We had a lovely day for our walk in May. We set off from St Cuthbert`s Church, High Etherley to walk along by the Cricket Pitch then down the Old Railway to Phoenix Row and onward to East Park. Walking along East Park we talked about places which used to be there until fairly recently; the old Railway buildings, two cottages and the small Farmhouse and Byre. Sadly, the opencast and some clearing of land has removed those and there is no trace of them now.
The views were wonderful as we decended the path to the river where we joined part of the Weardale Way to Witton Park. After a short rest on a drystone wall we entered Paradise which used to be a black hole of pollution and is now a beautiful area to wander around. From the bottom of Paradise the view of the Witton Park viaduct from below is excellent. There is a ford just below where you can cross the river by foot or Horseback!.
Before exploring the pathways winding through Paradise we had our lunch `on the beach`. A lovely spot by the river with a real sandy beach to sit and enjoy the peaceful view of the trees and the flowing river. Spring was blossoming exuberantly as we wandered around after lunch. After exploring we left to walk up Witton Park Main Street past the memorial the Bradford brothers and on up the Baltic to the path through the fields to Low Etherley. From there, up past the Cricket Pitch and back to our setting off point.
Isobel