Residents in County Durham are being invited to put their boots or trainers on and tackle a new walking and running route that has been created to mark two significant milestones. The Five Churches Round links communities in the Parish of the Upper Skerne, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and the route has been devised by a member of Sedgefield Harriers Athletics Club, which also turns 20 in 2025.
On Sunday June 22, the parish and the club will host a special “tour” of the round.
Anniversary run
The Parish of the Upper Skerne covers the parishes of Sedgefield, Bishop Middleham, Trimdon and Fishburn, and includes five active churches.
In the autumn of 2024, parishioner and Fishburn parish councillor Vivienne Anderson suggested the idea of “some sort of run” to celebrate the 20th anniversary to Chris Lines, a Durham county councillor for the area and member of Sedgefield Harriers.
Chris has developed the 18.5 mile route to link five churches using footpaths and bridleways, and which takes walkers and runners through a variety of the County Durham countryside.
Follow the Five Churches Round route
The Five Churches Round is not waymarked, but is a self-guided route that uses public rights of way. A leaflet has been designed and printed to promote the round. The detailed route is available free of charge as a GPX file.
People can email [email protected] for a copy of the file and for details of where to find the leaflet. The route is also available on two navigational platforms at Komoot and Garmin Connect.
Five Churches Round launch event
To launch the Five Churches Round, the parish and the Harriers are inviting the public to join them to walk, jog or run the route, or sections of it. The starting location is outside St Edmund’s Church in Sedgefield, where participants will be sent on their way with a blessing from team rector Revd David Lucas at 9:30am on June 22.
Members of the Harriers will lead groups of walkers and runners at different paces, and in each church along the route, parishioners will be waiting with refreshments.
The other four churches are: St. Michael’s in Bishop Middleham; St. Alban’s in Trimdon Grange; St. Mary Magdalene’s in Trimdon Village; and St. Catherine’s in Fishburn. Participants will complete the round by returning to St. Edmund’s.
Background of the Five Churches Round
Chris Lines said: “The project has been a labour of love and I’m really delighted that we’ve been able to bring it to life this way. It’s only been possible thanks to collaboration by a lot of passionate people in our community, from David and his colleagues at the Parish of the Upper Skerne, to my clubmates in Sedgefield Harriers, and many others.
“Whether testing the route, designing leaflets, or planning a rota so that there’s a welcome and refreshments in each church for every walker and runner on Sunday, this has been a wonderful example of people working together in a positive way, and it is very uplifting.
“Now that the route of the Five Churches Round is established and available, I hope that after Sunday, many more people will decide to tackle it. There’s a really nice mix of landscapes to enjoy, from Hardwick Park and Bishop’s Fen, to an old railway line and plenty of open countryside along the way. And it all links five very different churches, each of which has its own distinct character and great history, playing a key role at the heart of the parish community.”
To find out more about the Five Churches Round, find it on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FiveCRound.