A County Durham market town is the setting for what has been rated as one of the country’s top ten winter walks.

Marking national walking group, the Ramblers’ annual Festival of Winter Walks, now in its 25th year, a list of what are considered the most popular seasonal strolls includes Barnard Castle among five in the wider North East and North Yorkshire.

Holiday home operator Verdant has compiled what it said is the country’s top ten winter walks, based on research data, including factors such as least rainfall and social media popularity.

Seven sisters, the chalk cliffs on the Sussex coastline, near Eastbourne, is rated as the most popular walk, with Somerset’s Cheddar Gorge, in the Mendip Hills, ranked in runner-up spot.

Read more: Barnard Castle sees a 30 per cent increase in visitors after Dominic Cummings incident

Included in the top ten is Barnard Castle, made famous by Government advisor Dominic Cummings’ lockdown-breaking trip during the Covid outbreak in 2020.

The Teesdale town is said to have been subject of almost two million videos shared to social media site TikTok, while achieving a 4.5-star rating on TripAdvisor.

Verdant’s view is that: “It’s no surprise that Barnard Castle is a favourite wintery walk, offering charming views and ideal for exploring.”

It said the ruins of the medieval castle overlooking the scenic market town make for an “ideal” backdrop for the, “perfect wintery walk”.

Read next:

               Rising to the challenge of attracting visitors to Durham

               English Heritage responds to Barnard Castle youths scaling tower

               Survey gives insight into Barnard Castle visitors

If you want to read more great stories, why not subscribe to your Northern Echo for as little as £1.25 a week. Click here

The surrounding valleys and riversides tracks are said to be other popular features of the landscape around Barnard Castle for walkers to tackle at this time of the year.

Other regional walks making it into the top ten include Sycamore Gap, at Crag Lough, on Hadrian’s Wall, Kielder Water and Forest Park, and Dunstanburgh Castle, overlooking the North Sea coastline, all in Northumberland, plus the coastal trails of Robin Hood’s Bay, near Whitby in North Yorkshire.

Only Seven Sisters and the Burns’ Trail, near the Scottish bard’s birthplace, in Alloway, Ayrshire, attracted five-star TripAdvisor ratings, with other eight listed walks all given 4.5 scores.