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| Hawthorn Hive - a nice secluded beach cove on the County Durham coast that makes for a good little walking destination near Seaham |
Seaham coastal walk to Hawthorn Hive from Nose's Point in County Durham (via Hawthorn Dene)
Hawthorn Hive is a nice secluded cove on the County Durham Coast near Seaham, and this walk to it from Nose's Point Car park is a cracking walk with lot's of variety & interest. It will follow the coastal cliffs for much of it - but then enter Hawthorn Dene woodland for a part of it (there are multiple paths in Hawthorn Dene to extend the walk for as long as you like). You'll then get down onto the secluded Hawthorn Hive beach and then head back up the steps to the cliff tops where you'll get some excellent views of this underrated and stunning County Durham coastline.
Hawthorn Dene itself is the second largest Dene in County Durham, and is a ravine that cuts through the magnesian limestone rock, that was once an ancient tropical seabed around 250 million years ago that is unique to the coast at Durham. The ancient woodland you pass through is full of native tree's such as elm, ash and mature yew tree's. Snowdrops, wild garlic and bluebells carpet the woodland floor from spring, which is a special sight and roe deer are regulary seen in the area. Its one of the most unspoilt walks to do in Durham and is quite a varied walk and you'll even end up on the secluded Hawthorn Hive beach cove.
Map route from Nose's Point car park to Hawthorn Hive beach:
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| This walk to Hawthorn Hive starts from the free car park at Nose's Point and goes in an anti-clockwise direction. You follow the clearly marked footpath south which eventually comes to a bridge which crosses the railway line. From there you enter woodland for a couple of hundred metres and then double-back on yourself and head down into the last part of Hawthorn Dene near the big brick viaduct. (Note you can extend this walk quite a bit by heading west into Hawthorn Dene - see map at the bottom of the page) Once under the viaduct your on Hawthorn Hive beach. From there head up the steps so you overlook Hawthorn Hive. Then simply follow the edge of the coastal cliffs back to Nose's Point. |
Hawthorn Hive walk overview:
Circular walk distance: 3.4 miles
Walk time: 1.5 hours
Walk difficulty: Easy (some steep steps)
Hawthorn Hive walk photos:
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| The walk start's off close to Seaham at Nose's point where there is a large car park that is free to park. |
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| Overlooking the impressive Blast Beach at the start of this walk in Seaham |
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| The walk initially follows this well defined path until you get to the bridge that crosses the railway on your right |
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The route then follows the path to the right which will take you through some stunning woodland. It's even more special in the spring when the woodland is in bloom and wild garlic and bluebells are everywhere.
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| After walking through the woodland for about 200m or so - you'll come to this junction. For this shorter route make sure you take the left path and you will come back on yourself and head east into to the Dene. If you take the right path you can extend your walk into Haythorne's Plantation [see map below for this extended walk] |
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After crossing through the grassy meadow you'll then head down into Hawthorn Dene and cross Hawthorn Burn over the little bridge. At this point of the walk you'll feel like you are in an amphitheatre of Limestone Rock that was once a tropical seabed some 250 million years ago.
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 | What I like about this walk is it's variety - with a new surprise around every corner!
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| You'll now want to take the path under the viaduct which will lead you directly to the beach at Hawthorn Hive |
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Once on Hawthorn Hive beach, it's a good chance to potter about and explore this nice little cove. When ready to move on - head for the path steps in the centre of the cove where you'll quickly gain height to the top.
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| Looking back into Hawthorn Hive beach. Once back on the cliff tops just follow the cliff edge all the way back to Nose's point. |
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| You get some stunning views on this section of the walk along the cliff tops and they are some of my favourite views on the County Durham Coast. Just soak the views up all the way back to Nose's Point. |
Extend your walk:
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You can extend your walk by a couple of miles by heading into Haythorne's Plantation on nice woodland paths, then into North Dene and into Thompson's Plantation, then east through Hawthorn Dene towards Hawthorn Hive beach. In total this walk is 5.3 miles.
Thanks for reading! I hope this has inspire you to visit an area of County Durham that you might not know about! |
Post by Stuart Hodgson
'The Hiking Photographer'
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