First of all I need to say a huge ‘thank you’ to all of the people who joined in on my Monday walk last week.  I was so happy with the response I got that I really can’t wait to do it again.  Let’s take the walk first, shall we, and I’ll explain a little more later.

Crimdon Beach

This is another local walk, and probably comes in the ‘ugly’ category.  I can’t just show you pretty pictures can I?  It wouldn’t be truthful, or fair to the area.  Crimdon lies just north of Hartlepool, on the north east coast of England.  It is one of my childhood beaches.  A day trip to Crimdon was exciting in those days!  To this day, a caravan park sits atop the beach, and you can wander through it playing the ‘I’d like this one’ game.  Front facing the sea, naturally.

But I’m getting away from the subject.  This is a circular walk which includes the beach and Crimdon Dene.  Our start point is the cliff top car park.

As you can see, it’s part of the Durham Coastal footpath, very easily accessible and with some excellent cliff top walking.  Hartlepool was once a part of Durham County, but that is history.

Today there’s a watery sun, glinting in the rock pools

In places, the sea gets trapped at low tide

With the tide out, you can walk right along this beach to Hartlepool.  In the distance you can still see the disused pier that is all that is left of a former magnesium works.  In Summer you might observe protective fencing along the dunes, where a nesting colony of Little Terns make their home for 4 months every year.  They spend Winter in West Africa, lucky things!

But today we are going into Crimdon Dene.  A wooded valley cutting through cliffs of magnesium limestone, it forms the boundary with County Durham.  The Dene’s dominant landmark is the lofty railway viaduct, completed in 1905, over which the north coast railway service periodically rattles.  I remember being hugely excited by it when I was small.

Leaving the Dene from beneath the viaduct

A steepish climb will bring you back up to the cliff top car park.  The distance is little more than 2 miles but you can extend it as far along the beach as you wish.  There are no facilities as the club house on the caravan park is ‘members only’.  Hard to believe that back in the 50s this was a thriving resort.  A Six word Saturday post from about this time last year will show you the area from a slightly different (and sunnier) aspect.

And now it’s your turn!  Last week I suggested that I would love to hear about walks in your area. I can never cover as much ground as I’d like to, so I would really appreciate sitting back in my armchair for a virtual walk around your neighbourhood.  If you have a post about a favourite walk that you’d like to share, please leave a link in my comments box.  You can do this any day of the week, and it can be a full walk or just a few photos- I’ll be delighted either way.

In return I will tweet or post it on Facebook for those of you who use social media.  I usually share when I like a post anyway, but sometimes I forget.  Age, you know!  I don’t know if you’ve found my Restlessjo page on Facebook, but I’d love to see you there.  Happy walking!