Derwentcote Steel Furnace - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

Gibside Estate is situated on the steep, southern slopes of the Derwent Valley. It is now a National Trust property. Gibside Hall, the main house on the estate, is now a shell, although the property is most famous for its chapel. The stables, walled garden, Column to Liberty and Banqueting House are also intact.

A beautiful park, which was located in the Blackhill conservation area, it was laid out on reclaimed land by the Consett Iron Company and gifted to the community in 1891. There are rolling expanses of cultivated lawns, decorative borders and beds interspersed with woodland areas providing a picturesque link between Consett town centre and Blackhill and also there is the original Victorian Fountain and a recreated Victorian-style bandstand on which colliery brass bands perform through the summer,

Thornley Woodlands Centre is within the ancient woodlands of the Derwent Valley that are home to many birds including green and great spotted woodpecker, nuthatch, and sparrow hawks. An observation hide is located within the woods with keys available for purchase from the centre. Walking routes from the centre are clearly marked including a circular route that takes in a number of sculptures carved from trees stumps including an otter and a red kite.

This sculpture consists of two measuring instruments; a theodolite and an engineer's level, reproduced twenty times life size, standing approximately six metres tall. Made from stainless steel and supported on animal feet, this work is visible for many miles and stands as a monument to the history of the area and a prominent mile marker for the C2C cycle route. Terris Novalis is situated on the Coast to Coast cycle path which means it has relatively easy access for cyclists or those walking the

Causey Arch bridge over the River Team near Tanfield was built by the Grand Allies in 1726. It is renowned to be the world's oldest surviving single-arch railway bridge. Horse-drawn wagons crossed the arch on Tanfield Railway to transport coal from local mines to the River Tyne. The Arch has been Grade I listed since 1950. It was restored and reinforced in the 1980s. There are a series of scenic public paths around the area and the Causey Burn which runs underneath it.

Tanfield Railway is the world’s oldest existing railway and runs from Sunniside to East Tanfield. The 6-mile return trip takes an hour and steam trains run on Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays. The railway is run by three bodies: "Friends of Tanfield Railway", "Tanfield Railway Trust" which owns the railway, the locomotives and rolling stock and "The Tanfield Railway Company" which operates the railway.