Programme of Walks
The Durham Group's programme of walks up to July 2010 is now online. Why not walk with us? There's no charge and you don't have to be a member, though we do encourage you to join if you walk regularly with us. We had another super year in 2008, read more in the walks report, now with added slide show!.
The Opening of Kingfisher Bridge
Photo courtesy Durham County Council
On Tuesday 18th December, Durham Ramblers joined County Councillors and Council staff to celebrate the opening of the £125,000 Kingfisher Bridge.
For a number of years now the Durham Group of the Ramblers’ Association has been urging that the stepping stones, that at one time took the river bank footpath (Footpath 80) across Old Durham Beck at its confluence with the River Wear, be replaced. As part of the Necklace Park project, the County Council agreed to build a bridge at this point. Ramblers were invited to the ceremony and a party, including Des Garrahan from Ramblers' HQ, walked out from the City centre to the bridge.
The photo shows Ramblers looking on as Councillor Bob Pendlebury, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport and Sustainability, cuts the ribbon. Bob is also, as he remarked on the day, President of the North Yorks and South Durham Area of the Ramblers. Holding the ribbon are (left) local County Councillor Dennis Southwell and (right) Roger Cornwell, the local Group footpaths officer.
“We’ve worked closely with the Ramblers Association and the Durham City Necklace Park team in bringing this scheme forward and increasing access to this part of the riverbanks,” said Coun Pendlebury. “Walking and cycling are very much part of our plans for transport in County Durham, and we hope this new bridge and associated footpath improvements will help people choose more sustainable forms of transport when it comes to the short journeys we all need to make on a daily basis.”
Roger Cornwell added: “The Durham Group of the Ramblers' Association is pleased that the County Council is opening this splendid new bridge. We think walkers will enjoy using it and that it will help more local people to explore the area on foot. We look forward to working with the Council again in the future to help ensure that local residents and visitors can further enjoy opportunities to walk throughout the City and County.”
The day also brought news that the footbridge across the Wear at Finchale Abbey has reopened after a £57,000 refurbishment that took two months to complete.
Ramblers celebrate completion of footpath challenge
Last year the Ramblers Association set a Challenge to walk all the footpaths in England and Wales between the spring equinox 2006 and the autumn equinox in 2007. There are 2,152 miles of paths and bridleways in County Durham, and on Saturday 22 September Durham and Darlington Ramblers met at Cockfield to walk the final four miles. Read more about the challenge...
The group has been up and running since 1990, and supports the work of The Ramblers locally by two means:
- We lead walks locally, roughly once a fortnight on Sundays, right round the year. We also have shorter Monday evening walks in the summer. You don't have to be a member to come on a walk!
- We do our best to improve the local footpath network, by reporting footpath problems and by monitoring proposed changes to the footpaths network. We advise you to report problems in the first instance to the Rights of Way section at Durham County Council, using either their online form or by emailing If you want to contact us about a problem, please write to
The Ramblers' Association exists to facilitate, for the benefit of everyone, the enjoyment and discovery that walking outdoors can bring; and to promote respect for the life of the countryside.
The association encourages walking; protects rights of way; defends the beauty of the countryside; and has campaigned for many years for freedom to roam over uncultivated, open country.
The association is a democratic, voluntary organisation, registered as a charity (no.306089).
We are just one of over 400 local Groups throughout England, Wales, and Scotland. Members of the Ramblers Association receive a yearbook listing all of these local groups, together with details of how to contact the secretary.
Our Group covers the district of Durham, in the north of England. We are a constituent member of the Northumbria Area of the Ramblers Association, whose own web site is here.
Our group secretary is Cliff Ludman, and you can for more information about The Ramblers