Spennymoor - Along the Farmer's Track

 

I’m back in Spennymoor. I'm Only here for two weeks over the festive period. But I intend to fit a few walks in. This walk is special to me. It is not my favourite, nor one I’d especially recommend. It is, however, the one trodden by these feet more than any other. How did it come to acquire this record? The uninteresting answer: its proximity. From my childhood home, in the village of Middlestone Moor, just south of Spennymoor, it is the obvious choice for someone wanting a relatively short expedition from their doorstep. It is the closest place, by foot, from my council estate, to something resembling the countryside. Ideal if you want to take the dog for a walk or go for a short jog. I usually refer to this route as “the lines”. But although it runs alongside the former railway line that is now the Auckland Way, I don’t think it was ever a railway track. It provides access to Bishop’s Close Farm and cottages – hence its other name, the farmer’s track. I’ve also heard people call it Crowe’s road, in homage to the farmer who owns it.

We are products of our environments. Objectively speaking, this walk is nothing special: a track surrounded by farmer's fields. And herein lies the paradox of landscape. Some landscapes – Striding Edge, High Cup Nick, the Grand Canyon – possess an intrinsic kind of value; not to people of any particular culture or region; their appeal is universal and stirs something deep within the human spirit. But not all landscapes work like this. About a year ago, I attended an academic conference in Manchester. One of the speakers, an artist, spoke highly of her home city, praising its “urban grit.” I don't find that kind of aesthetic particularly appealing. But beauty is often in the eye of the beholder. And our perception of landscape is in part shaped by our surroundings. I have wandered this farmer's track since I was a young child and through these repeated perceptions it has become intimately connected with my consciousness, just as the streets of Manchester have in the consciousness of others. 

So, what follows is a route that means a lot to me. If you live nearby, or are passing by, it might be worth your while. If not, I certainly wouldn’t bother seeking it out.

I started this walk from Hawthorn Road in Middlestone Moor. The weather was cold and misty. Though the mist, coupled with the creeping darkness, gave it a gothic feel which seemed to compliment the landscape. The main part of the route can be undertaken from the car park on Whitworth road on the Auckland Way. From Hawthorn Road, there is a shortcut beside Sycamore Lodge care home which brings you out onto Clyde Terrace, the main road linking Middlestone Moor to Spennymoor. I turned left and continued for a short while before crossing the road to follow the way marker along the farmer’s track. This leads to Bishops Close farm, where you pass through a gate and turn right. The track then branches of into a loop. The building in front has greyhound kennels out back. From here you could join the Auckland way. Going left this would take you past the old station at Byers Green along to Binchester. To the right, it takes you to Whitworth Road. The farmer’s track runs alongside the Auckland Way to the right, leading to virtually the same place. You are better off following the Auckland Way if you are going in this direction because vehicles have no access to it.

I followed the track round to the right, shortly coming out at Whitworth Road, where I turned right toward the four lane ends. On the right there is a small section of woodland and a small path allowing entry between the hedgerows, offering a brief - and I mean brief - detour into woodland before rejoining the roadside path. You pass by a couple of schools on the left. There is The Meadows. And a little further along, Whitworth Park Academy, which is my old school. It looks a lot different from when I attended. The front looks much more modern than the drab red-bricked exterior I was used to. There used to be a comprehensive school in Tudhoe but that was closed down in 2012 and amalgamated with Whitworth. The Tudhoe school was notable for being the location of several scenes in the final series of BBC's George Gently, before eventually being demolished in 2015, much to the dismay of some local residents.  

At the four lane ends, I turned right, walking past a row of houses, a row which includes “Spennymoor House,” one of the oldest in the area. I crossed the road leading to the Sycamore Lodge gap and returned home.