Great Walk

What to Look Out For

There’s plenty to see on the Diabetes UK Great North Walk as the route takes in tradition, culture and fantastic scenery.

For a start, there’s Herrington Country Park, which was opened in July 2001 on the site of the former Herrington Colliery.

The new country park covers 170 hectares, including 40 hectares of new woodland, 10km of footpaths, 5km of bridleways and a series of eight lakes running through the centre of the park.

Facilities also include a 500-seat amphitheatre, a skateboard park and a fantastic children's play area.

The skyline above the entrance to the park is dominated by Penshaw Monument, which stands 136 metres above sea level and was designed to be a copy of the Temple of Hephaestus in Athens.

The building, which has also been linked with the Temple of Diana at Ephesus, is one of the North East’s most instantly recognisable structures.

Built twice the size of the original, it was designed by Newcastle architects John and Benjamin Green and built by Thomas Pratt of Sunderland in 1844 in honour of John George Lambton, the first Earl of Durham.

Penshaw Hill, on which the monument is built, is associated with the local legend and song about the Lambton Worm.

The Legend of the Lambton Worm

Instead of attending Sunday church with the rest of his family and other residents of Lambton Hall, young Sir John Lambton went fishing in the Wear where he caught a monstrous worm (or dragon).

The creature was completely black, with the head of a salamander and sharp teeth. As he wondered what to do with the creature an old man appeared, looked at the creature,, crossed himself and advised Sir John not throw it back into the river. So instead, Sir John, often referred to as Young Lambton in the legend, threw the worm into a well and forgot about it.

Sir John went off to the crusades but the creature grew to an enormous size and went on to terrorise the neighbourhood, eating livestock and even small children as they slept in their beds. Each day, after searching for food, the worm would wrap itself around Penshaw Hill.

Young Lambton heard about the problems and returned home. He went to see a witch in the nearby village of Brugeford, who told him the creature’s rampage was his fault and that it was his duty to remedy the situation, saying: “You and you alone can kill the worm, go to the blacksmith, and have a suit of armour wrought with razor sharp spear heads studded throughout its surface. Then go to the worm's rock and await its arrival. But mark my words well, if you slay the beast you must put to death the first thing that crosses your path as you pass the threshold of Lambton Hall. If you do not do this then three times three generations of Lambtons will not die in their beds.”

The armour proved ingenious and every time the worm tried to wrap its coils around Young Lambton a piece of its flesh was sliced away. Eventually, Sit John succeeded in killing the best.

His father released an old dog, hoping vainly that this would be the first living creature Young Lambton met on his return to the hall.

But the old man became so excited when he heard his son had succeeded in killing the worm that he came upon Young Lambton before the hound.

Young Lambton could not bear to kill his father and so the witch’s prophecy came true.

The walk will take you to the heart of the legend’s action, not only Penshaw Hill but also a beautiful tree-lined stretch of the river – just where Young Lambton is supposed to have killed – and probably first caught – the monster.

If you have children with you, the tale of the Lambton Worm makes a great story to enliven your walk.

Several versions of the tale exist, including a folk song thought to date back to medieval times that takes just the essence of the story.

So why not download the song and take it on the walk with you.