(A) Sunderland Bridge, over the River Wear was constructed in the 14th century. Until the 1930s it was on the A1 London to Edinburgh road. Two stage coach passengers were killed when flung over the parapet following an accident.
[1] From the starting point at the entrance to the Croxdale Estate on the south side of the old Sunderland Bridge, go through the pedestrian gate outside the lodge, and then pass through the tunnel under the A167.
(B) Croxdale Estate has been owned by the Salvin family since 1402 with most eldest sons named Gerard. The estate avenue was laid out in the 18th Century. The large house on the right near the beck was originally a paper mill and there are several other mills on the beck.
Proceed along the tree lined estate road, over an 18th century bridge over the Bowburn Beck, and up a hill to a junction.
(C) Croxdale Hall is to the right at the junction. The house is principally 18th century but goes back to at least Tudor times.
[2] Turn left at the junction over a cattle grid and down a track towards Low Butterby for 1km.
(D) The marshy area on the left of the track was once part of a very large meander on the River Wear which was artificially straightened in the 1820s. There was once a ford over the river Wear at Low Butterby which was a principal route into Durham City.
[3] Beyond the foot of the hill, where the track bears sharp left just before Low Butterby, turn right on a footpath into the wood and follow this this path up through the wood. As the footpath emerges on a track at the top of the wood, turn left along the track.
[4] After 250 yards, turn right over a stile into a field and follow the left hand hedge line gradually veering away from this hedge line to a gap in the facing hedge. Go through this gap containing 2 stiles and continue straight ahead downhill to another stile. Cross this stile and the adjacent ditch and proceed straight ahead uphill to a track. Take care as the stile has quite a big drop on the far side.
[5] Turn right down the track to the corner of a wood on the left.
(E) The groves of trees which have been planted on either side of the track are copies of the original avenue of trees planted in the 18th century.
At the woods edge, turn left down the field edge and cross a stile, continuing in the same direction on a track through the wood. Cross over a stream and follow the track up a hill, through a gate and down the other side until the track ends at a stile and gate just after a bridge over the Croxdale Beck.
(F) The stream crossed shortly after the first stile comes from a lake on the left which supplies water storage for the lake in the beautiful walled garden on the right.
Exit the wood over a stile into a field.
[6] Go through the field keeping the wood on your right and exit through a gate at the top corner. Cross a bridge over the main railway line. Turn right along the road and recross the railway, then turn immediately left along a footpath at the edge of the railway cutting.
[7] At the second railway bridge on the left, turn right and follow a slightly raised path through the field and then on a path between the houses, reaching the road through Sunderland Bridge village. Cross straight over the road and then cross a stile into a field. Bear left down hill through the field to reach the Croxdale Hall drive. Turn left along this and pass back through the tunnel under the A167 to reach the starting point.