Wynyard Woodland Park

START: Wynyard Woodland Park Visitor
Centre, near Thorpe Thewles
DISTANCE: 6 miles/9.5 km
(12 miles/19 km return) various route options available
HEIGHT LOST & GAINED: Very little - mostly flat route
OS LANDRANGER MAP: 53

DESCRIPTION
This route started life as a working railway carrying freight to the ports along the River Tees. Now it provides visitors with miles of level paths for cycling and walking. Housed in the old railway station, the visitor centre has displays about archaeology, woodland history and wildlife, and there is also an Observatory and Planetarium. The main linear cycle route from the site is waymarked as National Cycle Network Route 1. This route is wellplaced for nearby attractions, so it’s easy to make a day of it with a visit to Hartlepool Maritime Experience, which includes the magnificent HMS Trincomalee, the oldest warship afloat moored by a reconstruction of an 18th-century working seaport.
RECOMMENDED ROUTE

From the visitor centre head north following National Cycle Network Route 1 signs (blue with red number patch).

Cross the A689 via a bridge and continue along the railway path.

You could choose to stop for a picnic after 6 miles at Hurworth Burn Reservoir and retrace your route back to Wynyard Woodland Park where there are other short routes and woodland walks to explore.

The railway path (signed National Cycle Network Route 1) continues north to Station Town/Wingate and joins a wider network of traffic-free railway paths linking the East Durham area (the wider network is shown on the Three Rivers Route Map).