Wood
Dog walks in The Stang Forest
The Stang Forest is a wood in County Durham, 25.7 km from the middle of Darlington. 66 walks in the app lie mostly in it. 62% are under 3 km and 7% are loops.
See every dog walk near Darlington, or across Durham.
Three walks in The Stang Forest
From the 66 walks that lie mostly in The Stang Forest, those that start nearest its middle: a 3.5 km loop, an 8.6 km there and back and a 1.5 km one-way walk.
Where these go is in the app
Create an account- Hope loop3.5 km · 61 min · A loop
- Near The Stang Forest8.6 km · 147 min · There and back
- Hope one-way walk1.5 km · 26 min · One way
The land and what it asks of a dog
- Dogs on a short lead from 1 March to 31 July, and near livestock at any timeThe 475 hectares that are open access landCountryside and Rights of Way Act 2000
- Open by right465 hectares of the woodlandWoods For All (Forestry Commission)
County Durham council has a dog control order we cannot yet place on the map, so it may apply here. Signs on the ground may say more.
What the walks in The Stang Forest are like
Every share is of the 66 walks that lie mostly in The Stang Forest, with Darlington as a whole marked on each bar.
How far they go
Under 3 km: 62% of the walks in The Stang Forest, against 41% near Darlington.
Where the walks fall by length. The five bars add up to the whole, give or take the rounding.
| Walks that | Share of walks measured | Darlington |
|---|---|---|
| Under 3 km | 62% | 41% |
| 3 to 5 km | 25% | 22% |
| 5 to 8 km | 7% | 17% |
| 8 to 12 km | 4% | 10% |
| Over 12 km | <1% | 8% |
What shape they are
There and back the same way: 63% of the walks in The Stang Forest, against 48% near Darlington.
A loop brings you back without repeating a step. There and back retraces the way out.
| Walks that | Share of walks measured | Darlington |
|---|---|---|
| A loop | 7% | 21% |
| There and back the same way | 63% | 48% |
| One way, ending somewhere else | 28% | 29% |
What is beside the path
On open access land for a third or more: 98% of the walks in The Stang Forest, against 2% near Darlington.
Shares of walks where the ground beside the path is a given kind for the stated part of the way.
| Walks that | Share of walks measured | Darlington |
|---|---|---|
| Under trees for a third or more of the way | 100% | 14% |
| Beside water for a tenth or more | 68% | 67% |
| On open access land for a third or more | 98% | 2% |
| Through a park or green space for a third or more | <1% | 18% |
| Off road for four fifths or more | 80% | 6% |
| On roads or lanes for half or more | 4% | 79% |
| Through built-up streets for half or more | <1% | 11% |
What might stop you
Never beside a busy road: 100% of the walks in The Stang Forest, against 54% near Darlington.
Shares of walks with none of each thing on the way. A road counts when it runs within about fifteen metres of the path.
| Walks that | Share of walks measured | Darlington |
|---|---|---|
| Never beside a fast road | 98% | 90% |
| Never beside a busy road | 100% | 54% |
| No busy road to cross | 100% | 56% |
| No stile, gate or cattle grid | 100% | 89% |
| No steps | 100% | 87% |
What is on the way
Start where you can park, at a car park or on a minor road: 12% of the walks in The Stang Forest, against 84% near Darlington.
Shares of walks that start by, or pass, each of these.
| Walks that | Share of walks measured | Darlington |
|---|---|---|
| Start where you can park, at a car park or on a minor road | 12% | 84% |
| Pass a pub | <1% | 45% |
| Pass a dog-waste bin | <1% | 54% |
| Pass a public toilet | <1% | 9% |
| Pass a drinking-water tap | <1% | <1% |
| Pass a busy beauty spot | <1% | 4% |
Measured on 20 October 2026 from the map. How these figures are made
Walks in The Stang Forest, for your dog
If you live in Durham, it is your home county, and every walk in it is free, for good. Tell the app what your dog finds hard and it shows you walks that suit, with anything that might stop you shown first.
Anywhere in Great Britain, even with no signal.
Further is the Trekosa subscription. 100% of the walks here run under trees for a third of the way or more. It brings the Further map, 1:25,000, with contours, field walls and every right of way, while you have signal. Press Offline on a walk in The Stang Forest before you set off and its map stays on your phone until you remove it, for when the signal drops among the trees. Part of The Stang Forest is open access land, where a path on the ground can be faint: drift off your line and the phone buzzes. It also opens walks beyond your home county, if Durham is not yours.
The first 250 households have it for good. After that, £4.99 a month or £34.99 a year.
Questions people ask
- Do dogs need a lead in The Stang Forest?
- On the open access land, the law asks for a short lead from 1 March to 31 July, and near livestock at any time. County Durham has a dog order we cannot yet place, so it may apply here, read on 1 October 2026.
- How many dog walks are there in The Stang Forest?
- 66 walks in the Trekosa app lie mostly in The Stang Forest.
Getting there
4 car parks within The Stang Forest or at its edge, from OpenStreetMap.