This route has been given a medium difficulty as the most part is along well maintained paths and roads but there are several short sections of rock scrambling.

Circular  |  13.5km (8.25 miles)  |  Difficulty: Medium

Langdon Beck to Cauldron Snout Elevation

Walkers have the option of starting from Langdon Beck or Cow Green.  The former is the better choice as it is more accessible on public transport, its a pub and it allows walkers to get the steep section of the walk out of the way first.

1: The route follows the quiet road from Langdon Beck up to cow green reservoir.  Just before reaching the reservoir the route leaves the road along a footpath on the left then follows another road to the dam. dam.  Going across the dam isn’t necessary but it does offer some amazing view both of the reservoir and the water cascading out of the pipes below.  On the far side of the damn is a flight of stairs for a quick descent.  From here walkers simply head towards the bridge and cross over to the path that heads down to Cauldron Snout.

2: This part is tricky as the path disappears and walkers will need to find their own way across the rocks.  With the nearby drop and the roaring sound of Cauldron snout this can be quite daunting.  There are two main options for walkers here  The less adventurous can keep to a higher route along the rocks which stay more or less on the top of the valley sides till Cauldron Snout was cleared then drops down.  This route seems safer but can be slippery due to the mud.    The more adventurous can follow a lower path which is quite rocky and has several steep declines but is much faster than the higher route.  The lower route also offered better views of the waterfalls of Cauldron Snout.

3: From here the route follows the Tees after its meeting with the Maize.  Walkers will need to navigate across more rocks along the sides of the river until the next meander.  But after this section the path becomes a combination of rock and wooden sections which makes the walking very easy, though the rocky sections can become very slippery and are surrounded by mud.

4: There are two boulder slides along this section where the path disappears and walkers will be required to scramble their way across, there’s nothing too difficult to stop most walkers’ progress though.

5: The route follows the path and eventually reaches a farm.  Walkers should keep to the right and follow the stiles.  From here the route continues following the river till it reaches a bench.  After the bench there is another stile and a short distance after this the path splits in two.  Here the route leaves the Tees and heads left.  The path is easy to spot as there are several wooden bridges along it for tackling the many streams.  Eventually walkers will reach a small hill with a stile on top.  From here the route heads down the hill beside a fence towards a farm.  When the route reaches the farm’s entrance walkers should turn right and head towards the Langdon Beck.  There is a bridge on this road but just before it the route turns left.  From here walkers can follow the bank of the Langdon Beck back to the start.  There is one steep uphill section along this path and it can be very muddy.  Eventually walkers will reach another farm where they need to drop down onto the river’s rocky beaches.  The route rejoins the river bank path and crosses the bridge back to Langdon Beck.

As the walk is circular walkers can choose do it in either direction.  However heading clockwise means the uphill sections are combined with rock scrambling, so it is better to do this anti-clockwise.

Adapted from the Teesdale Way