SCAWG – Aim and Vision
The Stanhope Countryside Access Working Group (SCAWG) brings together local volunteers to help maintain and improve public Rights of Way (RoW) across Stanhope Parish, covering the upper reaches of the Dale beyond Wolsingham Parish (where the Wolsingham Wayfarers are active with similar aims).
Maintaining the network of footpaths, bridleways, and countryside access routes is a shared responsibility between landowners, Durham County Council, the Parish Council, and local users. SCAWG’s role is to coordinate a team of volunteers who regularly walk local paths, carry out light maintenance, and report any issues to the appropriate authorities.
Our shared vision is simple:
to keep Weardale’s paths open, safe, and enjoyable for everyone — walkers, riders, cyclists, and those with limited mobility alike.
Background
In 2023–24, several local walkers noticed that many footpaths in upper Weardale were becoming harder to use compared with other areas. This prompted conversations about how local volunteers might help reverse that trend.
By early 2025, those discussions evolved into a plan to create a volunteer-led group working alongside the North Pennines National Landscape (NPNL) team and the Durham County Council Rights of Way (DCC RoW) team.
In September 2025, the Stanhope Countryside Access Working Group (SCAWG) was officially formed, supported by NPNL, DCC, and local partners.
The founding members are mainly retired residents who share a love of walking and the local countryside, many of whom already know one another through walking groups such as the Weardale Tuesday Walkers. The group welcomes new members of all backgrounds who share that same passion for the Dale.
SCAWG’s work will evolve gradually, beginning with small tasks such as:
- walking and auditing local Rights of Way,
- carrying out simple maintenance (waymarker replacement, vegetation clearance), and
- reporting more serious issues to the relevant authorities.
Training and mentoring will be available for new volunteers to ensure everyone feels confident and supported. DCC and NPNL will also assist with coordinating route audits and providing technical guidance.
How We Work
Auditing a path can be done individually by experienced walkers, but we often find it’s more effective and enjoyable in small teams.
SCAWG provides a central point for volunteers to connect, share information, and coordinate their work.
The group maintains a private contact list of volunteers (names, villages, and interests) for internal communication. Only first names and general details will appear on the website for privacy reasons.
SCAWG does not aim to cover every inch of Weardale, rather, we’ll work where volunteers are available and where the need is greatest.
Over time, we hope that these collective efforts will improve accessibility and enjoyment of the countryside for both locals and visitors.
Work Priorities
Our initial focus areas include:
- Reporting access issues for the general public
- Walking and auditing sections of footpaths and bridleways
- Replacing waymarkers and clearing overgrown vegetation
- Supporting NPNL or DCC-led work parties
A detailed list of current projects and their status will be maintained on this page (e.g. not yet audited, audit underway, audit completed, task scheduled).
How to Get Involved
Coordination of SCAWG is currently led by David, in collaboration with the Weardale Tuesday Walkers.
To get involved, email david@weardale.uk
Whether you can spare an occasional morning or would like to adopt a local path, we’d love to hear from you.
Stakeholders & Partners
Durham County Council Rights of Way Team:
prow@durham.gov.uk
Report a public right of way issue:
North Pennines National Landscape (NPNL) — based in Stanhope
info@northpennines.org.uk
www.northpennines.org.uk
Volunteers & Events
Volunteer List
Events & Walks
SCAWG events will appear in the Tuesday Walkers Diary, now relabelled as Tuesday Walkers & SCAWG Events.
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SCAWG is planning to undertake some practical work in and around Stanhope in the Autumn (2026). The work at FP 78, Clint’s Wood, near Shittlehope Burn Stanhope is potentially quite extensive, and as at end August, discussions are ongoing with the landowner, DCC and NPNL to determine the best approach. Further details to follow. Other smaller tasks involving just a few individuals continue to be planned and executed. In the meantime, if you have undertaken some monitoring/maintenance either individually or with other ‘SCAWG volunteers’ and are happy for it to be listed here, please let David know.
Stanhope FP 45 West of Greenfoot Holiday Park July and August 2026
Peter, Mike and David clarified the route of the legal and permissive path on FP 43 around Broad Meadows Farm and waymarked the route. Work was undertaken to replace a small stile and instal a small gate on FP 45 immediately West of Greenfoot park.
Wolsingham Bowlees Farm FP 26 June 2026
Richard and David cleared 400m of overgrown vegetation from FP 26 NW of Bowlees Farm.
Wolsingham Riverside wooded area clearance of BMX track 23 June 2026
Stuart and David cleared vegetation to reroute a BMX track to separate BMX cyclists from pedestrians using the Wolsingham Family Walk by the river. The task was coordinated with Wolsingham Parish Council and representatives of the families and teenagers who for many years have use this Parish Council owned land to construct BMX tracks.
Tunstall Reservoir Wednesday 22 April 2026
Stuart and David, with help from Ernie and Jen, met with Northumbria Water Limited managers at Tunstall Reservoir, Wolsingham to discuss how volunteers could assist with footpath maintenance on a stretch of private footpath through the woods at the East of the reservoir. Whilst a Wolsingham Wayfarers initiated and managed event, it is listed here as volunteers are also SCAWG members. The woods are an SSSI and the path maintained in a natural setting. Some wooden steps had been installed a few years ago to ascend a steep and wet section and had become overburdened with mud. In a morning’s work, the steps were fully cleaned out and some other minor maintenance undertaken. A 50m section nearby suffers from surface water making passage difficult in all but the driest periods in summer. NWL had previously undertaking some draining work but that is proving insufficient. NWL indicated they would review the situation with their conservation colleagues with a view to additional drainage. The Wayfarers (and possibly SCAWG) may be able to assist in that work and any future maintenance.
Wolsingham Wed 11 Mar 26
David and Stuart undertook clearance of an overgrown bridleway in Wolsingham. A 300m stretch of Bridleway 44 from Thistlewood lane up to Redgate Grange had become very overgrown over the last few years, and whilst there was an alternate route, the RoW needed some heavy clearance. Following discussions with the adjoining landowner and Wolsingham Parish Council, DCC confirmed the section of the RoW was on unregistered land and that it was not on their list for routine maintenance. Stuart and David spent much of a day clearing scrub, small trees and litter. The adjoining landowner removed an overhanging fallen tree. The route is now cleared and usable for walkers and horse riders alike. In a few months it may require some further clearance of nettles should the path not be used regularly. The route opens up a very attractive local walk from Wolsingham up to the ridge line above the village.
Frosterley Wed 28 Feb 26
David and Richard undertook a monitoring/maintenance walk around Frosterley on 28th January. The two mile route from the centre of Frosterley went up past the East of the quarry, to High Barn and back down to the East end of Frosterley. The path was generally in good condition. As this is a potentially popular short route directly accessible by the local community, a total of 16 additional PRoW waymarkers were placed to aid navigation. The route is listed in the ‘Durham Dales’ walking guide (by Weardale District Council) and will be written as an occasional article in the Frosterley village magazine distributed to all local residents. Further actions involve repair or replacement of a kissing gate and possible refurbishment of a delightfully placed wooden public bench.
Rookhope and Killhope (Way of Hope) Fri 12 Dec 25
With support from NPNL, SCAWG undertook a footpath monitoring/maintenance session at Rookhope and Killhope on Friday 12 December. Adam, Jamie, David and Tim walked a 2.5Km section of the proposed Way of Hope (Rookhope to the road just South of Lintzgarth Plantation) noting the condition of the path, fixing anything simple including DCC footpath waymarkers, and checking the draft route descriptions. We then returned to Rookhope to confirm the route from the opposite direction. Later we went up to Cowhorse (between Lanehead and Killhope) to check route descriptions and fix some waymarkers/replant a marker post. NPNL provided the tools and guidance.
Initial SCAWG Training Event 28 Oct 25
Fourteen potential SCAWG volunteers attended an NPNL hosted training event at St John’s Chapel on 28 October. DCC ProW staff also supported. Following a presentation by NPNL, volunteers undertook a 3 Km mentored footpath monitoring walk. This allowed the group to discuss a variety of PRoW challenges and how they might be resolved/improved. The training covered:
- Rights of way, permissive paths and types of access
- The standards for the different types
- Landowner responsibilities and local authority responsibilities
- Waymarkers and fingerposts
- Replacing waymarker, do’s and don’ts
- Maintenance permissions
- Reporting issues, (reporting process TBD)
- Maintenance planning
- Health and Safety out and about