Spurlswood Valley Walk
The trail starts from the Grove Car Park, approximately 1.5 miles beyond the Visitor Centre on the Forest Drive. This enjoyable walk has several features of interest, offering scenic views of forest valleys. From the car park this walk follows a forest road for a short distance. Care should be taken here as this road is a main route for timber wagons. It then branches left onto a quieter road. Along this section you will see many large wood ant nests. On leaving here the path winds to the head of Whiskey Gill before skirting an abandoned half cut mill stone. Now the path descends to Blackling Hole, a waterfall beneath the access bridge to a forest car park. The route returns to the Grove on another elevated track above the beck and the forest drive, on the opposite side of the valley.
How to get there:
Spurlswood Valley Walk can be started from Hamsterley Forest Visitor Centre in Hamsterley. Hamsterley, Witton-le Wear, Wolsingham, Bishop Auckland, and Durham are the nearest towns or villages.
Turn right in Hamsterley village following the brown tourist signs, turn left in hamlet of Bedburn to enter the forest and access the forest drive and car parks (£3 toll fee).
OS Grid Reference: NZ091312
