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The Way of Love follows the influence of three of the most important female figures in the establishment of Christianity in England - St Hilda, St Helena and St Mary Magdalene - whilst mixing maritime and mining heritage, nationally-important nature reserves and the North East’s iconic denes.
The countryside The Way of Love links up between Hartlepool and Durham now seems gentle, sleepy and seldom walked. It was not always thus.
Step back in time to Anglo-Saxon and Norman England and this region was front-page news: some of the ground-breaking goings-on in the Christianisation of England happened hereabouts. One of the most famous of the country’s dual-sex monasteries was set up at Hartlepool, with the second abbess, St Hilda, going on to head up one of the Anglo-Saxon world’s premier religious centres at Whitby. Brutal monarch King Canute turned up to take a pilgrimage along this route from Trimdon in 1020, while a stone cross depicting Christianity’s original ambassador St Helena, and numbering among Britain’s most important Romanesque sculptures, was built into a church at Kelloe.
In the 18th and 19th centuries this area resounded to the sounds of some of the planet’s biggest industries.
Hartlepool was a very busy port and the villages en route to Durham had some of the defining coalmines in the Great Northern Coalfield, which became the powerhouse for the North East’s greatest-ever period of economic growth. Post industrial landscaping has had interesting affects on nature hereabouts, with coal railway tracks re-purposed as walkways and cycleways, and spoil heaps transformed into rolling hills, helping to
create some rich species diversity across a number of nature reserves.
The scenery here, as kissed by sea as it is hugged by inland rivers and streams, has perhaps avoided the attention other parts of the North East get today because its most outstanding parts remain so hidden. The steep wooded valleys known as denes, one of the region’s most distinctive topographical features, evade the gaze of the most eagle-eyed traveller until the last moment.
Descend into their tranquil, time-lost depths and you are sure to fall head over heels for The Way of Love.
For full route descriptions download the documents below.
Book Tickets
TripAdvisor
Access Information
Opening Times
Season (1 Jan 2021 - 31 Dec 2021) |
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Highlights...
Castle Eden Dene National Nature Reserve, PeterleeCastle Eden Dene is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and is home to an extraordinary variety of birds, more than 450 species of plants, and some of our favourite mammals, such as roe deer and fox.
Durham Castle Tours - closed until early 2021, Durham CityDurham Castle is part of the Durham City World Heritage Site. Entrance by guided tour only. Opening can vary - All enquiries re guided tours should be directed Palace Green Library. Telephone 0191 334 2932 or castle.tours@durham.ac.uk.
Durham Cathedral, Durham CityThought by many to be the finest example of Norman church architecture in England, with the tombs of St Cuthbert and The Venerable Bede. Please check opening times before travelling.
St Helen Auckland Parish Church, Bishop AucklandThe 12thC church of St Helen. Daily Mass times: Sunday and Wednesday, Thursday 10:00, Monday 19:00, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday 09:30.
Durham Heritage Coast, SeahamExperience the colourful and dramatic landscape of Durham’s Heritage Coast with its beaches, rugged cliffs and magnificent flora and fauna.
World Heritage Site Visitor Centre - Closed until early 2021, Durham CityA free visitor centre providing an introduction to Durham World Heritage Site and what there is to see and do in and around the site. Ideal for families.
Old Durham Gardens, Durham CityOld Durham Gardens can be found less than a mile east of Durham City Centre. The gardens can be reached through a number of walks, including a very pleasant route through Pelaw Woods and provide a charming public space for everyone to enjoy.
Open Treasure at Durham Cathedral - temporarily closed, Durham CityOpen Treasure is an award-winning museum for all ages which guides visitors through some of Durham Cathedral’s most spectacular spaces, including the fourteenth-century Monks’ Dormitory and the monastic Great Kitchen.
Palace Green Library - closed to walk-in visitors until early 2021, Durham CityPalace Green Library, in the heart of Durham city, holds Durham University's special collections. Our galleries are open to all and display treasures spanning millennia and the globe.
Cassop Vale Nature Reserve, Old CassopCassop Vale showcases diverse wildlife, open water, lowland grassland and areas of woodland. It lies between the villages of Bowburn and Cassop, 7 km south-east of the centre of Durham. A great way to stay close to nature throughout it pleasant walks.