From Rookhope you can take the exciting but demanding off-road section which climbs steeply past ruins and heads along the edge of Edmundbyers Common, leading down to the Waskerley Way either by road or across a track - the choice is yours.

The second choice is to go via Stanhope, one of Weardale's more important and historic little market towns. But if you go this way, remember that you'll be facing a swine of a climb up the B6278 to the Waskerley Way, aptly called Crawley Side.

19. Stanhope		Back to
Howard & Linda Lazenby		Belle Vue Farm, Hall Road, Stanhope, Weardale, Co. Durham DL13 2EZ
Telephone		01388 526225
Website		www.tranquil-life.info
Email		relax@tranquil-life.info
Rooms		4D, 1T all en-suite
B & B		from £62 to £72 per room
Secure cycle storage		Close to Stanhope branch of route
Pub: 0.75 miles		Open all year round

Howard and Linda created Belle Vue Farm Cottages as a haven for those who love to stay in a peaceful and restful environment with beautiful panoramic views across the Wear Valley and the surrounding wooded and upland areas. Visitors are not just impressed by the external beauty but by the exceptional standard and attention to detail in all rooms to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Detached from the farmhouse the cottage style accommodation provides guests with their own privacy. In addition to using the secure cycle store guests may service and wash their bicycles at the workshop. Continental breakfast. No children under 14 years or pets. No smoking in the rooms, though smoking is permitted in the grounds. Private fishing pond.

John Emerson & Carol Patillo		Queens Head Hotel, 89 Front Street, Stanhope, Weardale, DL13 2UB
Telephone/Fax		01388 528 160
Web		www.queensheadstanhope.co.uk
Email		info@queensheadstanhope.co.uk
Rooms		4T
B&B		£25-£30.
Packed Lunch		About £5
Evening Meal 7-8pm		£3-£7

Hotel has public bar. A small, friendly local pub with bar and dining room, stocking a good pint of real ale.

Nadine Kipling		Jubilee Adventure Centre, Crawleyside, nr Stanhope, Weardale, Co Durham.
Telephone		01388 463712
Rooms		42 beds.
Bed		£3.50
Food		Kitchen and Dining Room - Includes Crockery

Set in the beautiful village of Crawleyside just above Stanhope, Weardale, County Durham

Terry & Lorraine Turnbull		Parkhead Station, Stanhope Moor, Co. Durham DL13 2ES
Tel		01388 526434
Web		www.parkheadstation.co.uk
Email		parkheadstation@aol.com
Rooms		2D, 2F plus The Sleeper (up to six)
B&B		from £25
Evening meal		Residents evening meals available (pre-ordering required) locally sourced produce, please contact us for menu choices and any specific dietary requirements
Packed lunch		£3.50
Licensed		On route
VisitBritain		3 stars
Official Sustrans C2C t-shirts		can be pre-ordered

Take a break on the 100 mile marker and book in. This is a licensed B&B with tea room three miles north of Stanhope on the Waskerley Way. It's also five miles from Rookhope across the grouse moor and 10 miles from Consett. AONB with beautiful panoramic views and downhill all the way (almost) to the coast. Drying facilities and secure lock-up. Take a virtual tour by clicking on the website. On-line booking soon available.

Originally a Bronze Age settlement, it was a tiny village around a cobbled market square until the Stanhope & Tyne Railway was built to transport the industrial produce to Consett and Cleveland along the Waskerley Way.

Before the railways, all raw materials were transported by pack horses. Teams of tough little Galloway horses would pick their way over the Pennines and then down into the valleys, the lead horse otten having a bell attached to his harness to guide the following horses across the mist-cloaked moors.

CYCLE SHOPS

The Bike Shop, Terry & Lorraine Turnbull at Mile Post 100 at the start of the Waskerley Way, 5km from Stanhope. 01388 526434.

Durham Dales Visitor Centre

Castle Gardens. Good café. 01388 527 650

Fossilised tree at St Thomas's Church 350 million years old, found in 1914 in an Edmundbyers mine

St Thomas's Church 12th century origins complete with Roman altar and Saxon font

Eating Out

The Bike Stop Stamping post & great teas. Mile post 100

Queen's Head Hotel, Front St. Good pub fare. 01388 528160