A Visit To Holwick
One of our walks takes in part of the Pennine Way from Middleton-in-Teesdale to Low Force and Bowlees and returns via Holwick. We made a point of taking Pip The Collie, Mac the Labrador and Sally the Spaniel with us to test the gates, stiles and to remind us that where there are farm animals dogs must be on a lead and under control. We know there are several ways to start and finish this walk – we did the full round starting and finishing in Middleton. With lunch we managed to make this a full day’s walking.
One thing we did learn is that several of the stiles are not dog friendly if your dog isn’t race fit! Pip and Sally although both ten years old showed the way to Mac who had to be carried over at least two of the stiles. Kissing gates would solve the problem in the future!
We made a point of taking a break at The Strathmore Arms for lunch (you can also get sustenance at the Bowlees Visitor Centre.) The Middleton Tourist Information Centre (and quite a few other places) has a handy Yellow Walk Publications pocket map which covers this area (Based on the Ordnance Survey Explorer 1:16000 series it is both waterproof and small enough to slip in your anorak pocket).
We are looking at how this walk can be undertaken as a whole and in smaller segments with different starting points depending on what transport you have and your walking ability. Some parts of this walk require sturdy footwear and given that this is the Northern Pennines, suitable clothing We were lucky the weather was excellent as you can see from our video:
