Frosterley Marble Walk

This circular walk explores the countryside around Frosterley in County Durham. It's about 5 miles long and follows a mixture of public footpaths, country lanes and riverside paths through the attractive Weardale landscape....
The walk takes in old quarry workings, historic industrial remains and some fine examples of Frosterley Marble.
You'll pass through a fascinating area where the landscape has been shaped by both the River Wear and centuries of quarrying. Along the way you'll encounter the remains of Harehope Gill Lead Mine and the Bishopley Lime Kilns, while the paths around the old quarries provide some excellent views across Frosterley and Weardale.
A particular highlight is the Frosterley Marble, a distinctive dark limestone containing fossilised corals dating from the Carboniferous Period around 325 million years ago. Natural exposures can be seen around the Bollihope Burn, while examples of the polished stone can also be found in important buildings including Durham Cathedral. The old quarry sites and disused railway infrastructure provide further reminders of the area's industrial past.
The walk also follows sections of the Bollihope Burn and River Wear, adding some peaceful waterside scenery to the historic and geological interest. Frosterley itself is a pleasant Weardale village, with the heritage Weardale Railway passing through and several local facilities making it a useful base for exploring the surrounding countryside.

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Frosterley ford on the River Wear

Harehope Quarry. Harehope Quarry is a former limestone quarry working both sides of the Bollihope Burn and source of the famous Frosterley Marble. It is now operating as a workers co-operative offering environmental education, field studies, rural skills training, community development and arts with a particular interest in promoting sustainable development

Limestone Gorge of the Bollihope Burn. After a long period of dry weather all the water flowing down the burn is now travelling underground from sink holes further up the valley. It emerges again lower down in Harehope Quarry. The footbridge in the background takes a permissive footpath over the stream and has interpretation boards indicating the karst limestone features and outcropping Frosterley Marble.

Visitor viewing platform, Harehope Quarry. The top slabs of the enclosure are carved with the names local quarrymen applied to the layers of the Great or Main Limestone which is up to 22m thick in this area of County Durham. The naming of these layers is described in "The Victoria History of the County of Durham" (1905) The Frosterley Marble layer was known as "Cockle Post". 

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