County Durham Gateway Bridge

The bridge provides a dramatic gateway into County Durham and incorporates a major piece of visual art design by the internationally renowned artist Peter Fink The triangular profile of the 'wings finished in bold colours responds to the dominantly triangular profile of the 'A' frame tower which is emphasised by its blue colour.

The bridge is a 73 metre long, 3 metre wide steel cable-stayed structure which will give cyclists, horse riders and walkers a safe route across the A689 dual carriageway.

Hurworth Burn Reservoir

A public footpath gives access to the entire western side of this man-made body of water. It is an ideal site for watching waterfowl. Among the species which may by seen are Great Crested and Little Grebe, Poachard, Teal, Goldeneye, Wigeon and Shelduck. In both spring and autumn, a variety of waders can be also spotted while in winter, flocks of Graylag geese may descend to graze on the adjacent farmland.

Embleton

Once a thriving community, nothing remains of the medieval village of Embleton apart from a pattern of mound and hollows which mark its original layout, still visible in the surface of the pasture. The church of St. Mary wasfounded at the same time as the village, but the present building dates back only to 1860 whe the entire structure was rebuilt.

Sedgefield

Sedgefield as an ancient village datingback at least to Roman times, though its main development really began following the Norman invasion. By the early nineteenth century it had become an important centre for horse drawn coaches with a daily run to Leeds aboard th 'Expedition'. The tower of the medieval St. Edmund's Church is one of the highest vantage points in south east Durham, and can be seen from miles around.

Hardwick Park

Development in the latter half of the eighteenth century in the tradition of other great English parkland. Hardwick fell into a state of major decay during the twentieth century. Since 1972, Durham County Council has run on ecorner of it's central core as a Country Park. It has now extended upon a major programme of work to restore this Grade 2 Listed Parkland to its former glory. The work included the reconstruction of a 17 acre lake at its heart. Admission is free and the park is open at all times, although parts will remain closed until the restoration works are completed.