Q: COULD you tell me where the Skerne begins, where it flows into the Tees, and is a walk along its length restricted by lack of rights of way? - Maria Hart, Darlington.

A: THE Skerne, one of the region's smallest rivers, is about 25 miles long and begins and ends at Hurworth. This is a bit of a trick answer, however, because the Hurworth near the beginning is quite different to the Hurworth at the end.

Unfortunately, because the Skerne is more of a major stream than a minor river and, for most of its length, there is no right of way. To locate the source you need to visit Trimdon village, where the Skerne begins in magnesian limestone hills between Trimdon and Trimdon Grange.

Go north by road (B1278) to Trimdon Grange but take the first road left after leaving Trimdon and you will soon cross a stream which is actually the Skerne. There is a little copse east of the road and, to the left, you can see the stream coming in from the west. The source of the Skerne is less than a mile west of here, but this is as near as you can get.

Three miles to the east, the Skerne is joined by Hurworth Burn and enters Hurworth Burn Reservoir on the borders of Stockton Borough and County Durham.

On leaving the reservoir, the Skerne changes direction and heads south-west towards Sedgefield. It flows through farmland between Fishburn and Sedgefield and it seems likely that the Skerne is "the fish stream" that gives Fishburn its name. West of Sedgefield the Skerne lies at the heart of the flattest and most poorly-drained area in the North-East. For many miles the valley closely resembles Lincolnshire, or the Fens.

Three miles west of Fishburn, the Skerne crosses under the A1(M) near Bradbury interchange. At this point the Skerne takes a southerly course and, for about five miles as far south as Aycliffe, it runs roughly parallel to the motorway and main railway line. A number of smaller tributaries, best described as drainage ditches, join the Skerne in the area and often form little islands like the Great Isle and Little Isle near Bradbury. One major tibutary of the Skerne is the Woodham Burn, which rises near Shildon and flows through Newton Aycliffe.

The Skerne skirts the village of Aycliffe before crossing under the motorway near its junction with the A167. At this point it heads east, passing close to Brafferton and the farmland where the famous Durham Ox was bred, before heading for Barmpton and Great Burdon where it reaches the outskirts of Darlington at Houghton le Skerne.

It then takes a southerly course, crossing under 17 bridges in Darlington and is joined by the culverted Cocker Beck near Chesnut Street.

To the south of Darlington the Skerne passes through the town's South Park and, after flowing under the A66 bridge, leaves the town to flow through countryside for its last two miles, before joining the Tees at Hurworth Place opposite Croft-on-Tees.

* If you have a Burning Question, or can improve on any of the answers above, please write to Burning Questions, The Northern Echo, Priestgate, Darlington, DL1 1NF

Published: Monday, March 19, 2001