Heights Quarry
Top of Bolt's Law
Blanchland
Day 7 Westgate to Blanchland
10.75 miles, 1,522ft of ascent
Very soon after leaving Westgate the route takes part of the Weardale Way past the busy Heights Quarry. It then continues via Smailsburn and over Rookhope Burn into Rookhope where it joins, for a short stretch, another Coast to Coast route – that of the C2C Sustrans cycle route. On leaving Rookhope for the climb up the famous Bolt’s Law Incline a Sustrans Millenium Milepost is passed. The C2C route is left for the short climb to the summit of Bolt’s Law and the path descends to Ramshaw and continues to Baybridge along Bolt’s Burn. Here it meets Beldon Burn to form the River Derwent. The final short stretch close to the Derwent leads directly to Blanchland – a truly delightful village where time seems to have stood still for three to four centuries except, of course, for motor vehicles.
