Killhope Circular

Start: Killhope - The North of England Lead Mining Museum Car Park, Near Cowshill, Upper Weardale, County Durham, DL13 1AR

(S/E) From the car park, head northwest back towards the access road. Take the track to the left leading up through the trees, keeping Killhope Burn on your right. The track will swing left away from the burn.

(1) Nearing the top of the bank, keep left at the track junction heading east. Kidd's Dam will be on your left. Continue to follow the track which will curve southeast.

(2) After 1 km, there will be a track to your left. Ignore this and continue south on the path for another 500 m.

(3) At the next path junction turn left and then head northeast, passing a body of water on your right. On reaching the track, turn right heading south until you reach another track.

Alternative Route: After passing the body of water, turn right then turn left heading towards Collierhill Dam. The path skirts around the top of the water, then crosses the stream leaving the dam, then heads northeast. On reaching Killhope Burn, bear left and cross the burn, then head northeast to the A689 and continue following the instructions from (7).

(4) Turn left and follow the track northeast, then southeast through the trees until you reach another track.

(5) Turn left heading east until you reach Killhope Burn.

(6) The Weardale Way continues south (right) here, but take the track heading north, crossing the burn. At the point where the track turns southeast, look for a path on your left across the fields heading north then northeast. Cross the wall and then turn right to the fingerpost on the road.

Alternative Route: To avoid the stiles, continue following the track to the road. This will be a little longer but avoids scrambling over the walls.

(7) Turn left, and with care, walk along the road for approximately 1 km towards the museum. There are verges but no footpath.

(8) On reaching the house and layby on your right, enjoy the view, then turn left down a track towards Killhope Burn. Cross the bridge and turn right before the gate, following Killhope Burn on your right and the wall on your left back to the museum complex. Skirt around the railway tracks back to the car park (S/E).

Transport: Weardale Buses run service 101a to Cowshill from both Stanhope and Wolsingham, which are good places to set up a base if you are in the area. This service goes to the museum upon request during the summer months. There is no other transport at other times of the year and you may need to arrange a taxi or lift to the museum. At the time of writing the museum was closed for renovation so parking may not be possible. The route should therefore be started from the layby (8) and it may be prudent to walk to the (S/E) along the road to avoid the building works.

Facilities: When open, there are toilets and a cafe at the museum.

Terrain/Accessibility: There is a climb at the start of the walk. Most of the walk is along firm tracks used to access farms, but some of the walk is across fields with wall stiles. The stiles can be avoided by following the alternative route. This route is exposed and walking shoes/boots and waterproofs are recommended.

Killhope Lead Mining Museum is currently closed for renovation. To keep up to date with reopening information (hopefully 2026) and red squirrel activity, check out their Facebook page. This is a hidden gem of a museum. Details of the mine workings and trips down the mine are usually offered when the museum is open.

Definitely look out for the local red squirrel population. You may also see some road signs with squirrels on them too.

The views here are also worth checking out as you complete the walk. Killhope lies within the North Pennines AONB.