Billingham John Walker's Walk, Billingham Beck and Old Billingham, family walk instructions

Start at Billingham Beck Valley Country Park Car Park.

Billingham has an Anglo-Saxon name that was once thought to mean 'the homestead of Billa's people' but is now thought to come from the location of the old village on a 'billing' - the bill-shaped hill on which it stands.

The walk starts by leaving the car park via the car entrance and crossing the A1027 and turning right. Take the footpath along the side of the road towards the A19 until you come to a gated vehicle entrance with pedestrian gate alongside it on the left. Through the gate you enter the north west corner of the south side of the Billingham Beck Valley Country Park.

Birds such as kingfishers and wagtails can be spotted along the beck, while the wetland habitats attract species such as snipe, sedge warbler, coot and moorhen.

Follow the main footpath, turning left at the information sign and following the path which meanders through keeping Billingham Beck to your left. Cross a small bridge and then climb the footpath to your right bringing you out on to Bypass Road (The old A19) at the south east corner of the park.

Turn left out of the gateway and walk for a short distance before crossing Bypass Road and turning right into Chapel Road. After about 50 metres turn right taking the footpath in front of the bungalows. At the far end of the row of bungalows go straight ahead into the footpath which borders the western edge of St Cuthbert's Church.

Go through the gateway to your left into the grounds of St Cuthbert's Church and follow the path straight ahead of you. A Billingham church, dedicated to St Cuthbert, is one of Billingham's biggest surprises with a Saxon tower dating to 1000AD though some other parts of the church including parts of the nave are older, dating to the 7th or early 8th century.

Walking through the grounds you'll come to the lychgate at the eastern ends of the grounds leading you to Billingham Green - to your left are some of the oldest the houses in the original Billingham. As you pass under the lychgate, directly in front of you across the road is Billingham Village Cross. The Village Cross was erected in 1893 and is made of shap granite.

Cross West Road to look at Billingham Village Cross then turn left walking along West Road which skirts Billingham Green.

Just past the more modern houses and opposite The Smiths Arms bear right along the footpath to the right of the large tree. This will follow on to a footpath across a green through Bullgarth park.

Can you find our John Walker metal tin? If you have the 'What3words' app search for 'soccer.tiger.start' to find the location. If not, look to the left behind a tree, you may find it stuck to the fence!

If you find the tin, make sure you log your name and the date you found it. Read the poem and perhaps - inspired by the walk, think of ways you could contribute.

Continue the walk through Bullgarth park and under the archway through the houses into Weardale Crescent. Turn left onto Weardale Crescent and follow the road straight ahead crossing Central Avenue and into Stokesley Crescent.

Take your second left from Stokesley Crescent into Teesdale Avenue and then immediately right into Kildale Road. This will bring you to the quiet and secluded Lundale Road, a road of prefabricated houses built as a temporary measure to solve the housing shortages after World War 2. 'Prefabs' were temporary homes built in the factory at the close of the Second World War. They were built to rehouse those who had lost their homes during the Blitz or servicemen coming back from the war and their young families.

Turn left into Lunedale Road and follow the footpath ahead of you bringing you out on to Station Road.

Turning right onto Station Road you'll be faced with the new automated railway crossing, constructed in 2021. This is now the Stockton to Hartlepool railway but originally part of The Clarences Railway.

Passing the Station Hotel on your right continue to the traffic light-controlled crossroads and cross straight ahead into Sandy Lane. Take your first left into St Aiden's Crescent and at the end of the road turn right and go through the gate slightly to your left.

Walk down the hill towards Thorpe Beck, but before you reach it take the footpath to your left.

This footpath is overgrown and has a steep drop in places to the beck. Follow this footpath alongside the beck and then as it turns right to cross the beck and follow the path of the railway line.

At the end of this path turn left and climb the steps to cross the main railway. PLEASE BE AWARE THIS RAILWAY LINE IS IN USE.

After crossing the railway, descend the steps known locally as 'The 99 Steps' and this will bring you back into the north west corner of Billingham Ecology Park.

After descending to the bottom of the steps take the footpath straight ahead and then to your left which will take you through the Billingham Beck Country Park, over the footbridge near the confluence of Thorpe Beck and Billingham Beck. At the end turn right, follow the path and turn right again passing the ecology pond and back to the car park.