Ingleton to West Auckland, The Way of Life

This section of the walk crosses farmland and follows country lanes starting in the village of Ingleton and finishing in West Auckland with its numerous interesting and historic buildings.

This walk is part of a multi-day hike: The Way of Life - Gainford to Durham

Technical sheet

29395782
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.71 km
  • ◔
    Calculated time: 2h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Return to departure point: No
  • ↗
    Vertical gain: + 38 m
  • ↘
    Vertical drop: - 50 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 161 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 108 m

Description

Start : St John's Church, Ingleton along B6279. (DL2 3HW) Grid ref. NZ 174 205

(S) From St John's Church, walk East along Front Street (B6279). To your left there is a building with an arched doorway, then a building with two garage doors, look for the public footpath sign with the Saint's Way logo just beyond this, turn left (North) between the houses. This path will bend to the left and then to the right heading in a North-North-East direction running parallel to the hedgerow, then crosses open farmland.

On reaching the beck, turn left for around 30m along the beck and then turn right (North) again. The track here should be more well-defined. Close any gates that you pass through along the way.

(1) On reaching a fork in the path, bear right and join the track coming from the right. This bends sharply where it meets the path and continues in a Northerly direction. The track will emerge onto a road, cross the road and continue walking in a Northerly direction along the tarmac road.

As you approach West Leaside House, bear left onto a path which runs to the left of the house and across farmland (North-West) running alongside the hedgerow.

(2) On reaching the farm track, continue straight ahead and continue walking Northwards with the trees to your right. The path will then enter the plantation and cross a stream as emerges from the plantation. Continue on this Northerly direction (the path is difficult to see) until you reach a gate and farm track. Turn left onto the track and follow it round to Bolton House and rejoin the tarmac road.

Alternative Route: There are 2 options given for the Gainford to Escomb section of this walk. At the farm track, turn left onto the track and follow this Westwards. Turn right onto Moor Lane (North) and at the sharp bend turn northeast onto Hummerbeck Lane following the cycle route. This adds 1km to the route, however in very wet weather, it is better than muddy fields.

(3) Continue past Bolton House following the road around to the left (North-West), there will be ponds on your left and a plantation on your right. At Hummerbeck Lane turn right (North-East) and follow this road.

(4) Where the road bends sharply right, continue on the North-Easterly direction on the smaller track.

(5) The path will bend slightly to the left, then right, look for a path to your left, the hedgerow to follow curves to the left in a North-Westerly direction then turns sharply right back onto a North-East direction before turning North-West again. The final bend is to the North.

(6) On reaching the A688, turn left and walk a short distance to the crossing point, then turn right and follow the narrow path along the other side of the road. Note: maps show the path going straight ahead but this is not practical for crossing purposes. Continue walking North across the field, there will be gardens to your left. Follow the path to the right (North-East) at Oakley Cross Beck then turn left to cross the beck via the footbridge.

(7) At the football pitch, turn right (East) onto New Street. after 20m turn left (North) onto a footpath which runs between the houses. Turn Left and then right (North) again and continue until you reach the Old Hall on Front Street (E).

Waypoints

  1. S : km 0 - alt. 125 m - St John the Evangelist Church, Ingleton
  2. 1 : km 1.08 - alt. 131 m - Fork in Path
  3. 2 : km 2.33 - alt. 150 m - Track Junction/Start of Plantation
  4. 3 : km 3.47 - alt. 146 m - Bolton House
  5. 4 : km 4.55 - alt. 128 m - Track Junction
  6. 5 : km 4.92 - alt. 127 m - Path Junction
  7. 6 : km 6 - alt. 117 m - A688
  8. 7 : km 6.53 - alt. 113 m - Football Pitch/Lomond Walk
  9. E : km 6.71 - alt. 111 m - The Old Hall, West Auckland

Practical information

Start : St John's Church, Ingleton along B6279. (DL2 3HW) Grid ref. NZ 174 205

Transport: You can park on The Green at West Auckland and then take bus 6 from the Brewery bus stop to Cockfield (Arriva). From there take the 84 towards Darlington (Weardale Buses) to the Black Horse in Ingleton. Alternatively, if you are based in Darlington, you can catch the bus from there.

Facilities: There are no facilities along the way. Try the Black Horse in Ingleton and the Eden Arms in West Auckland. There are also takeaways and a convenience store in West Auckland.

Accessibility: Large parts of this walk is across open farmland which can be very wet and muddy. There are also numerous gates to pass through so this walk may not be accessible.

Accommodation: For those walking the entire route, the Manor House and Spa is located at the end of the walk and there is a Premier Inn in nearby Bishop Auckland, or many options if using Barnard Castle or Darlington as a base.

In the nearby area

West Auckland - There are a number of historic buildings here including the Old Hall and Pant (water source) on the Green at the end of the walk.

Reviews and comments

Other walks in the area

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of the author.