Turn east off the A1 in County Durham and you stumble upon one of England’s forgotten corners. Coal was once king here, but no more. The Durham coal fields under the North Sea have closed but they left a legacy: for 150 years, coal waste was simply dumped on the beaches, smothering the sand to a depth of 30ft in places. The brutalised shoreline was subsequently employed by sci-fi film directors in search of alien landscapes, such as in Alien 3. The sea has slowly washed away that mining waste and a huge regeneration project, Turning the Tide, has transformed the area’s superb coastline into a virtue – revealing the charms that made Lord Byron and Lewis Carroll linger here – and establishing a breathtaking coastal route from Seaham to the edge of Hartlepool.
[1] Seaham has some fine Georgian buildings and heading south you’ll pass Seaham harbour (NZ432495), the focus of an ambitious regeneration project.
Initially you’re surrounded by Sunderland to the north, Hartlepool to the south and ASDA to the east. But don’t give up: spectacular coastal views are just a few paces away.
At the A19 roundabout, bear left by the wind stockings, signposted for Nose’s Point (NZ436478).
(A) Useful interpretation boards reveal that the handsome cliffs are formed from rare magnesian limestone, which is incredibly good for wildlife. But in truth what magnetises you is the burnished brown spectacle below of Blast Beach, named for local pig iron blast furnaces and once totally blackened by spoil from the mines. Coal is known as black gold, and there is an irony in that these two colours dominate the beaches.
[2] Cross over Ginny’s Dene and follow the coastal path by the railway and cross the line via a bridge (NZ441462). Turn left and keep ahead, entering wooded Hawthorn Dene, one of several glacial valleys cut into this coastline. At a T-junction, ignore the stile to the train tracks and turn right. After 50 yards, turn left down into secluded woodlands and begin climbing again in front of the magnificent railway viaduct. Go up steps, bear left and then right to walk under the viaduct and pick up the coast path, now with the railway on your right.
[3] Walk above Shippersea Bay and, at a gate and stile, bear left (NZ441448), with rolling hills, bucolic farmland and a mournful, solitary pit cage from Easington Colliery for company. Follow the path around Busiers Holes and turn inland along Fox Holes Dene, towards rows of classic terraced mining houses ahead. Turn back to the coast at the road and railway bridge (NZ440435), enjoying the superb bay views north and south. Follow the path down Warren House Gill to the beach and up grassy steps to the clifftop. Skirt around Whitesides Gill and down and up steep Blackhills Gill.
[4] Drop down Limekiln Gill along a paved road, past a small car park, and follow the path right across a footbridge at Denemouth (456405), the head of Castle Eden Dene, where the valley marshland is framed by another spectacular viaduct. Head left up the path and steps to pick up the coast path above Blackhall Rocks, used as the bleak setting for the final chase in Get Carter with Michael Caine.
[5] Turn inland to walk around Blue House Gill, over the filled-in shallow topsoil of Blackhall Colliery. Continue to hug the coastline, passing a ‘V’ stile (NZ474384).
Look out for the flourishing colony of rare little terns - perhaps the surest sign that nature is finally winning the battle against the industrial legacy of pollution.
Follow the cliff contours and walk through a second and successive ‘V’ stiles. Turn left down and up steps to pass a substation (NZ475382).
[6] Pass the caravan site on its coastal side to reach the car park where the route ends (NZ483373).
The view ahead is of Hartlepool and Middlesbrough, but lift your eyes and above the flare stacks stand the North York Moors.