National nature reserve
Dog walks in Castle Eden Dene
Castle Eden Dene is a national nature reserve of 237 hectares in County Durham, mostly woodland, 1.1 km from the middle of Peterlee. 121 walks in the app lie mostly in it. 47% are under 3 km and 24% are loops.
See every dog walk near Peterlee, or across Durham.
Three walks in Castle Eden Dene
From the 121 walks that lie mostly in Castle Eden Dene, those that start nearest its middle: a 9.5 km loop, a 2.4 km there and back and a 3.6 km one-way walk.
Where these go is in the app
Create an account- Horden loop9.5 km · 163 min · A loop
- Castle Eden and back2.4 km · 41 min · There and back
- Peterlee one-way walk3.6 km · 61 min · One way
The land and what it asks of a dog
- Site of Special Scientific InterestDurham Coast SSSINatural England designations
- Local nature reserveLimekiln Gill
- Special Area of ConservationDurham Coast
- Site of Special Scientific InterestCastle Eden Dene SSSI
- National nature reserveDurham Coast
- Local nature reserveBlackhall Grasslands
- Dogs on a short lead from 1 March to 31 July, and near livestock at any timeThe 190 hectares that are open access landCountryside and Rights of Way Act 2000
- Open by permission, not by right2 hectares of the woodlandWoods For All (Forestry Commission)
- And 1 more zone from the same order.
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 Castle Eden Dene are like
Every share is of the 121 walks that lie mostly in Castle Eden Dene, with Peterlee as a whole marked on each bar.
How far they go
Under 3 km: 47% of the walks in Castle Eden Dene, against 33% near Peterlee.
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 | Peterlee |
|---|---|---|
| Under 3 km | 47% | 33% |
| 3 to 5 km | 21% | 22% |
| 5 to 8 km | 19% | 22% |
| 8 to 12 km | 8% | 12% |
| Over 12 km | 4% | 8% |
What shape they are
A loop: 24% of the walks in Castle Eden Dene, the same as Peterlee as a whole, and no row here differs.
A loop brings you back without repeating a step. There and back retraces the way out.
| Walks that | Share of walks measured | Peterlee |
|---|---|---|
| A loop | 24% | 24% |
| There and back the same way | 45% | 45% |
| One way, ending somewhere else | 29% | 29% |
What is beside the path
On open access land for a third or more: 85% of the walks in Castle Eden Dene, against 19% near Peterlee.
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 | Peterlee |
|---|---|---|
| Under trees for a third or more of the way | 95% | 48% |
| Beside water for a tenth or more | 98% | 64% |
| On open access land for a third or more | 85% | 19% |
| Through a park or green space for a third or more | 96% | 35% |
| Off road for four fifths or more | 37% | 14% |
| On roads or lanes for half or more | 26% | 59% |
| Through built-up streets for half or more | <1% | 1% |
What might stop you
No busy road to cross: 71% of the walks in Castle Eden Dene, against 46% near Peterlee.
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 | Peterlee |
|---|---|---|
| Never beside a fast road | 93% | 88% |
| Never beside a busy road | 60% | 44% |
| No busy road to cross | 71% | 46% |
| No stile, gate or cattle grid | 95% | 70% |
| No steps | 49% | 72% |
What is on the way
Pass a public toilet: 38% of the walks in Castle Eden Dene, against 18% near Peterlee.
Shares of walks that start by, or pass, each of these.
| Walks that | Share of walks measured | Peterlee |
|---|---|---|
| Start where you can park, at a car park or on a minor road | 80% | 84% |
| Pass a pub | 3% | 13% |
| Pass a dog-waste bin | 55% | 51% |
| Pass a public toilet | 38% | 18% |
| Pass a drinking-water tap | <1% | <1% |
| Pass a busy beauty spot | 16% | 24% |
Measured on 20 October 2026 from the map. How these figures are made
Walks in Castle Eden Dene, 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. 95% 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 Castle Eden Dene 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 Castle Eden Dene 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 Castle Eden Dene?
- 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 Castle Eden Dene?
- 121 walks in the Trekosa app lie mostly in Castle Eden Dene.
Getting there
4 car parks, 1 public toilet and 4 dog bins within Castle Eden Dene or at its edge, from OpenStreetMap.