WALKING THE TEESDALE WAY - MIDDLESBROUGH TO EAGLESCLIFFE

 Three weeks after walking the first section of the Teesdale Way, which for me was from Redcar to Middlesbrough, I walked the second section from Middlesbrough to Eaglescliffe. As before this involved taking the train from my home town to Middlesbrough, walking to Eaglescliffe and catching the train home. As with the 1st section this was very much what I would term an urban walk, although the section from Stockton to Eaglescliffe did give the illusion of being in the Countryside at times.

The route is covered on the OS explorer  maps numbers 304 and 306 and for the most part follows the river from the Transporter bridge in Middlesbrough to Eaglescliffe with a few minor deviations.

The route from the railway station to the river Tees  and Newport Bridge is as follows:-

• Travel North via Queens Square, Cleveland Street and Durham Street.
• Turn left Vulcan Street.
• Continue across roundabout onto Depot Road.
• Continue Riverside Park Road to Teessaurus Park
• Turn right through park
• Turn left and follow the riverside path to Newport Bridge

Queens Square, Cleveland Street and Durham Street are obviously not part of the Teesdale Way, but I have included them here as for me this was where the walk started. Towering over the junction of Durham and Vulcan Street is the Transporter bridge which was first opened in in October 1911. It's an impressive structure and there is a handy viewing point which gives good views of both the bridge and the river.

The transporter bridge from Durham Street above and from the riverside viewing area below.

The transporter bridge was one of a number of very different bridges that I would encounter on this walk, many of whom caused me great pain during my working life. That being said I was looking forward to seeing them from a from a different perspective.

The river Tees with Port Clarence on the far bank above and AV Dawson's Middlesbrough port facility below.

Walking along Depot Road past the AV Dawson Middlesbrough port facility I came across a pleasant surprise in the form of a Commemoration celebrating the birth place of Middlesbrough in 1830 and the input of Timothy Hackworth, a railway engineer from my own home town of Shildon. Hackworth was very much a pioneer of the railways as we know them, and apparently played a pivotal role in the development in the fledgling port of Middlesbrough.

The Teesdale way continues up Riverside Road flanked by either the port or industrial units until it reaches Teessaurus park which features steel sculptures in the form of Dinosaurs - hence the name. I have to admit it did make me smile when I turned the corner to be confronted by a lime green T Rex which isn't something you see every day.  

The path running alongside the River, above and below. I believe this part of the Tees is known as Billingham reach and in years gone by was known as the Iron masters district owing to the many foundries and iron works that used to line the river banks. There are a number of information boards along this section which I found  quite informative and helped paint a picture of the area's industrial heritage. 

A grainy picture of a Red Breasted Merganser which I spotted swimming in the river approx 200 yards downstream of Newport bridge.

I have always had a fascination for Newport Bridge which was  built by Dorman Long (the same company that built the Tyne and Sydney Harbour bridges) and first opened to traffic in 1934. The bridge is a vertical lift bridge with two electric motors working the mechanism that lifted the centre span to allow ships to pass up river to Stockton. The mechanism was disabled in 1990 and the bridge no longer lifts although I was lucky enough to see it working in the past. The Teesdale way crosses the Tees at this point  and continues to Stockton on the Northern Bank. 

The gang way leading up to Newport Bridge along with the 180 foot high lifting towers and huge counterweights above, and the view down river from the bridge deck below.

The route across Newport Bridge onto the northern bank of the Tees wasn't obvious from the OS map so I thought I would include it here. Basically walk up the gangway onto the footpath and cross the bridge. Once on the other side look for a steep path sloping down an embankment to your right, take this and  loop down to pass under the bridge on to the northern bank of the river.

The route from Newport Bridge to Boathouse Lane in Stockton should have been straightforward with the path following the river with a slight deviation around the Tees Barrage. Alas on the day I found the path was closed due to major ongoing roadworks on the A1305 Riverside in Stockton. There was no warning of this, certainly as far as the Teesdale Way was concerned, and I had to make my own  diversion via Stockton High Street to get around. The route taken was as follows:-

• From Newport Bridge follow the path under the Tees viaduct to the Tees Barrage.
• Turn right and loop around with the canoe slalom course on the left hand side.
• Once back on the riverside turn right under the Tees Barrage bridge.
• Continue along the river bank and pass under the Princess of Wales Bridge.
• Shortly after passing under the Princess of Wales Bridge turn right and cross the A1305 by way of a footbridge.
• Continue up Silver Street and turn left onto Stockton High Street.
• Follow the High Street south and continue onto Bridge Road.
• Turn left on bridge road and using pedestrian crossings cross the busy road junction onto the A1130 Bridge Road.
• Once gain using the pedestrian crossing cross the A1130 into Boathouse Lane.

Obviously reverse the above if travelling West to East.

The path along the northern (County Durham) bank with the Tees fly over in the back ground.

There are some interesting reed beds along this stretch with many wild birds, unfortunately this was marred on the day with acrid smoke drifting across from the industrial complexes on the far side.

The River with the Tees Barrage in the back ground, above and another view across the Portrack Marshes reed beds, below.

The Canoe slalom course above, and the Tees Barrage bridge and buildings below. The barrage marks the upper reaches of the tidal river Tees which prior to the barrage being built used to extend at least as far as Yarm.

Two views of the Infinity Bridge which carries a pedestrian footpath/cycle way connecting Durham University's Queen campus in Thornaby with Stockton.

The River Tees with the Princess of Wales Bridge above, and the rather rude curtailment of the walk along the Stockton Riverside below. This time the bridge in the background is the Tees Quay Millennium Footbridge.

Forced to find my own route around the closure I found myself in Stockton High Street which seemed an awful lot quieter than the last time I was there which would have been pre Covid.

The not so salubrious Boathouse Lane above, and the alley way which runs down to the riverside below. 

Boathouse Lane to Queen Elizabeth way

The first thing I need to say here is I followed the route as shown on the OS map which with a bit of retrospective research looks to be out of date. That's not to say it wasn't viable, or there were any obstacles in the way, it just meant that I cut through a housing estate rather than following the river further down stream. This didn't bother me at the time because I didn't know any better, although it irks me a bit now.

 The route I took was as follows:- 

• Follow the River south via Bowesfield Nature reserve.
• Cut up through housing estate via Water Avens Way
• Turn left onto Kingfisher Way
• At roundabout cross Queen Elizabeth Way using Pedestrian Crossing.
• Turn left onto path running parallel to Queen Elizabeth way

The wide, non tidal River Tees above Stockton. The path skirts Bowesfield Nature Reserve and some large reed beds.The surprise of the day was when a small herd of Fallow Deer shot past me out of nowhere. As can be seen below there were a few muddy patches to negotiate and I could imagine this stretch could be a bit of a quagmire after heavy rains.

Another view of the Tees above, and the shared pedestrian/cycle way which runs parallel to Queen Elizabeth Way, below.

The route from Queen Elizabeth Way to Eaglescliffe Railway Station was as follows:-

• Turn right onto public footpath into Tees Heritage Park.
• Continue via Chapel Hill.
• Turn right toward Preston Farm for short distance.
• Turn left down bank to the Riverside.
• Follow Riverside path alongside the edge of Preston Park
• Turn right on path uphill to join Quarry  Road.
• At top of Quarry Road turn left onto Yarm Road
• Turn right onto Station Road to Eaglescliffe railway station.

Despite the rapidly changing weather which was getting colder by the minute I enjoyed this last section of the walk which was a mixture of farmland, park and woodland walks.

The start of the footpath leading through the Tees Heritage Park above, and the path across Chapel Hill, below.

The last stretch along side the Tees involves a pleasant woodland path,above, and the equally welcoming sight of the heated waiting room on Eaglescliffe station platform. More through luck than judgement I arrived with only a five minute wait before the next train.

Conclusion

I have to admit I quite enjoyed this section of the Teesdale way, which was far more aesthetically pleasing than the section from Redcar to Middlesbrough. With it's many bridges and interesting features such as the Tees barrage and Stockton river front it was far from mundane. I mean where else could you go to see a lime green Tyrannosaurus Rex? At 11 miles it wasn't the most physically demanding of walks, there being very little in the way of hills. The paths themselves were for the most part in a good, well maintained condition  with just a few muddy patches encountered when bordering the Bowesfield nature reserve. The only minor irritation of the day was the unexpected diversion into Stockton High Street to avoid the road/construction works. So, that being said the question is would I do it again, and on this occasion the answer is yes, I would.