Tunstall Reservoir from Wolsingham

Start: The Demesne Mill parking area (DL13 3DG) Grid ref. NZ 075 375

(S/E) From The Demesne Mill parking area walk to the metal gate in the North-East corner, pass through and the beck will be in front of you. Turn left and follow the track, which curves to the right with beck on your right hand side. The path leads through some light trees and turns to the left. Pass through a gate into a field and follow the path to another gate, pass through to a junction with a path on the left. Ignore this and keep right to cross a wooden bridge. On the other side of the bridge turn right and follow the path to a gate.

(1) Immediately after the gate turn left and follow the path with the field boundary on your left, maintain this direction of travel, crossing through gates into subsequent fields until you pass through a metal kissing gate onto a minor road.

(2) Immediately opposite is a gate into a field with a finger post. (You can take this path but when doing the walk cows with young calves were in the field and we did not want to disturb them.) Instead, take the obvious track on the left leading to Fawnlees Hall, the track is easy to follow but please close any gates behind you as you go through them. The track passes beside Fawnlees Hall then Low Fawnlees Farm and Middle Fawnlees. After Middle Fawnlees ignore the track on the left (which leads up to High Fawnlees) and keep straight on to pass beside felled plantations and up to a metal gate.

(3) After the gate turn right and follow a path between gorse bushes to ruined buildings at Park Wall.

(4) Go through a gap in the wall to the right of the ruins and walk to the steep wooden stile/steps on the left. Cross these, taking care, and on the other side turn right. Follow the path to pass through another gate onto a track with a felled plantation on the left. (Tunstall Reservoir is visible in the distance.) The track bends to the left, keeping the felled plantation on the left, and then back right to descend a field to a gate and farm track.

(5) Follow the track to pass beside Jofless Cottage and onto High Jofless farm. Walk between the farm buildings and turn right at a barn which has rowing boats stored in it. Keep on following the track down and then turn left off the track to cross a stream and enter a field with a wood on your immediate left. Walk across the field with the wood on your left and go through a gate into a second field.

Cross this diagonally and climb a stone stile over and into a third field (if you don't like the look of the stone stile, walk straight onto a gate and pass through into the third field). Walk to the bottom corner of the third field just above some cream coloured houses. Go through a gate and follow the track which crosses a stream and enters another field. Cross this diagonally to a gate leading onto the road.

(6) Take care on the road as it is narrow. Turn left and follow it to pass beside the entrance to the dam wall (it is possible to walk along the wall from here for views or to do so on the far side as described later). Just after the private track to Heatherlea Grange on the left, there is a gate on the right, go through this and turn left to follow a path with Tunstall Reservoir on your right. (Taking this path keeps you off the road.) The path leads all the way to the wooden building and picnic area below Glen Wood.

(7) At the picnic/parking area cross through a gate and back onto the road. Turn right and follow the road around the bend. Shortly after the bend look out for a wooden gate on the right. Go through this to pick up another path which leads pleasantly around the upper section of the lake to Tunstall House Farm. Go through a gate and turn right onto a track. Then cross a bridge and on the far side look out for a gate on the right.

(8) Turn right and go through the gate, then follow a path through Backstone Bank Wood. There are some wooden steps near the start and some sections are muddy but logs have been laid so you can use these as stepping stones. The path leads you to an information board and junction with a tarmac road.

(9) (At this point you can turn right and descend the road to the dam wall, if you do this (as we did) you will need to walk back up.) Opposite the junction is a narrow path which leads up, this cuts the corner off the road. If it is muddy or if you prefer to walk on the road then turn left and follow it uphill and around a bend. It leads up to Backstone Bank farm.

(10) At the farm turn right to follow a path below a stone wall which will be on your left. Follow the path to pass beside a plantation of trees on your right. The path divides, keep to the right with the plantation on your right. After leaving the plantation the track descends to pass through a gate. Walk through the next field and where the path divides, again keep right to walk across to an area of trees either side of a stream. It can be muddy at the bottom but cross the stream and go through a metal gate and onwards into a long open field with a wall up on the left and trees below on the right.

(11) The path through this field is not obvious and the ground can be rutted at the start from animal hooves that have sunk into soft ground. It is better to stay about two thirds of the way up the field and you will eventually see an obvious gate which you are aiming for (Our GPS track shows that we walked downwards as the field had cows and calves in it and we wanted to avoid disturbing them with their young.) Go though the gate and into the next field, cross this and pass through a gate into the next field. Walk across this with a fence on your immediate right, it leads to a gate beside the corner of a wood.

(12) Go through the gate and walk across the next field to a gate, go through and walk towards the farm keeping the machinery and buildings to your right to arrive at a farm track. Turn right and follow the track down past the farm. The track bends to the left but leave it on the right and follow a narrower track across the field to some trees. The paths bends down into a field, you can follow it or leave it at the bend to follow a path with a stone wall/hedge on the left. This leads gently down hill to a kissing gate.

(13) Pass through the gate and then turn right. Follow the path to an obvious signpost on the opposite side of the road. Cross over and go through the gate. Follow the path diagonally across the field to a gate to pass beneath houses on your left. Then go through a gate and between two houses to a junction with the B6296.

(14) Turn right a follow the footpath down to the entrance to Demesne Mill Picnic Area. Turn right and walk back to your car. (S/E)

Start: The Demesne Mill parking area (DL13 3DG) Grid ref. NZ 075 375

Facilities: There are no obvious shelters on this walk but parts are sheltered from the wind, particularly when walking through the wooded sections.

Gears: Check the weather forecast and wear appropriate clothing and footwear. In dry conditions this walk is manageable in approach shoes or light boots. In wet conditions you will want a waterproof boot.

Dog policy: The walk passes through farmland, much of which is pasture. There may be livestock (cattle or sheep) in the fields. Please give livestock a wide berth and keep dogs on leads so that animals are not frightened.

At the start of the walk there are the remains of the weirs and mill race in Waskerley Beck.

The various buildings at Fawnlees are interesting and the views get better as you walk higher, until you get the first views of Tunstall Reservoir from just beyond Park Walls.