Forest Ruins

Derwent Walk Country Park is a mixture of woodlands, meadows, wetlands, riverside and reclaimed industrial sites all linked by the Derwent Walk. The Derwent Walk is the track-bed of the old Derwent Valley Railway. It is 11 miles (18 km) long and follows the Derwent Valley between Swalwell in the north and Consett in the south. The ancient woodlands of the Derwent Valley hold a wide variety of wildlife, carpets of springtime wood anemones and celandines, many birds including green and great spotted woodpecker, nuthatch and sparrow hawk, foxes, badgers and roe deer. The flowers found in the hay meadows support butterflies like the common blue and meadow brown. Derwent Walk is home to blackcap and whitethroat in summer, and bullfinches and siskins in the winter. The River Derwent supports a wide range of wildlife including kingfisher, dipper and otter.