[1] From the bus stops at the Rose Tree, walk over Shincliffe Bridge and immediately turn left in to the woodland and follow the path to Houghall lane. Or, join the lane after parking your car. Walk down Houghall lane with the river on your left.
[2] Just before the lane bends right there is a zigzag entrance through a wooden fence on your right where woodland starts. Go through and follow the path. At first this is on the line of an old pit heap. Keep right at the first fork; at the second fork you can choose either path, they both drop down to exit the woodland onto a track. Go straight across and follow the gravel path round to the left. There is a pond over on your right, which you can visit if you wish.
[3] At the end of the path, turn right and follow the path along a fence.
[4] On meeting the broad track in Great High Wood, turn left. This wood is full of bluebells in spring.
[5] By a wooden bench, take the right fork uphill.
[6] At the gate at the top, do not go out into the lane but turn right then immediately left and follow the broad grass path which runs parallel to the lane.
If you wish to visit the Botanic Gardens, you need to go out onto the lane where you will see the entrance almost opposite. There is an admission fee, but you can visit the café without charge.
[7] On meeting a gravel track turn left towards Fountains Hall, the small building with the unusual pyramid shaped roof and which is part of Grey College. Follow the path round the right-hand side of the Hall, past the end of a car park.
Grey College was home for the Soviet Union football team during the 1966 World Cup group stages – they won all their matches whilst based here, but lost in the semi-finals.
[8] At the second car park, go straight over into the wood – Little High Wood. The path almost immediately forks and you should take the right fork, through the middle of the wood. At the bottom of the wood, stay inside the fence and turn right alongside it.
The university building here is part of the Physics Department where Jonathan Edwards studied, see [A] below.
[9] When you come out of the wood, there is a row of concrete bollards in front of you. Cross the access road and take the paved path ahead, forking right to skirt behind the Higginson Building. Gordon Higginson was a Professor of Engineering at Durham for 20 years until 1985.
[10] On reaching the car park, cross to the exit, go left for a few yards and take the lane opposite marked ‘PRIVATE ACCESS ONLY’. Follow this up to the right, continue straight on past a cottage and into the wood; you are now back in Great High Wood.
[11] As the path flattens out, look for the little path through the trees to the right to a wooden seat. Be sure to go through here to look at the fabulous view over Durham. Return to the path and continue past Mountjoy reservoir – the grassy mound on the right.
A few years ago when the reservoir was being extended, Neolithic remains were found here, and a wooden stake dating from around 1500 BC.
[12] At a wooden rail with waymarks, take the left hand path which goes steeply down on steps to the bottom of the wood. Take care down these sometimes uneven steps.
[13] At the bottom turn left along the broad path through the wood and follow it until you come to the road. This is the busy A177, please take care crossing and use the central refuge provided.
[14] The path continues ahead, just inside the wood with a University sports field on your right. At the top of this wood are the remains of an ancient hill fort – Maiden Castle. When you reach the suspension bridge over the River Wear, turn right.
The building on your right houses the new £1m powered indoor rowing tank, the first in the North of England, with coaching led by former Great Britain Olympic rower Wade Hall-Craggs. The tank, is designed to simulate the movement and feel of a boat through water. The speed of flow of the water can be adjusted electronically to give any speeds up to three metres per second.
The Sri Lankan Badminton team are training in the Sports Centre here before London 2012
[15] Walk across the landing steps for the University Rowing teams and follow the path between the river and the flood bank until you reach the main road again. Cross with care and follow the path through the woodland to return to your car, or turn left over the bridge to the bus stops.
You have just walked about 5000m. The British men's 5000m track record is held by Mo Farah who recently ran the distance in 12min 53.11sec in Monaco (March 2012)