Dogging in Durham: area guide

The lie of the land in Durham

County Durham is a county of two halves. The east is gentler, with the city of Durham, Peterlee, Seaham and a belt of former pit villages. Darlington and Newton Aycliffe sit in the south, and Bishop Auckland, Barnard Castle and Consett anchor the west.

Head west and the ground climbs. Weardale and Teesdale cut deep into the North Pennines National Landscape, a high plateau of heather moor, reservoirs and stone-walled farmland. The east coast is the Durham Heritage Coast, with limestone cliffs, wooded denes and a lot of former colliery land that has been returned to grass.

Few people live on the moors, so car traffic there is light and quiet roads can still draw a line of parked cars for no clear reason. In the east, small towns run into each other, and the A19 and A1(M) put Newcastle, Sunderland and Teesside all within a short drive.

Getting about safely

The A1(M) runs north to south past Durham city and Darlington, and the A19 does the same job nearer the coast. The A690 links Sunderland, Durham and Crook. In the south-west, the A66 crosses the county near Barnard Castle, and the A68 and A689 take you over the hills. Traffic jams on the A1(M) near Durham and Chester-le-Street are common at rush hour.

On the rail network, Durham and Darlington are both on the East Coast Main Line. The Durham Coast line follows the sea from Newcastle through Sunderland and Seaham towards Hartlepool and Middlesbrough. The Bishop Line connects Bishop Auckland with Darlington. Last trains are early on the smaller lines, and the dales have no rail service at all, so a pre-booked taxi matters out west.

Weather is the real hazard. The high Pennine roads, including the A689 and A68, can shut under snow in winter, and wind and drifts catch drivers out well before the towns notice a frost. Fog and sea fret hug the coast. Moorland lanes are unlit and unfenced, with sheep on the road, and phone signal vanishes in the upper dales. Fill the tank and tell someone your route.