Getting here
55.20365, -2.35799
Best for
2 activitiesHeritage
Free76%Historic site
Wildlife
Free75%Ancient woodland
Trails nearby
Within roughly 5 km🚶
Walking
1
1 named nearby
Named route
🚴
Cycling
9
9 named nearby
Named route
Named routes and paths nearby
Pennine Way (Middleton in Teesdale to Kirk Yetholm) · Walking0
Reivers' Route · Cycling0
National Byway (County Durham and Northumberland) · Cycling0
Route 686 · Cycling0
Main Route · Cycling
Main Route · Cycling
About this historic site
Bastle: Black Middens is an ancient historic site. As an ancient woodland, it has been continuously wooded since at least 1600 AD — a rare and irreplaceable habitat rich in biodiversity and historical character.
Wildlife to spot
Photos
1 / 15
🌱 Visiting this spring
- 🌸Ancient woodlands are famous for bluebell carpets in April and May — one of Britain's most spectacular wildflower displays
- 🐦Prime nesting season — listen for woodpecker drumming, warbler song and the first cuckoos from April
- 🦌Roe deer are active before the leaf canopy closes in — dawn and dusk are best
Facilities
🅿️
Parking
Black Middens · 182m
🐶 Dogs
Good to know
- 🐕Dogs welcome
- 🌿Ancient woodland — rare wildlife habitat
Weather for this location
Next 14 daysLoading local forecast…
Nearby places
Useful places within 5 km
🌱Sidwood Picnic PlaceUrban park1 km→💧SidwoodReservoir900 m→✦CampHistoric site4.3 km→✦Two bastles, an 18th century farmhouse and associated enclosures at Black MiddingsHistoric site0 m→✦Hill House bastle and associated enclosures, 850m NNW of Sidwood CottageHistoric site300 m→⛪St Aidan's ChurchReligious grounds2.7 km→