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WOODLAND WALKS & SCULPTURES |
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Chopwell Woodland Park is a very popular place to walk, and to ride bikes or horses. The last survey carried out indicated over 150,000 visitors annually using the Wood, which is a surprisingly large number for a small woodland !
| There are three waymarked trails, for walkers, starting from the main car park. These are colour coded - please follow the waymarked posts. A fourth trail, starting near the entrance at High Spen, takes walkers off the tarmac road through the Wood to the main car park - this is waymarked with orange arrows. A "Cruck Frame" by Malcolm Lemmon is sited on the entrance trail. |  |
Heritage Sites - 1 to 18 - for further details of these go to the LHI Project page
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Easy Access Trail | 0.4 mls (0.6 km) | Jointly funded by the Forestry Commission and the "Friends", this circular walk around the pine woodland adjacent to the main car park has a specially laid surface with no inclines, making it ideal for access by wheelchair users. It passes alongside the "Woodland Spirit" and "Orchid" sculptures. |
| Easy | 
Allow 20 mins + |
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Old Railway Line Walk | 1.5 mls (2.4 km) | This is a level , moderately easy walk, along wide forest tracks. The route incorporates parts of the old railway line which was used to carry coal from Chopwell and High Spen to the staithes on the Tyne, near Derwenthaugh. Two restored Railway Wagons are on the line. |
| Easy to Moderate |
Allow 45 mins |
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River Valley Walk | 3.5 mls (5.5 km) | A more demanding walk taking in many scenic views of the Derwent Valley. Along the route you will pass through tall stands of Douglas Fir and skirt alongside the Oak woodland which cloaks the cliffs overlooking the river. The walk passes near to the "Bird of Prey" sculpture. |
| Moderate to Strenuous |
Allow 2 hours |
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Boundary Walk | 4.5 mls (7.2 km) | Our longest walk along tracks and forest paths. Explore cool pine, dappled beech woods, open glades and views. The route passes two of the sculptures by David Gross - "The New Hands" and "The Bat", and one of the sculptures by Richard Caink - "The Guardians". |
| Strenuous |
Allows 3 hours |
There are now ten sculptures sited within the Woodland Park, six of the wood sculptures are by David Gross, two wood sculptures are by Richard Caink, and the ceramic sculpture is by Joe Hillier. The tenth sculpture, a wood carving of a "Sleepy Owl" by Steve Iredale, was added following the 2005 Forest Festival and is sited at the display arena (just off the Blue Trail). A guide leaflet for the sculptures is now available from the "Friends" or Forestry Commission.
In 2006 David Gross was commissioned to carve a replacement for the woodland first sculpture, "The Hands". The old sculpture was made of Poplar wood and was decaying after 12 years, it has now been removed from site. "The New Hands" are made from Oak and were installed on site during November 2006. Once again the Wood has one of its most outstanding landmarks.
In the south west area of the Wood a set of steps were built in 1999 to traverse a small deep valley. Funding for this was provided by the "Friends", and the work was done by BTCV. Unfortunately, water erosion and the sheer steepness of the slope have since made these steps unsafe, and they have been removed. Plans are now in hand to reroute the trail by creating a new path. Meantime, please follow the detour signs.
The Forestry Commission recommends Waterproofs and Hiking Boots when walking in Chopwell Wood.
Horse riders and cyclists are welcome to use the hard surfaced forest roads. However, the un-surfaced footpaths are not suitable for horse riding or mountain biking (a special trail has been set up for bikes - see link on home page). The Easy Access Trail in particular has been installed especially for the less-able, and this short circular route has a special surface. Horses and cycles can severely damage this surface, which costs twice that of a normal footpath.
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Chopwell Woodland Walk in Summer |
Chopwell Woodland Walk in Winter |
© Copyright 2009 - Friends of Chopwell Wood