Castle Eden Dene NNR
Before visiting, please read the site bylaws in full here.
Castle Eden Dene is a semi–natural ancient woodland and a spectacular narrow gorge carved into magnesian limestone plateau by glacial melt waters.
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The magnesian limestone was laid down 250 million years ago when the area was covered with a shallow tropical sea. Glacial activity also led to the deposition and erosion of boulder clay. The resulting mosaic of acid and base rich soils, the humid valley bottom and proximity to the coast, provides for a range of interesting habitats, ranging from yew and oak woodlands to herb-rich calcareous grassland and provides for an unusually high diversity of ferns, mosses and lichens for a dry east coast site. The invertebrate life is exceptional and the dene is the richest entomological site in the North East of England. The local form of the Northern Brown Argus butterfly, the Castle Eden Argus, is one of particular note.
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History
The dene was acquired in the mid 1740s by the Burdon family who regarded the dene as a large wild garden, hence the presence of some ‘garden’ plants. From the mid 1800s they developed a network of paths and opened it to the public at weekends, who had to pay an admission charge to enter. In 1951 the dene passed into the hands of Peterlee Development Corporation and a dedication agreement with the Forestry Commission hoped to both preserve the woodland and encourage timber production. Timber production conflicted with its designation as a Local Nature Reserve in 1953, and by 1970 the management had moved toward restoring the native woodland, which continues to this day. Educational and recreational use was and still is encouraged, as is scientific investigation of the biology and geology of the dene.
Visiting Us
Oakerside Tea Rooms - 10am - 4pm
Oakerside Tea Rooms are currently run all year around, 7 days a week. There is outdoor seating for the Tea Rooms available in the courtyard and in the wildlife garden attached to the lodge. Well-behaved dogs welcome.
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Toilets
Open on weekdays at Oakerside Dene Lodge car park.
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Accessibility
The Tea Rooms and toilets are accessible for wheelchair users. Although the Dene itself it is not suitable for wheelchairs as it is very steep in many places, Natural England has opened an easy access path that leaves from the main car park near Oakerside Dene Lodge and the paths that run along the top northern edge of the dene from the carpark are level and surfaced with dolomite.
Severe weather can cause landslips and falling trees and there are some very steep drops, so please keep to the footpaths. Paths can sometimes be slippery, therefore sturdy footwear is essential.
Getting Here
By car Castle Eden Dene is signposted from the A19 and from Peterlee town centre. There is a small carpark at Oakerside Dene Lodge.
By bus walk from Peterlee bus station and cross at the pelican crossing. Follow the tarmac footpath through the pine trees to the right of Peterlee Lodge Hotel for about 1.5 miles. Cross Stanhope Chase to the lodge and main entrance to the Dene.
By bike no bikes are allowed in the Dene. There are bike racks available at Oakerside Dene Lodge. The reserve is near Route 1 (Peterlee Link) of the Sustrans National Cycle Network.
On foot Durham Coastal path crosses the Dene at Denemouth and from there you can take a walk up into the Dene. Visit Durham Heritage Coast for more information here.
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Logs for sale: £5 for one bag or £20 for five bags. Please contact the team if interested, cash on collection only.