Billingham Beck Valley Country Park

Known locally as 'Billingham Bottoms' a mill once operated here, using the power of Billingham Beck to grind flour. The opening of the A19 in the 1980s dramatically changed the landscape of the valley, but the park remains a peaceful haven for wildlife and people.

The low-lying land frequently floods which, in combination with traditional summer hay cutting or grazing, has resulted in a whole host of wildflowers such as meadowsweet, flag iris and valerian. These areas also attract butterflies in the summer, including the meadow brown, common blue and dingy skipper. It's a great place to spot birds, including snipe, sedge warbler and reed bunting in the wetland areas, and if you're lucky the occasional kingfisher along the beck itself. 

You can explore the park using the extensive network of footpaths which run through the park and extend into neighbouring Billingham and Norton. Please note that many parts of the park can get very wet, so it's often worth wearing boots or wellies.

It's well worth taking time to explore the whole area, but take care crossing the A1027 to reach the southern part of the site and when using the rail crossing to reach the northern section. National Cycle Network Route 14 runs right past the park if you want to travel there by bike, but there are no cycle routes in the park itself.

Love Exploring

Download the Love Exploring app to make your visit even more enjoyable. The app provides information about what to see in the park, and children will love to play the interactive games. You can also use the app to guide you around a short trail starting from the car park, telling you about some of the wildlife and history of the park.

News

An ambitious project to restore habitats and improve visitor access at Billingham Beck Valley Country Park continues in 2024. The Council is working in partnership with the Environment Agency and National Highways to support delivery of the £1m project, which will include:

• woody debris dams and new channels to divert some water from Billingham Beck onto the floodplain, helping to restore wetlands and other habitats
• partly removing an historic weir to open up 55km of river for migrating fish from the River Tees
• improvements to footpaths, landscaping and other work to enhance public enjoyment of the park 

Billingham Beck Habitat Restoration Project

Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council are working in partnership with the Environment Agency and Nature Based Solutions to deliver an ambitious wetland restoration project on site at Billingham Beck Valley Country Park. The project will be delivered in two phases including Engineering Work and Landscaping Work, commencing in March 2024. 

Some of the key elements of the project are the following. 

Engineering work

1. Embankment lowering 

Traditional wetland meadows are great for biodiversity and rely on seasonal flooding. Billingham Beck has previously been made deeper that can prevent the natural connection to the flood plain. In certain areas this link will be recreated by removing certain sections of embankment.

2. Replacement Ford

The management of traditional meadows requires annual cutting and removal of the hay in order to allow for more species of wildflowers to grow alongside the grass. Replacing the old ford will allow for better management of the field north of the railway embankment in the future.

3. Pond Creation 

Retaining water on the land in certain areas is good for all kinds of wildlife including birds, amphibians and insects. Keeping water on the land in certain areas when the beck retreats after flooding the meadows is another part of connecting the beck back to the floodplain.

4. Partial Removal of the weir

Weirs present a real problem for fish and some species need to travel up and down stream in order to feed and lay eggs. A large section of the weir will be removed and woody debris will be allowed to accumulate in the channel to slow the water in a much more natural way.

5. Bund creation

In the southern section of the park the A19 has been shown previously to stop some of the natural springs that would flow into the beck from the west so the valley is not actually as 'wet' as it once was. In order to keep water on the land a bund will be created using the soil from the embankment lowering to compensate for this.

Landscaping work

6. Hedge and woodland planting 

The wetland restoration project is not just about the plants and animals that rely on the wetland areas being re-connected to the beck channel. Some woodland planting is planned for the northern section of the park as well as hedge planting along the field boundaries.

7. Footpath improvements

Some improvements to existing footpaths, as well as the creation of a new one in the central section of the park, will allow visitors to visit the whole site and enjoy the improvements for biodiversity that the project will bring.

Map

The following map shows the location of the engineering and landscaping works.

Accessibility

The park does not currently have toilets and there are no surfaced paths. There is no designated disabled parking.

Please note that a road and railway line cut through the park so please take care when crossing from one area to another.

Facilities

Billingham Beck Valley Country Park includes the following facilities:

• cycleway to the park
• Love Exploring app for games, trails and map
• cycle stands
• car park or public parking nearby

Opening times

The park is open at all times.

Location

Main car park can be access off A1027, east of A19 roundabout.

Billingham
Stockton-on-Tees
TS23 1PB