Walking the Teesdale Way - Redcar to Middlesbrough

 

Last year I completed the Weardale Way and it seemed a natural progression to walk the Teesdale Way in 2025. This I planned to do, albeit over the summer months. The trouble with plans however, is that they have a habit of changing, either that or sometimes the best plan is not to have one at all, which is why on the last Sunday of  January I boarded a train for Redcar with the intention of walking the ten miles back to Middlesbrough.

 The Teesdale Way itself is approximately 90 miles long and runs between the village of Dufton (in Cumbria) which is situated in the Eden valley near Appleby in Westmorland and Redcar on the north Yorkshire coast. At the Redcar end there are two start/finish points one being at the South Gare which is at the mouth of the River Tees and the other on Redcar seafront itself. Having decided to walk from East to West (uphill) I also elected to start on Redcar seafront for the simple reason that I was travelling to Redcar by train and the station is in the town centre. I've also walked to the South Gare on numerous occasions in the past and wasn't missing out on anything from that point of view either.

 As with the Weardale Way the intention is to use public transport as much as possible using the train for the first four sections which in my case will be Redcar to Middlesbrough - Middlesbrough to Eaglescliffe- Eaglescliffe to Dinsdale - Dinsdale to Darlington. From Darlington it will be a matter of using the bus which I have done before having walked much of the route from Darlington to Middleton in Teesdale in the past. Whether this is possible between Middleton to Dufton who knows, but like I said sometimes the best plan is not to have one and I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

The route from Redcar to Middlesbrough is covered in it's entirety on the OS Explorer map number 306 Middlesbrough and Hartlepool which I carried with me, although this was mainly a back up as I have the the Ordnance Survey premium app on my phone which is something I can't praise enough. I would also like to say this is my account of the journey and whilst I will point out any pitfalls/ pro's and cons along the way it's not in anyway shape or form meant as a definitive guide.

From Redcar Central Station I headed up the aptly named  Station Road which brought me out on the Seafront next to the Cinema and despite the fact the weather forecast wasn't so good the skies were still clear with some good views along the sands towards the South Gare and of the inshore wind farm. The beach itself was busy with family groups taking their dogs for a Sunday morning stroll as well as half a dozen or so people exercising their horses which was good to see.

A tractor used for launching fishing boats on the beach above and a steel sculpture entitled Left Luggage below.

Turning left on the Esplanade I headed north with the sea on my right shoulder past a boating lake until I came to a long car park at the extreme northern end of which I turned left for a short distance before turning right past a caravan park and onto the golf course. The path runs up the eastern side of the golf course and is clearly marked by a series of marker poles until it turns left towards Warranby and the old Fishermans crossing where the route markers become yellow arrows.

Looking back down the golf course toward Redcar with the white route markers clearly visible above, and Fishermans crossing at  Warranby below. This is looking back the way I had just come.

After having some good natured banter with a pair of golfers who thought I was mad walking all the way to Middlesbrough, let alone Cumbria I turned immediate left at what used to be known as Fishermans Crossing (the railway lines are still visible) and continued onto Todd Point Road which has industrial units on both sides. After a short distance a sign can be seen on the right hand side of the road pointing out the Teesdale Way. This took me onto Coatham Marsh Nature reserve which the route loops around before crossing the railway by means of a footbridge. Once across the bridge the path continues across some rough ground until it meets the A1085 Trunk Road where the route makes a right turn.

 

Coatham Marsh Nature reserve above, and Steel House from the railway footbridge below.

During my career I often found myself in and around the heavy engineering works that used to abound on the banks of the Tees. Consequently I knew this part of the walk wasn't going to be pretty, and lets just say it didn't disappoint. 

Once the Trunk Road is joined the route follows it West for approx half a mile past Steel House roundabout where the road climbs a hill and crosses a pipe bridge running between the former steel works and the Wilton chemical works which can be seen on the opposite side of the road. Once over the pipe-bridge the route makes a right turn down a grass bank into the Steel Works where it passes under a bridge by way of a walk way. Once under the the bridges it bears to the left with a concrete wall on one side and a fence on the other. This is where the fun begins. It not being long before I came across a series of floods some four or five inches deep, these were unavoidable and I had no alternative other than to wade through them. Fortunately I have big feet and my hiking boots are both gusseted and come up above my ankles. It was a far from pleasant experience though and I wouldn't like to say what was floating around in there.

The raised walkway under the bridge above, and two pictures of the unavoidable floods below. These seem to be a permanent feature so be prepared.

The path continues through the steel works hemmed in by a fence and the railway on one side and a number of pipes and the steelworks on the other. I have to say it was rather a poignant moment for me seeing the dormant remains of the steelworks. One of the first jobs I was involved with back in the early 1980's was the movement of some Torpedo ladles within the works. The ladles, along with the blast furnaces are long gone now, as are most of the guys who were there that day.

The remains of Lackenby steel mill above, and the BOC plant on the opposite side of the railway tracks below.

After passing under Tees Dock Road bridge the path runs parallel to the A1053 and is once again hemmed in by pipework on one side and a fence/ the railway on the other. Once the path branched away from the road and pipework the fence gave way to a narrow path sandwiched between two uninspiring walls, the walls in turn giving way to fencing on both sides, some of which had blown down in the recent storms. I was able to either lift this out of the way or manoeuvre around it, although I was glad it was only January as the brambles and briers I was forced to thread my way through were at a manageable winter level. 

The path sandwiched between the fence/railway on the right and pipes/ the A1053 on the left above, and the path running between the brick walls that follow, below.

The path and the fencing which blew down in the recent storms above and below.

A passing freight train was a welcome distraction from the bleak landscape above, and a bridge deck with rotten floor boards below. Care should be taken here as some of the holes are obscured by the anti slip friction strips.

One thing I did discover was there are no good places to take a break, there being no benches or suitable places to sit between Redcar and South Bank railway station where there are the usual platform seats. 

It's approximately a mile and a half from South Bank Station to the Navigation public house at Cargo fleet during which the path opens out and is no longer hemmed in between fences. There are also some rather nice Teesdale way markers depicting a pair of hiking boots slung over a traditional public footpath sign. The railway was still there on my right shoulder and there was a rather pungent chemical works where I picked the pace up and got past as swiftly as I could . Overall though the scenery was improving and after a while I found myself walking alongside Ormesby beck, a tidal tributary of the Tees.

Freedom!  No more sandwiched between fences. The above picture is looking back toward South Bank. Below is one of the rather impressive Teesdale Way markers that I came across.

Ormesby beck above, and the Navigation Public House at Cargo Fleet, below.

From the Navigation the route turns right over a level crossing then left onto Dockside Road with the Riverside football station dominating the sky line. With the stadium on my right hand side I walked up towards Middlesbrough until I was almost underneath the Stephenson Way over bridge where I turned right up a footpath onto Stephenson Way. In front of me was Middle haven dock which once again brought memories flooding back to a time many years ago when my grandparents would take my brother and I to either Redcar or Saltburn when we were small boys. In those days the dock was still in use with all manner of ships to be seen. To the right was the Riverside Stadium which is the home of Middlesbrough football club.

The Riverside stadium above and Middlehaven dock below.

As well as the Middlehaven and Riverside stadium there was the Teminos sculpture which was created by artist Anish Kapoor and structural engineer Cecil Balmond and measures 110m in length and 50m in height. Sadly my picture doesn't do it justice, but I have included it below.

Once over the bridge I continued down Scott's Road and Vulcan Street to the junction with the river to my right and Middlesbrough College. In front of me was the Tees Transporter bridge which carries pedestrians and light vehicles across the river by way of a deck suspended from the superstructure above. Alas the bridge has been out of action for some time now and in need of some serious repairs which mean it won't be open for business any time soon.

The Tees Transporter bridge from Scott's Road, below.

Once at the junction of Vulcan Street and Durham Street I turned left away from the Teesdale Way and walked the three hundred yards or so to Middlesbrough Station. It was whilst walking up Durham Street that I passed an imposing building bearing the legend National Provincial Bank of England which bore an impressive sculpture of Britannia flanked by a steelworker and miner which was by far the most pleasing thing I saw all day.

Distance walked 10.2 miles (from Redcar Central to Middlesbrough  station.

Conclusion

From a physical point of view this wasn't a hard walk. I think when I checked on my OS app the total height gain was 66 feet and if you are capable of walking ten miles, you are capable of walking this. There are some obstacles along the way, most notably the floods in the steel works and the fencing that had blown down between Teesdock Road and South Bank, other than that it was just a matter of putting one foot in front of the other and keeping going. I think I said earlier on I knew before I started this wasn't going to be the prettiest of walks and other than Redcar beach and the area around Middlehaven dock there was little that was pleasing on the eye. 

That only leaves one question which is would I do it again? Sadly the answer is no, I would not, and if I was to walk the Teesdale Way again I would miss this section out. That's not to say that I aren't looking forward to walking the next section from Middlesbrough to Eaglescliffe, I am, and hope to post that here soon.