Egglestone Abbey to the Meeting of the Waters North Bank Walk

Parking and Access

The walk starts from the car park beside Egglestone Abbey. Use the postcode DL12 9TN and follow the signs for the abbey as you approach. Check the current signs in the car park for any parking charge or restrictions.

There are no toilets at the start, so it is worth using the facilities in Barnard Castle before travelling out. The route is not suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs because of uneven woodland ground, field paths and the stile over the dry-stone wall.

Egglestone Abbey is right beside the car park, so leave yourself enough time to explore the ruins before or after the walk. Even a short wander around the abbey makes the beginning of the route feel a little more special.

Route Description

From Egglestone Abbey, follow the lane down towards Abbey Bridge and cross the River Tees. Once over the bridge, turn right and join the woodland path that stays close to the north bank of the river. This first section follows the Tees through the trees, with rocky stretches of water appearing beside the path.

Continue until the path divides beside the Tees Bank lime kiln. The lower path leads to the base of the kiln and is worth following briefly for a closer look at the surviving stonework. Return to the fork afterwards, take the upper left-hand path and follow the gentle climb past the top of the kiln towards the open fields.

Leave the woodland through the gate, turn right and follow the bottom edge of the first field. Keep the wall and trees on your right, with open views across the countryside on your left. Go through the wooden gate at the end of this field and continue along the bottom of the next field, again with the wall and trees on your right and the open land on your left.

At the far end, go through another wooden gate and cross diagonally towards the public right of way post and the stile over the dry-stone wall. Once across the stile, continue diagonally through the next field towards the large oak tree. This part feels especially wide and open.

From the oak tree, look straight ahead and you will see a small wooden gate. Walk towards it and pass through into another field. Follow this field with the wall on your left, looking through the trees on your right to see whether you can spot Rokeby Park on the opposite side of the River Tees.

Go through the wooden gate at the end of the field. Shortly afterwards, turn right and follow the signed path towards the Meeting of the Waters viewpoint.

When you are ready to leave, return to Egglestone Abbey by following the same route back.

Things You Will See on This Walk

Although this is one of the shorter walks around Barnard Castle, there is plenty of variety along the way. The route moves from the ruins of Egglestone Abbey to an old bridge, riverside woodland, open farmland and one of the most beautiful river views in lower Teesdale.

The Meeting of the Waters from the North Bank

The Meeting of the Waters is one of those places that feels much quieter than you expect, especially when you remember how close it is to Barnard Castle. From the north bank of the River Tees, you can look across towards Rokeby Park and the point where the River Greta joins the Tees, with rocks, trees and the water filling the view.

This walk reaches the viewpoint from Tees Bank Plantation and stays entirely on the north side of the river. There is no public crossing from here to Rokeby Park, and the signs asking you to return the same way are there because this is the intended there-and-back route, not because part of a circular walk has disappeared.

The view also has a lovely connection with J. M. W. Turner. In 1831, Turner sketched the junction of the Greta and Tees from the north bank, looking across the confluence towards the Rokeby landscape. We cannot say he stood on the exact spot where the modern viewpoint now sits, but he studied the scene from this side of the river, which gives the place another layer of interest when you stop and look across the water.

A small cast-metal feature sits on the large stone plinth at the viewpoint, its curved shape looking as though it may relate to flowing water. What is frustrating is how little information seems to survive about these small metal pieces dotted around Teesdale. We have not yet found a reliable page explaining the full project, the individual designs or what each one was meant to represent.

It leaves plenty of unanswered questions. Was the project completed as planned, changed along the way or simply never properly documented online? Even if the work finished years ago, you would still expect the organisation behind it to have left a clear public record. Until that turns up, we would rather be honest about the gap than pretend we know the story behind this particular piece.

The Tees Bank Lime Kiln

The Tees Bank lime kiln stands in the woodland on the north bank of the River Tees, close to Abbey Bridge and the old quarry. It is easy to walk past without realising what it is, but once you stop and look properly, it becomes one of the most interesting parts of this short walk.

The kiln was built into the hillside so limestone and locally sourced coal could be tipped in from above in alternating layers. The contents were then heated to around 900°C, turning the limestone into quicklime. The bowl of the kiln was lined with sandstone because it was better able to withstand the heat.

Quicklime had several useful jobs across Teesdale. Farmers spread it over fields to improve the soil, while builders mixed it with water to make slaked lime for mortar, plaster and limewash. The interpretation board beside the kiln explains how lime was used in the walls and arches of Egglestone Abbey, in the plasterwork and render at Rokeby Park, and on traditional farm buildings across Upper Teesdale.

In September 2016, the Heart of Teesdale Landscape Partnership recorded that Northumbria Masonry Conservation had consolidated the kiln. That means the surviving stonework was stabilised and protected rather than rebuilt as new.

We do not yet know exactly when the kiln was built or who worked it. The old maps show the nearby quarry, but the kiln itself seems to have gone unlabelled.

Walking Conditions, Livestock and Safety

This is a gentle 3.4-mile walk with very little climbing, but it still follows woodland paths, riverside ground and working farmland. The path beside the River Tees can become muddy after rain, and there are roots, stones and uneven sections underfoot.

The route also crosses fields where sheep or other livestock may be present. Keep dogs under close control and use a lead whenever animals are nearby. Take care at gates and make sure they are closed behind you.

There is one stile over a dry-stone wall and several wooden gates along the route. Children who are happy walking just over three miles should manage it well, although younger children may need help at the stile and should be closely supervised beside the river.

Sturdy footwear is the best choice, especially after wet weather.

A Short Walk Worth Taking Slowly

This is not a walk for racing around or trying to get back to the car as quickly as possible. The best part of it is how much the landscape changes in such a short distance, from the abbey and Abbey Bridge to the woodland beside the Tees, then out into wide open fields before reaching the Meeting of the Waters.

When you arrive at the viewpoint, give yourself time to enjoy it. Sit for a while if the ground is dry, watch the water moving below and take in the view towards Rokeby Park. It is the sort of place where ten minutes can easily turn into half an hour, and that is exactly how this walk should be enjoyed.

The return follows the same path, but it does not feel like a repeat. The fields open out in the opposite direction, the woodland looks different on the way back and Abbey Bridge feels like a lovely finish as you cross the Tees once more.

Explore More Around Egglestone Abbey and Barnard Castle

This north-bank walk is only one way to explore the Meeting of the Waters. Our other Egglestone Abbey to the Meeting of the Waters walk follows the opposite side of the landscape and gives you a completely different view of Rokeby and the rivers.

You can also spend more time around the ruins with our Egglestone Abbey guide, or learn more about Thomas Robinson, the architect who helped shape Rokeby Park and its landscape.

For more riverside paths, woodland routes and gentle countryside walks, head to our Walks in and Near Barnard Castle guide. You will also find many more walks in Teesdale in our main Discover Teesdale hub.