Herrington Country Park

Weirdly, I thought Herrington Country Park had been on the Fabulous North website for years, but I was sorely mistaken. I am not sure how we haven't covered it already, but here it is in all of its glory now.

The park is a vast space near Penshaw Monument where you can enjoy a bit of wander, admire the sculptures and feed the ducks. It was reclaimed in 1996 and it took 6 years to landscape the park with it opening in 2002. The site is around 200 hectares, so you can certainly get your steps in for the day and there is plenty to keep you interested on the way. When we visited, we did a 5km wander starting from the main car park, passing all of the sculptures, and took in fabulous views of Penshaw Monument, though there was no sign of the worm on this occasion.

Amongst the sculptures that sit in the park there are four themed benches to sit and enjoy the scenery and have a breather. The seats which are named Wind Seat, Snow Seat, Sun Seat and Rain Seat were created by a group called 'Strata' and the seats were installed in 2004. The 'Wind' seat is also dedicated to a 9 year old girl named Laura Kane who died in 1999 and was from Penshaw.

In the centre of the park there is a sculpture which may look familiar to you by artist William Pym. The Greenheart Bridge is thought to resemble a pair of lungs which are breathing new life into an area which was once full of industry. William Pym was commissioned by the Great North Forest to make 5 steel sculptures which link the heritage of five local parks together. You'll also see his work at Watergate Forest Park, Monkton Park, Rainton Meadows and Hetton Lyons.

The highest sculpture in the park is Site Lines made by David Paton in 2000. It consists of seven standing stones with steel sighting boxes attached, and metal plaques which tell you how far away various local sites are. Penshaw Monument has never looked so good, from this vantage point. Not too far from Site Lines is a large stone boulder known as John's Rock which was created in 1998. There are 10 portraits of local men etched onto metal plates which are displayed on all sides of the rock.

This is also a great place for a bit of birdwatching and over 100 species of bird have been spotted there. When we visited we saw Meadow Pipit, Reed Bunting, Cormorant, Tufted Duck and Bullfinch amongst others. In the spring you might also spot dragonflies, frogs, newts and visiting birds such as Whitethroat and Yellowhammer.