Bowes – Stoney Keld – Roundshaw Rigg – God's Bridge - Mellwaters

Alan Anderson

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If you are thinking of dipping your toe into fellwalking this could be the perfect gentle introduction. A quiet moorland road delivers you to the open moors to the north west of Bowes where a gently rising bridleway guides you across one and a half miles of glorious heather clad moorland. After intersecting a short section of the Pennine Way long distance footpath, the route then roughly follows the River Greta through flat farmland to return back to Bowes past the ancient, ruined castle.

The walk initially travels through the full length of Bowes village before climbing steadily up onto the open moors to pass through an old WW2 RAF ordnance storage site on a very quiet surfaced moorland road. A shortcut through fields then takes you to Open Access Land where the walk picks up on the bridleway that traverses a beautiful moor. If you tackle the walk mid-August to mid-September you will be greeted with a magnificent display of heather in full bloom. The route then leaves the moor, crosses the A66 trunk road through an underpass before arriving at the God's Bridge, a natural limestone bridge crossing the River Greta. From here the walk follows a clear path through fields and a trio of farms along the Greta Valley to return back to Bowes.

England - North England - Durham - North Pennines