WALKING THE TEESDALE WAY - EAGLESCLIFFE TO MIDDLETON ONE ROW (DINSDALE)
If you are considering walking the Teesdale Way, or just this section of it, please read the following text, don't find out the hard way like I did!
It was hard to think that it was March 2025 when I last stood on Eaglescliffe station platform. Back then I had just walked the Teesdale Way from Middlesbrough and was catching the train home. In my mind I planned to return the following weekend and walk the next section to Middleton One Row, only that never happened. I'm not going to bore the reader with the reasons why other than to say this was due to unforeseen medical issue's which even now aren't fully resolved. That being said I finally felt fit enough to venture forth once more. What I should point out is that there is a long section of this walk which is relatively remote with no intersecting paths or roads and once committed the only options are to go forward or turn around and return the way I came. This was the main reason why I waited 16 months until I felt capable of completing the walk. This turned out to be both a wise and fortuitous decision considering what I was going to be confronted with between Aislaby and Newsham Hall.
Two other decision that I made on the day were to cut 2 miles from the route and make it a solo walk and leave my dogs at home. Once again these turned out to be most fortuitous.
In keeping with my ethos of using public transport as much as possible I walked from Eaglescliffe to Dinsdale railway station, leaving the TDW at Middleton One Row.
The two miles I cut from the route where at the very start where I should have left Eaglescliffe station and headed in an easterly direction, crossing Yarm Road and walking past the golf club to follow the River Tees as it loops around to the Yarm river crossing. What I did instead was turn directly south and walk 1.2 miles along Yarm Road until I came to a public footpath sign marked Aislaby which was actually the TDW.
The orange arrows show the route of the Teesdale way and the blue my short cut.
Eaglescliffe Station above, complete with new bridge and station buildings above, and Yarm Road, below.
The sign pointing out the public footpath to Aislaby on the northern approach to Yarm river bridge. This is actually the Teesdale Way.
Walking upstream, the path runs alongside the river, passing underneath the viaduct and wending it's way through some pleasant countryside to Aislaby.
The path itself is in good condition and it was easy walking although I have to say as a fisherman walking next to the beautiful River Tees was pure torture.
The River Tees above and below. The orange blob marks the position of a wild water swimmer.
The path between Eaglescliffe and Aislaby is easy walking even if it was bordered at times with invasive Himalayan Balsam which was a foreshadowing of things to come.
At Aislaby I was met by this rather nice sculpture of what I took to be a Seal. This is one of 25 sculptures that make up the Tees Valley Sculpture way which I had never heard of before and therefore was quite a pleasant surprise. This is also the point where I had to decide whether I kept going or turned back as once past Aislaby there is no exit route for the next three miles. Having only walked 3 easy miles I felt pretty good and elected to keep going.
Apparently the Himalayan Balsam wasn't the only invasive species to be aware of.
The first two miles after leaving Aislaby were pretty nondescript. For the most part the path was walkable with the odd overgrown section, and the scenery whilst not stunning was pleasant enough. That all changed however, when the river swung around to the North in a classic meandering loop. The path following the river and passing through a wooded area with the land rising steeply to Portknowle on my right shoulder. Before going much further I just want to remind the reader, and anyone with aspirations of walking the Teesdale way that there is no alternative route between Aislaby and the road near Newsham Grange Farm, so at this point if I was to have an issue, and oh boy was there an issue, I ether struggled on for another mile or about faced and walked back the way I came.
Up until now the path had been easy to follow, something that changed as it followed the hedge row as it bent around to the right and it was only by paying close attention that I noticed an indistinct path bearing off through some shrubbery to the left. With little or no confidence I followed this whilst keeping an eye on my ordinance survey app which showed me bang on route, then I came to it, a wall of thick vegetation the bulk of which was Himalayan Balsam liberally laced with a mixture of briars and stinging nettles. To be honest if I'd had my wife or dogs with me I would have turned around, and I probably should have done as for the next hour I forced my way through a seemingly impenetrable mass. It wasn't easy and if I didn't have my Gandalf stick to slash, push a lot of it out of the way I wouldn't have managed. As experiences go this was the worst and it wasn't for no reason that my Fitbit heart rate monitor had me firmly in the red for the duration.
A foreshadowing of what was to come, above. And a view of the river below, which was often obscured behind trees or an embankment.
Where it all starts to go wrong, above, the TDW follows the edge of the field before turning left into the trees on a barely discernible path that could have been easily missed.
Below, as horrendous as this looked, this was the good bit.
This is what I was faced with above. The path went right through the middle of this and even now as I'm writing this some 10 days later I don't believe I pushed my way through it. I think at the time I thought it would only last for fifty yards or so and never expected it to last for a as long as it did. If anyone is as stupid as me and are going to try pay close attention to the ground at your feet. The path is visible, but you have to concentrate. I had my Ordnance Survey app which helped validate I was on the right track which helped. Joking aside I wouldn't attempt this again, and I strongly suggest anyone considering walking this section in either direction finds an alternative route which would probably involve using the road between Aislaby and Middleton Grange Farm.
The unremitting view I was treated to for one hour of purgatory, below.
Mercifully the ordeal came to an end and I found myself on a Woodland Path which seemed like a motorway compared to what I'd just endured.
Looking back toward the River and the woods, above. This picture was taken close to the site of the Medieval village of Newsham of which there is nothing to see.
I'm not usually a lover of walking on tarmac roads, but after the ordeal I'd just suffered hacking my way through the Himalayan Balsam I was more than happy to catch my breath on the road leading up to Newsham Grange Farm where the road becomes a track. For the remainder of the walk the track/path was well marked and easy to follow as it crossed open farm land before wending it's way alongside the river to Middleton One Row.
A welcome stretch of tarmac road above, and the TDW crossing a cornfield below.
A rather quaint octagonal dovecot near Low Middleton Farm above and near by weir in the river Tees below.
One of the few footbridges encountered on the walk above, and a field lined with sun flowers below.
Middleton One Row, above and below. This is a pleasant village with a number of park benches on which to take a well earned rest.
Another Sculpture. This one is called Meander and is by Pat Walls.
I would have dearly loved to continue on the Teesdale Way, but there comes a time when one has to know, or accept ones limitations, and for me this was it. The orange arrows on the map above show the route of the TDW and the black ones my route along Middleton Lane to Dinsdale station.
The war memorial and church yard at the junction of The Front and Middleton Lane, above, and an information board giving an insight into Dinsdale's railway history, below.
Conclusion
The total distance from station to station was 9.98 miles with very little in the way of elevation. If I was to sum it up I would say this was a pleasant riverside walk totally ruined by the out of control Himalayan Balsam who's impenetrable mass had choked the path and surrounding countryside. As I have stated above if anyone reading this is considering walking this section of the Teesdale Way I strongly suggest taking an alternative route between Newsham Grange and Aislaby.
So the question I always ask myself on completing a walk is would I do it again, and the answer is no because of the afore mentioned out of control Balsam, which is sad really as it is spoiling a nice walk. That being said there was a certain sense of achievement when I boarded the train at Dinsdale station and I only hope that it won't belong before I'm back there setting off to walk the next section.
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