Allensford Park

We recently decided to go for a wander in the Durham Moors, however when we got to Waskerley Station and parked up, we could barely stand up in the 50 mph winds. (whose idea was it to go for a walk during a storm??? Mine. Oops.) So Plan B it was and we went for a wander around Allensford near Castleside which turned out to be an interesting Plan B.

We parked up at Allensford Park Car Park and walked along the river, past the holiday park and headed towards an information board telling you about the various walks in the area.

This Heritage Trail map highlights all of the places of interest relating to the Consett Steel Works which includes Hownsgill Viaduct and Terris Novalis amongst many others. Our walk followed part of the Heritage Trail, however, you could walk for miles, taking in many other points of interest. Our walk was a modest 6km as we were running out of time.

From the map we walked into the woodland area, and were greeted by the sounds of Wren, Siskin and Great Tit and probably a few others. It was a lovely wander through the woodland which eventually opened out into a meadow area.

The paths around here are obvious and our first stop was an old Victorian Pump House used as part of Consett Iron and Steel Works. There was no access inside the Pump House, however we did have a peek in and it looked pretty ominous. There was some graffiti inside but I wouldn't fancy squeezing through the tiny hole to get there.

Onwards we went and we took a left up a fairly steep incline and quite a rocky path. This was only a short distance and it took us up to Pemberton Road which we crossed and headed into a car parking area.

We went through a gate and continued upwards slightly until we reached 'grove ponds' and enjoyed some fantastic views over County Durham. We continued along the path and came out in a housing estate, headed towards Consett Road and entered some woodland just after Holly Gardens. It's clearly marked here with the Heritage Trail logo and signpost.

We wandered through the woodland and didn't seen anyone else at this point. We did spot some fairly interesting/creepy artwork on the trees though with some bird drawings, some eyes looking at you and some with a Blair Witch vibe... so our pace quickened and we eventually got back to our starting point at the holiday park.

This is a great wander which takes in the history of the area and you can enjoy some great views from the higher points. Look out for our walk on the moors at a later date too, as long as we don't get blown away.