Miner's Heritage Trail from Station Town

(S/E) Start at the Divine Care Home, Station Town. Walk past the bus shelter and then take the path to the left-hand side. Follow this path, it takes a sharp left and then continues past the Miners' Welfare Park on the right.

(1) Continue until you reach the housing estate at Deaf Hill.

(2) Leave the path and turn to your left following the path uphill to Wingate road.

(3) Cross the road and turn right walking down hill on Wingate Road, the Top Shop will be on your left.

(4) When you reach the Foundary Chip Shop, turn left on Margaret Terrace and walk towards the shops at the end of the road. Turn right into Station Road and continue to Deaf Hill/Trimdon Station Community Centre.

(5) When you have visited the Community Centre go back and continue along Station Road. At the junction with Wingate road, cross the road and follow the public footpath sign on to the bridleway. Follow the trail past the redeveloped former High Moor Farm over the style and down the hill side. This area gives a view of Wingate Quarry Nature Reserve on the left.
After reaching the valley bottom, the trail climbs Marley Banks. At the stile at the top turn left and sharp right passing the access road to Olf Wingate Farm. Follow the bridleway/road to its junction with the A181.

(6) Cross the road with great care. Turn left and walk the short way to Wheatley Hill junction, turn right and walk down Cemetery Road to the Cemetery and Heritage Centre.

(7) Leaving the cemetery, cross the road on your left into Wordsworth Avenue, the route passes Wheatley Hill Primary School and continues to Quetlaw Road. Turning left follow this road to the fire station at the junction with the old A181 (Wingate Lane).

(8) When reaching Wingate Lane, turn right on the lane using the footpath, follow the road westward to the "Pit-Pony" memorial roundabout.

(9) To the roundabout, turn right and continue along the new A181 towards Durham until reaching the information board by the new houses.

(10) At the junction with the footpath, turn right and follow the former mineral railway skirting Thornley to its junction with the bridleway to/from "The Hilly". To the junction, turn left towards the village and follow the trail to Thornley Library.

(11) From the library turn right and follow Hight Street to the junction, where the Community Centre and Miner's Heritage Centre are located.

(12) Cross the road and take the former mineral railway towards Thornley Station (this is at the side of the Community Centre). This can get very wet and flood in wet weather so do check the forecast. Continue straight on until you reach the B1280 (Salters Lane). Cross Salters Lane and continue walking straight until you meet the Hart-Haswell Walkway.

(13) Turn right and follow the Hart- Haswell Walkway until you reach the A181 (Wellfield Bypass), cross with care.

(14) The trail continues straight ahead under Wellfield Bypass until it reaches the picnic rest area and information board at the junction of the Castle Eden Walk Way. Bear right and follow the trail into a small wood and past the sculptures.

(15) Turn right onto Moor Lane and continue straight to the junction with the B1280 (North Road).

(16) When you reach North Road, turn left onto it. It will become Front Street. Walk past the church and stop at the memorial outside Wingate library.

(17) From the memorial, continue up the road back to your starting point : Car Park opposite the care home. (E)

• Transport: You can begin and end this walk at any point as it is a circular walk. I have chosen to start it in Station Town as there is a small car park. If starting this walk at any other point, you will need to park in the street, please be mindful of local residents. The route is served by a number of buses from Hartlepool, Peterlee and Durham. Arriva Services 57/58 (Mon-Sat) serve Station Town, Wingate, Wheatley Hill and Thornley should you wish to cut the walk short. On Sundays, you will need to change buses in Peterlee.
• Facilities: You will pass a number of takeaways and small shops to buy refreshments along the way.
• Toilets however are harder to come by, these should be available in the community centres/libraries (if open).
• Accessibility: There are some steep gradients not suitable for wheelchairs/pushchairs and some of the trail is rough path and prone to flooding.

Note: There are a number of information boards along the route so do look out for them. If you need more informations please contact http://wheatleyhillheritagecentre.org.uk...

• Pit Village Memorials, nearly every village will have one.
• Sculptures along the way.
• Landscape
• Wingate Welfare Park
• Wingate Quarry Nature Reserve (requires a diversion)

Further information about the area can be found on the Wheatley Hill Heritage Site