Author Topic: North Pennines Cockfield Fell and The Edge  (Read 6631 times)

mike knipe

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North Pennines Cockfield Fell and The Edge
« on: 20:47:50, 01/03/08 »
I went on this Durham County walk on a bit of a last minute whim, only decided this morning.
The walk took place on the edge of the Penines a few miles West of Bishop Auckland.
There were 21 of us altogether - including the leader Bill  and stewards Clare, Brian and Neville. I went as a punter again.
The walk leader, Bill Gallon, is also Chairman of the Pennine Way Association - quite a good link for anybody who might have suggestions about the PW...
The first bit of the walk went from The Slack - a local visitor centre with lits of good info about the local industrial heritage - and free entry!! - down by the River Gaunless to see what happens when industry disappears. This area used to have extensive railway martialling yards, the main line from Co durham to Westmorland and Barrow and a set of coke ovens for turning the local coal into coke for iron and steel making.  Its al gone. You woulndt hardly notice there's ever been anything there at all.
Cockfield Fell was next - an area that has archeology going back to iron age, dozens of bell pits for coal from around 1500 ad, a quarry in a whin sill intrusion, and an attempt at starting a canal - plus the railway and the locals access for grazing horses and sheep. And now its an open access walking/riding/playing area - in fact, a piece of land which has just about been as useful to mankind as you would find anywhere. It doesnt look too impressive - just a  bit of moor, but the larks were singing today.
Explorations went on to the Copley lead smelting mill and up the Steele road and across to the village of Edge - a draughty spot at 1150 feet above sea level but with good views to the North York Moors and Teeside.
Our walk's final claim to fame was that Cockfield is the birthplace of Jeremiah Dixon - a local lad made good who became a surveyor and, in company with a Mr mason, determined the border between the Southern US states (Dixie) and the Northern States.
All good, clean fun, in fact.
fab little walk.
13 miles and 1150 feet of uphill

Pics below are of the remains of the coke ovens (better preserved ones are at Tow Law) - and an ancient coal mine entrance as a drift in the hillside - and a slice out of the moor from quarrying of whin sill. Whin Sill is a volcanic intrusion which runs through various parts of NE England as narrow bands of hard, bluish grey rock - places like the rock underneath Hadrians Wall and High Force are examples. In the pic, the intrusion has been quarried away, which gives a good idea of it's size.
« Last Edit: 20:37:38, 28/03/08 by mike knipe »
Some kind of happiness is measured out in miles

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