Where to walk or run

Public Rights of Way

Public Rights of Way allow you to walk, or sometimes ride, cycle or drive along specific routes over land which belongs to someone else - the land itself is often privately owned, for more information visit Public Rights of Way.

Coast and countryside walks

Visit our Coast and countryside walks to download our countryside walks leaflets.

Railway paths

There are over 150km of railway paths in County Durham. These are suitable for walkers and runners, wheelchair users, horse-riders and cyclists - visit our Railway paths page for more information.  

Long distance routes and national trails

For more seasoned walkers, there are local and national long-distance routes within the county's boundaries and slightly further afield:

• National Trails
• The Pennine Way
• Weardale Way: a 117km/73mile-route from Wearhead to Sunderland exploring the course of the river Wear. More information is available on our The Weardale Way page.
• Teesdale Way: a 160km/100-mile route from Dufton to Middlesbrough exploring the course of the river Tees, much of which passes through County Durham. A fully illustrated guidebook called The Teesdale Way, by Martin Collins, is available to buy.

Places to walk and ride on a map

View our places to walk and ride on a map

To find  footpaths, bridleways and byways, take a look at the most up-to-date map for the county - the online Definitive Map. You can also find an overview of byways on the attached Byways in County Durham map.

Additional information

Somewhere to say

If you're looking for somewhere to stay, or places to visit while you're in the area, the This is Durham website, the official tourism site for the county, is a good place to start.

Recommended Ordnance Survey maps for the County Durham area

Ordnance Survey produces a range of specialised maps. A good quality map for taking out into the countryside is the Explorer Series (orange cover), which show footpaths, bridleways, byways and unclassified roads. The OS Explorer maps covering the County Durham area are:

• Explorer OL 31 (W & E) - North Pennines, Teesdale & Weardale
• Explorer 307 - Consett & Derwent Reservoir, Stanhope
• Explorer 308 - Durham & Sunderland, Chester-le-Street & Peterlee
• Explorer 305 - Bishop Auckland, Spennymoor, Newton Aycliffe, Sedgefield & Crook
• Explorer 304 (W) - Darlington & Richmond, Egglescliffe & Gainford
• Explorer OL 19 (N) - Howgill Fells and Upper Eden Valley
• Explorer OL 30 (N) - Yorkshire Dales, Northern & Central areas

Remember, the detail shown on these maps reflects the information available at the time of going to print. If a query arises regarding a public right of way, you are advised to always refer to The Definitive Map held at Durham's County Hall (see Managing the public rights of way network for more information).

Want to report a problem with one of our paths?

You can report a problem with a Public Right of way or countryside path online.