[1] From the car park of the Bishop Auckland Football Club, turn right along the bypass towards West Auckland.
(A) Bishop Auckland Football Club's Heritage Park ground opened in 2010 to replace their Kingsway ground. The Club were FA Amateur Champions ten times including three years running in the 1950s.
[2] At the roundabout, go straight across the road that turns right into the trading estate, and go straight ahead down a signed footpath through a kissing gate. Head along the old railway track.
(B) This is the former track bed of the Bishop Auckland, Barnard Castle, Stainmore and Cumbria railway opened in 1863 and closed in 1962. Coal and coke were transported to Lancashire and iron ore was brought to Durham from Cumbria.
Pass an industrial estate, a new and then an old housing estate.
[3] At the third footpath into the housing estates, turn left on a narrow footpath down to the River Gaunless (means useless and refers to there being no fish at one time!), and turn right along it to a footbridge.
(C) Note the abutments for the Stockton and Darlington railway crossing of the River Gaunless designed by George Stephenson in 1823 which was the world’s first iron railway bridge. The bridge had 4 spans of 12.5 ft which are preserved in the National Transport Museum in York.
Cross the bridge and turn left along the road, and after 30m, turn right into a housing estate and pass under an archway in the houses. Continue straight ahead with a terrace of modern houses on your right.
[4] At the end of the terrace turn left along the main road and follow it off West Auckland Green towards Darlington (A68). Cross this road and continue on the opposite side side over a stream bridge and then turn right on Oakley Manor, and then immediately left down a tarmac track to West Auckland Football Club.
(D) West Auckland's Darlington Road Football Ground. West Auckland won the World Cup (the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy) in 1909 and 1911, and in 2012 are in the final of the FA Vase.
[5] Retrace your steps to the A68 and cross and go straight ahead with the stream on your left.
[6] Where the stream ends go ahead up an embankment and turn right along the track of the former Stockton and Darlington railway.
(E) The S&DR was principally designed to carry coal from the South Durham coalfield to the Tees for export but was the world’s first public steam powered railway and opened on the 27th September 1825. On the opening day of the S&DR, 12 wagons of coal from the Phoenix Pit were pulled up the Etherley incline by a stationary steam engine and lowered down to St Helen’s. A wagon of flour was added, perhaps ground at the corn mill adjacent to Broom Mill farm, They were then pulled by horse to the foot of the Brusselton incline where they were hauled up by a second stationary steam engine before being lowered down to Shildon. Passenger wagons were added to the train which was hauled by Locomotion No. 1 to Darlington and then Stockton arriving 8 hours later.
[7] Cross the bypass and continue straight ahead passing a farm on your left.
[8] At a track crossing, turn left and after 50m left again and follow this path over a footbridge over the River Gaunless. Go straight ahead along the embankment until the bypass is reached.
[9] Turn right and return to the Bishop Auckland Football Ground.