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Silver Challenge Walk 4
Grassholme Reservoir Distance - 7.9 miles |
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LANDRANGER 92 O/S Crown copyright 2016 CS-30288-W3Z2M1
THE SOUTH BANK PATH ALONG THE WATERSIDE NOW OPEN AGAIN.
From the market place turn down Bridge Street and cross the old county bridge over the River Tees. Built in 1811, it used to mark the boundary between the counties of Durham and Yorkshire. Walk up the hill until you come to the first road off to the right (signposted Holwick). Turn right and walk to the end of the house on the corner. To your left you will see a footpath sign for the Pennine Way through a wooden gate. Follow the track up the
hill, ignoring two paths that angle off to the left towards the end of the ‘field’ as you rise. Reaching a green metal gate pass through and continue on the track to find a stile and a dog gate beside a metal gate at the fence ahead. By now there are superb views back down the hill over Middleton. Once over the stile ignore the path off to the left and turning towards the right follow the track staying parallel to the fence until the track swings back up the hill passing a series of cairns and finally reaching a way marked metal gate. Throughout keep well over to the right of a distinctive mound topped by a clump of pine trees. This is Kirkcarrion or Caryn’s Castle.
Now head across to approximately the middle of the wall opposite and then having crossed this wall via a way marked wooden gate with a ruined byre to the right, keep fairly close to the wall on your right through the next field until you come to the next gate which has a stile beside it. From here the path swings round slightly left towards cairn and a ruined wall and passes through it by a fallen post with a way mark sign. From here views of Grassholme Reservoir (completed in 1915 and used as a nature reserve and for angling and sailing as well as a water supply) and the smaller Selset reservoir open up.
Follow close to your right until you reach a galvanised gate with a stone stile beside it. The track continues passing below a few trees to your right and on down to an old byre on your left. Pass over a stone stile by a gate and head for the farm in the distance. At the next gate the path descends to a track that passes through a way marked gateway. After the gate follow the track for about 50 yards and then branch off on a faint path to the right reaching the next gateway and stile.
Cross to the bottom right hand corner of the next field, crossing the stream by stepping stones and in the next field drop down to ford Carl Beck and join the track to Wythes Hill Farm. Pass the farm on your left and follow their drive to the road. Cross the B6276 over a stile with footpath sign and cross the field on a barely visible track down past a ruined barn on your left then up to a stile in the opposite wall, where there is a corner away from you. Now keep the wall on your right down and up to a gate. Straight down the next field, over another stile and down to the farmyard of Grassholme Farm. Through the farmyard and turn left onto Grassholme Lane. About 150m along you come to the western banks of Grassholme Reservoir where there are picnic tables (and in summer a toilet). An ideal place to watch the birds and have a break.
Cross the bridge between Grassholme and Selset Reservoirs and after a sharp turn in the road take the metal gate on the left to enter the reservoir lands. Taking stairs down to the lower grassland follow the path to the left to further sets of steps up onto the banks. Turning right follow the path on top of the banks with wonderful views up the reservoir. At the end of the bank, after about 400m, take care down the steep slope on your right, round a fence to then continue on the path next to the reservoir. Follow the track next to the reservoir until you get to the Visitor Centre after just over 1 mile. There again there are picnic tables and toilets.
Take the driveway to the road and turn left. In 600 metres take the stile on your left after passing an old lime kiln on the right and just after a turning on the right. Cross the field bearing slightly right to a stile which you take then keeping the wall on your left go down the next two fields, always keeping to the wall and using stiles. In the third field, passing a copse of trees on your left, you will see a stile midway along the opposite wall, take that, then across a small foot bridge to a stile almost immediately on your right. You are going up the hill to the opposite corner of this field, taking a curving track to the stile. Now keeping to the wall on your right across the field to another stile. The farm is now in sight on your right. Follow the track to and past the farm to Cote House road, with an elegant house in front of you.
Turn right and follow the road until you reach the viaduct on your left, take the gate and cross the viaduct. You are now on the Tees Railway Path. Along here the way is clear with good views of the Eggleston Moor and Monks Moor to the right and the pastures to the left. Shortly after passing a bench on the right hand side you reach a farm house and caravan site, after the building there is a concrete footbridge to the right. Take this. (If by any chance you reach the road at this point you have gone too far - retrace your steps 50 yards and take the footbridge.)
Now go across the field slightly left through a small gate and a gap in the wall onto the road. Turn left and 50 yards on take the footpath sign to the right, over a stile into a field. Cross to the left, over the stile to the next field and down to the next stile. Here you are starting to descend steeply so take care down the footpath onto a farm track by a wall, here you turn left. At the gate take the stile, continuing along the farm track, with the Tees now to your right, past the farmhouse, following the path to the stile, up some steps and onto the road by the bridge.
Be careful here since there is no footpath on this side of the bridge so cross, turning right over the bridge and up Bridge Street back into Middleton.
hill, ignoring two paths that angle off to the left towards the end of the ‘field’ as you rise. Reaching a green metal gate pass through and continue on the track to find a stile and a dog gate beside a metal gate at the fence ahead. By now there are superb views back down the hill over Middleton. Once over the stile ignore the path off to the left and turning towards the right follow the track staying parallel to the fence until the track swings back up the hill passing a series of cairns and finally reaching a way marked metal gate. Throughout keep well over to the right of a distinctive mound topped by a clump of pine trees. This is Kirkcarrion or Caryn’s Castle.
Now head across to approximately the middle of the wall opposite and then having crossed this wall via a way marked wooden gate with a ruined byre to the right, keep fairly close to the wall on your right through the next field until you come to the next gate which has a stile beside it. From here the path swings round slightly left towards cairn and a ruined wall and passes through it by a fallen post with a way mark sign. From here views of Grassholme Reservoir (completed in 1915 and used as a nature reserve and for angling and sailing as well as a water supply) and the smaller Selset reservoir open up.
Follow close to your right until you reach a galvanised gate with a stone stile beside it. The track continues passing below a few trees to your right and on down to an old byre on your left. Pass over a stone stile by a gate and head for the farm in the distance. At the next gate the path descends to a track that passes through a way marked gateway. After the gate follow the track for about 50 yards and then branch off on a faint path to the right reaching the next gateway and stile.
Cross to the bottom right hand corner of the next field, crossing the stream by stepping stones and in the next field drop down to ford Carl Beck and join the track to Wythes Hill Farm. Pass the farm on your left and follow their drive to the road. Cross the B6276 over a stile with footpath sign and cross the field on a barely visible track down past a ruined barn on your left then up to a stile in the opposite wall, where there is a corner away from you. Now keep the wall on your right down and up to a gate. Straight down the next field, over another stile and down to the farmyard of Grassholme Farm. Through the farmyard and turn left onto Grassholme Lane. About 150m along you come to the western banks of Grassholme Reservoir where there are picnic tables (and in summer a toilet). An ideal place to watch the birds and have a break.
Cross the bridge between Grassholme and Selset Reservoirs and after a sharp turn in the road take the metal gate on the left to enter the reservoir lands. Taking stairs down to the lower grassland follow the path to the left to further sets of steps up onto the banks. Turning right follow the path on top of the banks with wonderful views up the reservoir. At the end of the bank, after about 400m, take care down the steep slope on your right, round a fence to then continue on the path next to the reservoir. Follow the track next to the reservoir until you get to the Visitor Centre after just over 1 mile. There again there are picnic tables and toilets.
Take the driveway to the road and turn left. In 600 metres take the stile on your left after passing an old lime kiln on the right and just after a turning on the right. Cross the field bearing slightly right to a stile which you take then keeping the wall on your left go down the next two fields, always keeping to the wall and using stiles. In the third field, passing a copse of trees on your left, you will see a stile midway along the opposite wall, take that, then across a small foot bridge to a stile almost immediately on your right. You are going up the hill to the opposite corner of this field, taking a curving track to the stile. Now keeping to the wall on your right across the field to another stile. The farm is now in sight on your right. Follow the track to and past the farm to Cote House road, with an elegant house in front of you.
Turn right and follow the road until you reach the viaduct on your left, take the gate and cross the viaduct. You are now on the Tees Railway Path. Along here the way is clear with good views of the Eggleston Moor and Monks Moor to the right and the pastures to the left. Shortly after passing a bench on the right hand side you reach a farm house and caravan site, after the building there is a concrete footbridge to the right. Take this. (If by any chance you reach the road at this point you have gone too far - retrace your steps 50 yards and take the footbridge.)
Now go across the field slightly left through a small gate and a gap in the wall onto the road. Turn left and 50 yards on take the footpath sign to the right, over a stile into a field. Cross to the left, over the stile to the next field and down to the next stile. Here you are starting to descend steeply so take care down the footpath onto a farm track by a wall, here you turn left. At the gate take the stile, continuing along the farm track, with the Tees now to your right, past the farmhouse, following the path to the stile, up some steps and onto the road by the bridge.
Be careful here since there is no footpath on this side of the bridge so cross, turning right over the bridge and up Bridge Street back into Middleton.
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