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As I arrived at the small and one time mining village of Nenthead it was dry and cloudy with a temperature of 0°c. The large car park and its toilets are on the right hand side of the A689 road just as one leaves the village if heading for Stanhope from Alston and really can't be missed with its large, green framed 'Welcome to Nenthead Mines' sign and tall, carved stone pillar sat in an area of grass and moss.
- Welcome to Nenthead Mines.
I didn't see a soul about as I donned my walking kit and set off down the length of the car park heading southeast and following the River Nent as it passed the old mine buildings that are on the left hand side of the track that leads through the area of renovated water wheels and buildings before making ones way through the obvious area of mining activities of many years ago.
- A complex set of 4 waterwheels.
Just before reaching a gate that warns off no unauthorised vehicles there are a few buildings that were the Mining Heritage Centre but due to lack of funds are no longer open.
- Nenthead Mine Heritage Centre alongside the River Nent.
There is also an occupied house which I suppose holds the guardian of the gate but I saw no one about here either. The gate opens onto the wide and compacted stone laid track that leads right up to the summit Flinty Quarry that despite saying (disused) on the OS map is once again fully operational with two excavators in evidence upon reaching the quarry.
- The old mine workings are extensive.
The track winds its way around and between large heaps of spoil left over from the mine workings and are slowly being returned to nature as the short rough grass struggles to make a sparse living on the mostly stony, steep sides.
- The road winds its way through the spoil heaps.
There are one or two old mine buildings still in evidence although much dilapidated after years of disuse in the hostile conditions that must prevail around here at this height. As I was walking I heard the sound of a machine approaching behind me and as I stepped to one side a large front loader and trailer passed by on its way - I later found out - to the quarry.
After walking for a short while I came across a fingerpost indicating the footpath to Flinty Fell which went away across the spoil heaps and up onto the rough terrain of the moors. As it went up the hillside it seemed to disappear into nothing so I decided to stay on the track for as long as I possibly could.
- Marker post for Flinty Fell.
So passing this by I continued until arriving at an old building that sat overlooking the River Nent as it wound its way down the valley. It can hardly be called a river at this point as it's so small but maybe back in the day it was a lot bigger than it is now.
- Looking northwest down the River Nent.
The walk continued uneventfully with no views to speak of as in front of me the rising track covered the skyline, to each side there are spoil heaps, whilst looking back north in the direction of The Dodd the hills are obscured by the low cloud that is hanging about today. So it's head down and cart on as I pass a few shooting butts alongside Old Carr's Burn until, as the track began to level out it split into two with me taking the right hand one I espied a bright yellow JCB excavator parked up at the side of the track.
Looking east I could see Knoutberry Hill and Wellhope Moor,
- A misty view east to Knoutberry Hill and Wellhope Moor.
- A view northeast.
further round to the southeast is Dead Stones and Burnhope Seat whilst a glimpse of the green of Ashgill can be seen down in the bottom. Crossing over a cattle grid I soon came across another marker post with this one pointing the way to Ashgillside along a faint path through the rough grass. It was whilst I was at about this point of the walk that I heard stone being loaded into something and soon afterwards the machine and trailer that I had seen earlier came around the corner laden with stone from the quarry.
Shortly after passing the marker post I turned off the track at a patch of short greenish coloured grass and began to make my way west across the rough ground until I came across the top edge of the quarry which had a decent path running along the whole length of the rim of it. I walked around the east end of the quarry which appears to be well used with a welfare unit and a couple of machines lying idle just now.
- The quarry is open for business again.
After a visual poke about from above I left the quarry to walk northwest across the rough ground and numerous drainage channels to arrive at the summit - well I think it was - that according to the Nuttall's has an iron post and a couple of stones there. Well the iron post was certainly there but there was no sign of the stones.
- A view of the quarry from the summit of Flinty Fell.
Maybe they've sunk into the ground. They also mention that there is a mineshaft capped with concrete posts over to the northwest amongst some disused mine workings and this could maybe pass for the summit of Flinty Fell.
Well the ground certainly is higher there so I struggled across and around the peat hags and groughs, water filled holes and everything else that goes along with this sort of landscape to arrive at much firmer ground. Once there I investigated every high spot around but could find no sign of said capped mine shaft but there is quite a big cairn on the most northerly of the high ground.
- The view north towards the old mine workings.
- Area of disused mine workings at or near the summit of Flinty Fell.
From this area of old mine workings the road to Garrigill can be seen just to the west and if one wanted to, could easily climb the meagre height of only about 14 metres and 700 metres of travel to reach the summit, but that's not a walk is it?
From here the views are extensive but would be better on a clear day as I look north over to Nenthead and Wellhope Moor whilst in the other directions the views are similar as before.
- A view over to Nenthead and Wellhope Moor.
After wandering about for a few minutes I set off first north and then followed the walls/fences down to Dowgang Burn and then around the perimeter of the plantation that has been cleared by the Forestry Commission who is still continuing to clear away the rest of the pine tree plantation alongside the road to Garrigill. I'm now heading for Dowgang Hush that was formed in the days of the mining activities by releasing great quantities of water that washed away the soft ground material and exposed the valuable lead and silver ore that allowed in effect, open cast mining of the minerals wanted.
- Forestry Commission at work again.
- To Nenthead and Dowgang Hush.
- Featureless landscape.
On reaching the east corner of the felled plantation I went down a short but steep bank to arrive at a disused mine that sits at the side of Dowgang Burn…
- Disused mine on Dowgang Burn.
from where I took a wide grassy track heading north. This wide track on the east side of the felled plantation was scattered with broken branches and a couple of whole trees that blocked the path requiring me to move downhill until I could clamber over the trunks where the branches were thinnest.
At a point that is very near to the main road to Garrigill I went down into the hush itself following a path that soon disappeared into the mossy but fairly dry ground chasing Dowgang Burn as it made its way northeast through the trees.
- Near the head of Dowgang Burn.
I moved around from side to side working my way through the trees arriving at an open area where there was evidence of children using a sheet of metal as a sledge as they slid down a steep and gravelly part of the hillside.
- Getting further into Dowgang Hush.
The trees are mostly of the pine variety growing through what is more moss than grass but even so it is quite idyllic in here. Calm and quiet with just the sound of the burn gurgling along its merry way and it's difficult to imagine the work that has gone on in here in years gone by. It would have been very noisy and dirty with dozens, if not hundreds of men working in wet and filthy conditions to extract the minerals for the mine owners.
As I proceeded downstream I came upon signs of civilisation whereas the path had now re-appeared and there are a number of information boards stating the various varieties of bird, animals, and plant life that have made this small valley their home. One such board tells of certain of the plants that extract the poisonous materials out of the ground and which eventually will have naturally cleaned up the environment. Ah! the healing powers of nature never ceases to amaze me.
Unfortunately the information boards have been sadly neglected as some are missing, others hanging off the support posts, whilst others have just rotted away to coloured shards of what they once were. I also came across a boardwalk that was covered in green slime and very slippery. Some of the boards were broken or missing and I suppose that the state of neglect is due to lack of funding once again. It's a shame really as there has been a great effort made to open these old mine workings to the general public as well as the locals, and it is a nice place to be.
- A dilapidated boardwalk alongside Dowgang Burn.
Continuing my wanderings down this green and quiet valley I came across two small waterfalls in an open area and decided to have a break. The waterfalls are only about a metre high but it is pleasant sat on my moss covered rock as I while away the time trying to imagine what it must have been like at this particular spot over a hundred years ago. No trees, grass, moss or wildlife. Just bare rock, noise, and hard labour were in evidence then. But once again nature rules and wins over the scourges left behind by man and his machines.
- Dowgang Hush waterfalls where I had my dinner.
Break over I continue on my way downstream back to Nenthead coming to a wide track and wondered if this was all that remained of the original miners track leading up the hush.
- Nenthead peeping through the trees.
Now only minutes away from the car park I came upon a fingerpost advising me that the lane that I had just walked down from the hush was called Fiddler Street, so maybe my assumption about the old track was correct.
- Nenthead.
Back at the car park I get ready to drive to my second destination of Bellbeaver Rigg and Viewing Hill the start of which is on the B6277 somewhere between Alston and Middleton-in-Teesdale.
I have seen no one on this walk apart from the chap driving the quarry machine. There are two people chatting over a fence just over the way and that's all the signs of life - apart from grouse - that I have seen today.
This short walk was done in decent weather and the views could have taken the benefit of clearer skies but at least it has remained dry throughout. It has been an easy walk with over half of it on the Flinty Quarry road, a short stretch of rough going from the road to the numerous 'summits' and pathless from there down to Dowgang Hush. The upper reaches of the hush are without paths but not really difficult going, so all in all a good little walk.
I finally arrived at the parking spot for Bellbeaver Rigg at around 2pm and due to time of day, the clouds were starting to drop, and I'm working in Whitby tomorrow - Tuesday - I decided to cancel and come back another day.
