Teesdale Abbey

Sir Walter Scott, Charles Dickens and the Artists Cotman and Turner are a few of the famous visitors to Teesdale. This walk explores some of the places where they stayed and the scenery that inspired them.

Our walk begins with a tour of Egglestone Abbey, which is sited on a green knoll above a bend of the river Tees. The abbey was founded c.1195 by the Premon­stratensian Canons or the White Canons as they were better known in England, due to the colour of their habits. They were regular canons, not monks, and followed the rule of St Augustine, but they observed a stricter code of austerity similar to the Cistercian order.

The abbey was dissolved in 1540, and some of the buildings were converted into a private residence. Shortly afterwards

The church floor has a number of tomb­stones, some bearing inscriptions and the symbols of office. The most impressive of these memorials is the large box-tomb of Sir Ralph Bowes of Streatlam, who died in 1482. It is elaborately sculptured with leafy niches and shields, but unfortunately, the cover is missing. The tomb had been removed to the woods behind Mortham Tower, where it had been neglected for centuries. It was given back to the abbey in 1929.

From the Abbey, our route leads to Abbey Bridge where we descend to the banks of the river Tees. The bridge, a magnificent structure with inspired battlements, spans the river via a single arch 76 feet (23m) across. Since its construction in 1773, the bridge has been a popular subject for artists, including Turner who painted it on several occasions.

We continue downstream to the Meeting of the Waters of which Sir Walter Scott enthused; ‘The two most beautiful and rapid rivers of the north, Greta and Tees, join current in the demesne.’ Just above this con­fluence is Dairy Bridge with its high, single arch smothered by ivy. Upstream the Greta tumbles down through a deep tree-shaded gorge, both enchanting and

It was built by the Rokeby family, following the destruction of their former home by Scottish raiders. The tower is four storeys high with parapets and over­hanging corner turrets. The other buildings are arranged around three sides of the court­yard with an arched gateway in the south wall to form a barnekin, a walled enclosure where cattle could be protected from border thieves.

After passing under the A66 trunk road, we soon arrive at the picturesque village of Greta Bridge. Here an elegant bridge, designed by John Carr, Yorkshire’s bridge master, crosses the river Greta. The bridge was built in 1789 to replace one that had been destroyed in the 1771 flood. It has a single span of 75 feet (22.7m) with balustraded stone parapets. There is a narrow passage through the west abutment for people and animals to pass.

Greta Bridge was an important place in the old coaching days when it had three inns to cater for the requirements of travellers. Charles Dickens, accompanied by his illustrator, Hablot K. Browne ‘Phiz’, spent the night of 31st January 1838 here after an arduous journey on the mail coach from London. They stayed at the George Inn, now a private house, where Dickens wrote to his wife Catherine, expressing his delight at the comforts of the inn and the extent of its breakfast