Day 6 - Langdon Beck (B6277) to Swinhope Head (Weardale)
We have listened very carefully to comments from Monitors and Journeyers who have experienced some route finding difficulties on this stretch of the Pennine Journey (mainly Page 76/77) - see below for detailed route information.
Section from B6277 to Swinhope Head via Scar End Farm
At this point, consider the visibility! If poor then look to going east, along the road, to pick up the quiet Newbiggin to Westgate road.
Take the gate opposite and go uphill half right to a gateway to cross an enclosed lane.(2 new donate-a-gates here) Once through the facing gate, cross the field towards another gate and a deserted house (Hanging Shaw) hidden behind trees. Go through the gate, bear right over the stream. Walk up through the farmyard and past the deserted house. Go through a gate and walk to the left of a barn aiming for the ladder stile ahead. Turn uphill and go through the gate immediately on the left. Cross and walk half-right to a ladder stile (PJ sign). Ascend and aim right to a metal gate then keep to the left hand wall to reach a corrugated barn.
Go through the gateway (PJ sign) and straight ahead to a waymarked wall stile. Bear diagonally left to kissing gate, another donate-a-gate. Aim for the gate in the far corner of the field onto the county road and left up the hill. At the black barn (small waymark) turn right and head for a gate in a wall.(Note this is a slight diversion from the map) Go through and cross the field keeping to the left of a ruined wall. Continue closer to the right hand wall and descend to a footbridge. Cross with care. Follow the wall uphill and where it bears right continue straight on through a gap towards Scar End. To the right of the farm take the gate in the facing wall onto the farm lane Turn left uphill past the farmhouse and go through a facing gate (PJ sign) where the track leads down to a wooden bridge over a stream. Climb slightly and go through the left hand of two gates. Once through, immediately follow the wall round to the left with the beck below on the right.
Walk uphill between the wall and beck. Keep close to the wall and pass through a kissing gate. After a second kissing gate, aim diagonally left to meet a wall at a depression in the ridge ahead and follow a faint track along the line of the wall on the left for about 250 yards to the PJ waymark on the wall. Here leave the wall to climb gradually over moorland to the right with a new waymark but no path to follow, heading NNE towards the rounded crest of Black Law. After about 300 yards a ruined shooting hut of stone and rusty red corrugated sheeting is reached.
PJ waymark here.
At this point two sheep tracks come in from the right. Take the left (upper) one around the shoulder of Black Law, (with two new waymarks). After about 100 yards, on a clear day, a line of telegraph poles reaching the skyline can be seen ahead. The last of these (a double post) is a guide to the road at Swinhope Head. Halfway between this point and the road there is a grey sheepfold (shown on the map Grey Folds) Aim for this over boggy moorland with no distinct path. En route, cross two or three gullies, the first of which (Longmore Sike) is quite steep and a slight diversion upstream is needed to cross. Continue over very rough moorland passing a line of shooting huts to meet the road just beyond the double telegraph posts.
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