Weshou one

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 100.00% of reviewers

This route passes through a housing estate in Houghton and then follows footpaths and wide tracks between fields, marshland and small woods, with short sections on pavements and a minor road. On the first half of the route there are extensive residential and industrial estates nearby, but on leaving the Houghton estate there is a remarkably rural character to the route.

We encountered a wide variety of habitats, with an attractive lake at Colliery Row, where we saw family parties of mallard, coot and moorhen, with house martins and sand martins feeding over the water.

In terms of topography the terrain is flat or gently undulating, with firm conditions underfoot along most of the route. We walked it after heavy rain the previous day, resulting in some short muddy sections through the fields and on footpaths. We had to make a short detour where the B1284 crosses the route at Colliery Row (Grid Ref NZ 326494) where the tall marshy vegetation on the right of way along the Red Burn had not been strimmed.

The route is mainly well-signposted but we had to use the map occasionally to keep to the rights of way.

There are bus stops with a regular service at the start and finish of the route in Houghton and West Rainton; there are also shops and refreshments available in both settlements.

The original Slow Way passes the acid test of being an attractive, publicly accessible route between Houghton and West Rainton. However a significantly more direct route would be through Durham Wildlife Trust’s flagship nature reserve at Rainton Meadows, which is accessible to pedestrians at all times. As well as the wildlife interest of the ponds and other habitats, there is also a visitor centre and café here.

Chris Barrett, Jeff Dean and Richard Hockin (West Rainton Green Group)
Route walked on 18th June 2024.

Easy to follow and in parts quite scenic . A good way to get from Rainton to Houghton .Mainly away from roads but not suitable for those with mobility problems or taking children in push chairs as there are numerous stiles and parts of the walk get very boggy . A minor deviation, very easy to find , will take you through the Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve where there are toilets and a cafe . There are no public toilets in West Rainton or Houghton , but as pointed out in a previous review there are toilets at Lidl in Houghton and some of the pubs there seem to keep long hours.

An enjoyable and scenic route, almost all of it away from roads. There are a lot of stiles so it wouldn't be suitable for wheelers and lots of the paths get very muddy. In the middle it passes quite close to Rainton Meadows nature reserve so it would be possible to detour to use the toilets and cafe there if necessary. There are no public toilets in either West Rainton or Houghton-le-Spring but in Houghton-le-Spring both Lidl and the public library have toilets for customers. Both places have supermarkets selling sandwiches, snacks and drinks as well as a takeaway fish and chip shop in West Rainton and a number of cafés and takeaways in Houghton-le-Spring. I've photographed the route starting in West Rainton but only seem to be able to upload one photo here. Sorry.

Firstly, I walked the route as a 'there-and-back' so I've walked it in both directions - towards Houghton on the out leg and towards West Rainton on the return.

On the way out, at the edge of Houghton-le-Spring in the Chilton Moor area, the route crosses a field towards the B1284. This route (and an OS Map) will show a path running alongside the 'Red Burn' that runs through the field. In reality, this path is quickly lost in the overgrown grass and gets quite boggy towards the end and it appears the locals have created another route that diverges Easterly of the suggested footpath that then runs Northerly alongside the fence towards the stile (this 'new' path is easily identifiable on satellite imagery) and future walkers may consider this slight alteration.
On my return, after crossing the B1284 road, I continued Southerly on the path adjacent to the above road until I reached the junction with the minor road and turned in a Westerly direction and re-joined the route further along this road. This is another alteration that future walkers may consider.

Overall, the route is a very good one with well-maintained footpaths on the off-road sections and should provide a pleasant challenge for those that choose to walk it.

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