to the Baldersdale reservoirs, then, on the same route as wot I did through Hannah's meadows a week or so ago... (or in a fruit cobbler with lots of custard...slurp.....)
We came back alongside thre three reservoirs (lots of canada geese) and up the hill to Botany farm with a long, straight track back to Romaldkirk (or you can make some nice wine if you've collected enough.....)
14 miles and a mere 1100 feet of ascent - so its fairly gentle. The yellow rattle pictured in the Hannah's meadow walk is now brown and rattling loudly - not exactly the same yellow rattle, obviously (dhuhh!). Most of the meadows have now been cut or are being cut. Quite a hot day, too....
Any further delicious suggestions about what to do with blackberries, specially those involving ice cream, welcome - post them here!