[1] On leaving the Durham Dales Centre, cross the main road and turn left on the pavement and follow this to the Market Square.
[2] Follow the pavement round to the right in front of Stanhope Castle, and then take the next right turn into the Butts. Stanhope Castle is a mock medieval castle erected in 1798 on the site of a medieval manor house, at a cost which ruined the owner.
[3] Continue down the right hand side of the Butts and pass two bollards at the far end and proceed right along the riverside footpath. Take care along the roadside which has a narrow pavement. This is the Butts, named after the archery grounds where all men had to practice during medieval times.
[4] Continue on the footpath with the River Wear on the left, and on reaching a road at the end, turn right in front of Stanhope Swimming Baths, and continue up to the main road.
Stanhope offers one of only two heated open air swimming pools in the North East. You can engage in water sports there. In the summer, much sporting activities are outside close to the Riverside, e.g. Walking, Cycling. A popular location for outdoor activities is the Ford at Stanhope. The stepping stones enable walkers to cross the river without getting their feet wet.
[5] Cross the main road and turn left on the pavement.
[6] Cross the road bridge over the Stanhope Burn and turn immediately right into an unmade track signed “public footpath”. Stanhope Hall on the left is a massive fortified manor house, going back to medieval times, and containing Elizabethan and Jacobean remains.
[7] On reaching a house on the left, bear right between an outbuilding and the stream, and then bear right on grass into a wood.
[8] After 100m, avoid the path bearing left and continue straight on to a footbridge over the Burn
[9] Cross the footbridge and continue on the path with a stone wall on the right and a fence on the left to exit onto a road (Crawleyside Bank)
[10] Turn right down the pavement and opposite Number 4, cross the road and continue away from the road past a metal barrier.
[11] Pass two garages with blue doors, and bear right and then left into Cowgarth Hill, and proceed up the left hand pavement and proceed past the West End Filling Station on the left, and take the next left turn into Paragon Street.
[12] Continue up Paragon Street crossing to the right hand pavement, and turn right signed 63-70 Ashcroft leading to Barrington Court.
[13] At the end of the houses, turn right with the side of garages on the left and go through a wooden kissing gate into the cemetery.
[14] Continue through the cemetery keeping the right hand hedge close by and join the cemetery road and follow this to the entrance.
[15] Where the cemetery drive meets the road, turn left and follow this road to the next turn on the right.
[16] Take this right turn down Church Lane, and at the Market Square, turn right and proceed back to the Dales Centre.
A famous sportsman in Stanhope; Dutch international footballer George Boateng lived in Stanhope when he played for Middlesbrough. He helped them qualify for the UEFA cup and played in the 2006 UEFA Cup final.