River Tees - source to mouth

I remember looking in to this some years ago.
I found that the very start of the river is from a natural spring up near Alston. Cross Fell is the nearest landmark I believe.
I dont think you could conceivable start your run up there though as it is in the middle of nowhere and you'd likely break your ankles running across that terrain.

I've always fancied visiting that location though. Drop a little rubber duckie in the water and then wait at Teesmouth for it to reappear.
 
BigAl76 said:
I remember looking in to this some years ago.
I found that the very start of the river is from a natural spring up near Alston. Cross Fell is the nearest landmark I believe.
I dont think you could conceivable start your run up there though as it is in the middle of nowhere and you'd likely break your ankles running across that terrain.

I've always fancied visiting that location though. Drop a little rubber duckie in the water and then wait at Teesmouth for it to reappear.
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You can get to Cross Fell by parking at Knock (near centre parcs) and walking up Great Dun Fell (where the radar station giant golf ball is). The source isn’t that far off the path between the radar station and Cross Fell. I didn’t attempt to look for it as visibility was down to about 10m.
 
Im almost sure there was a TV series about rivers and the Tees was featured in one of the episodes

Dont think it was this one ..


EDIT it was probably this one ...

www.thenorthernecho.co.uk

River Walks BBC One episode to focus on beauty of the Tees

THE region's rich industrial history and its waterways that launched ships linking Britain to the Empire will be broadcast across the North-East in…
www.thenorthernecho.co.uk www.thenorthernecho.co.uk
 
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The Tees is a very frustrating river to walk along. In the lower reaches there are such big meanders that you can walk for an hour, and be no more than 400 yards from where you were an hour before.
 
I was thinking about trying to kayak from the mouth of the Tees and see how far I could get.

I think maybe as far as Middleton one row at a push ? It really seems to narrow down and reduce in depth on that winding stretch before Neasham and Hurworth.

Its also much longer than I had first guessed.

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It should be possible to kayak from the sea to Croft on Tees or maybe further.

There are a few things in the way, like the Tees Barrage, and a weir about two miles downstream from Middleton One Row, but you can get out and walk round them easily enough. There needs to be a reasonable volume of water in the river because it's quite shallow in the summer around Middleton One Row. Further upstream from MOR at Sockburn and Fishlocks it's a bit narrower, and therefore deeper, and (although I don't kayak) I would have thought it would be easy going. After a couple of giant meanders, you go past Neasham, Hurworth and then Croft. I have seen people kayaking at Croft. That's the confluence of the Tees and Skerne. The Tees above that point is shallower, up to the pumping station at Broken Scar, just west of Darlington. Above that I don't know, although I have seen people kayaking up at Greta Bridge, which is a good distance further upstream.

Good luck if you do it. Just near Girsby is the most wonderful little suspension bridge - just really a footbridge, but beautifully designed. A bit further upstream from there is the road bridge at Over Dinsdale - replaced in the 1950s, but the original was fitted with explosives in 1940 in case of a German invasion. A German invasion - there? I wonder where they thought the Germans were coming from and going to.
 
Soutra said:
It should be possible to kayak from the sea to Croft on Tees or maybe further.

There are a few things in the way, like the Tees Barrage, and a weir about two miles downstream from Middleton One Row, but you can get out and walk round them easily enough. There needs to be a reasonable volume of water in the river because it's quite shallow in the summer around Middleton One Row. Further upstream from MOR at Sockburn and Fishlocks it's a bit narrower, and therefore deeper, and (although I don't kayak) I would have thought it would be easy going. After a couple of giant meanders, you go past Neasham, Hurworth and then Croft. I have seen people kayaking at Croft. That's the confluence of the Tees and Skerne. The Tees above that point is shallower, up to the pumping station at Broken Scar, just west of Darlington. Above that I don't know, although I have seen people kayaking up at Greta Bridge, which is a good distance further upstream.

Good luck if you do it. Just near Girsby is the most wonderful little suspension bridge - just really a footbridge, but beautifully designed. A bit further upstream from there is the road bridge at Over Dinsdale - replaced in the 1950s, but the original was fitted with explosives in 1940 in case of a German invasion. A German invasion - there? I wonder where they thought the Germans were coming from and going to.
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Last summer I canoed from Neasham to the bridge at Over Dinsdale. It's a mile on the road but 8 mile on the river due to loads of meanders.
Saw an otter and loads of King fishers. It really is beautiful. Took about 3 hours. I had to get out and drag it along the river bed in some shallow places. Took some effort as my sons were both in it.
Was a great day. Intend to go from Over Dinsdale to Worsall this summer
 
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