How We Navigate Teesdale
People often ask how we decide where to go exploring.
The honest answer is… we don’t really follow online walks very often. Instead, we spend time studying maps and letting curiosity guide us.
We absolutely love woodland walks. There’s something grounding about being under trees, slowing down and properly connecting with nature. Teesdale has some beautiful woodlands, and we’re always drawn to them. Add in waterfalls (big or small) and a bit of local history, and we’re happy.
That’s usually where every adventure begins.
We spend hours studying maps
Most of our trips begin with us sitting down and studying maps, either old school paper OS maps or digital maps on an app.
We’ve tried pretty much every hiking app over the years. For a long time we used Outdooractive daily, but over time it started to feel too busy and complicated. Too many features, most of which we never used.
Eventually we tried Hiiker.
We started with the free version and immediately liked how simple it was. Everything you actually need, without over-complicating things. We moved to the paid version not long after, and honestly it’s one of the best decisions we’ve made. It’s very reasonably priced (and one of the cheapest out there for what you get), it’s never let us down, and we even bought gift subscriptions for friends and family at Christmas.
What we love most is that Hiiker also has a website, so we can explore routes on a bigger screen at home before heading out.
How we choose places to explore
We don’t search for “best walks”.
Instead, we zoom around the map and look for what feels interesting.
If we spot a waterfall symbol, woodland, ruin, old track or river bend, we start asking:
Is there parking nearby
Is it on a public right of way
Is it open access land
Only then do we begin planning a route.
How to spot open access land on OS maps
On Ordnance Survey maps, open access land is shown in a light yellow or beige colour wash. These areas allow people to walk freely on foot, even where no official paths are marked.
Public rights of way appear as green dashed lines.
We always double check this before visiting anywhere.
And while we’ve visited some waterfalls that technically sit on rights of way, a few involve walking through farmyards or passing very close to private homes. Even if access is legal, we choose not to publish those locations, simply out of respect for local people and those who work the land.
That’s a personal choice we stick to.
Using historic maps to find the past
One of our favourite tools inside Hiiker is the history map overlay.
This lets us switch between:
Historic maps
National mapping
Satellite view
By moving between the three, we can see what used to be there, what still stands today, and how the landscape has changed.
It’s amazing for spotting old mines, ruins, forgotten tracks and lost buildings.
Once something catches our eye, we:
Pick the nearest parking spot
Draw a route
Check distance and elevation
Download the route for offline use
Then we’re ready to go.
No signal needed.
Sometimes it’s amazing. Sometimes it’s just a walk.
Not every explore turns into something spectacular.
Sometimes we arrive and think, “There’s not a lot here.”
But that’s okay.
It’s still fresh air. It’s still movement. And in Teesdale, even the quieter walks come with beautiful views and wild landscapes.
Every walk gives something back.
Researching Teesdale’s history
We love understanding the places we visit, especially when it comes to lead mining and local stories.
One of our most valuable tools is the Teesdale Mercury Archive.
It’s a free resource where you can search old newspaper articles right back to when the paper first began. By typing in keywords, we’ve uncovered an incredible amount of local history. It’s been especially helpful for researching Teesdale’s lead mines and forgotten places.
We’ll often spend hours researching first, then head out exploring.
The tools we rely on
These are our main planning tools:
Hiiker for routes, offline maps and historic overlays
Ordnance Survey paper maps (we always carry one, even when using apps)
Teesdale Mercury Archive for local history research
Digital is brilliant, but a paper OS map still comes with us on every walk.
Always.
Useful resources we use
If you’d like to explore Teesdale in a similar way, these are the main tools we rely on.
Hiiker – for planning routes, offline maps, elevation and historic map overlays.
Ordnance Survey – for paper maps and understanding public rights of way and open access land.
Teesdale Mercury Archive – a free local newspaper archive that’s brilliant for researching Teesdale’s history.
Digital tools are incredibly useful, but we always carry a paper OS map too
Our simple approach
We don’t chase perfection.
We follow curiosity.
We study maps, research stories, head outdoors and see what we find. Sometimes it’s a hidden waterfall. Sometimes it’s a forgotten ruin. Sometimes it’s just a peaceful woodland walk.
And honestly, that’s enough.
Because any time spent outside, breathing fresh air and slowing down, is time well spent.
If you explore Teesdale in the same way, taking your time, noticing the details, and letting curiosity lead, then you’re already part of the Outdoor Exploring Family.
It’s more than just a walk.
Barnard Castle on the River Tees
Bowlees Woods woodland walk
Rowton Beck waterfall in Teesdale