If you visit this old railway station, you won’t see any trains – but you will see walkers  and cyclists. Thorpe Thewles Railway Station was a stop on the Castle Eden branch of the North Eastern Railway (NER) from 1880 to 1931. 

Five miles north of Stockton, the station was designed to serve the village of Thorpe Thewles and the civil parish of Grindon in County Durham on the line between Hartlepool and Thornaby. The station  was of standard NER design during the 1870s, with two platforms. The northbound platform (on the west side of the tracks) had a small waiting shelter while the southbound (eastern) platform had the station master’s house, a waiting room, a canopied ticket office and, from 1906, a signal box.

As part of the 1923 grouping of railway companies, the NER became part of the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER). Passenger traffic remained low, leading to the LNER withdrawing passenger trains  in late 1931, from which point only goods were handled at Thorpe Thewles. Some express passenger trains did continue to use the route, but did not stop at the station. 

After the Second World War, the northbound track was, on several occasions, used to store surplus wagons, making the line only passable to southbound trains. 

Thorpe Thewles Railway Station was eventually closed completely in 1951 though the line was still used by mineral traffic until 1966. After the line was closed and the tracks lifted, it was purchased by the two local authorities whose areas it passed through. 

The line through Thorpe Thewles came under the control of Cleveland County Council who converted it into the Castle Eden Walkway, now part of Wynyard Woodland Park.

It has miles of flat footpaths and numerous circular walks with magnificent views over Tees Valley towards Roseberry Topping – a local landmark. There are some steep steps leading into Thorp Wood and a pond at the bottom

The station master’s house at Thorpe Thewles became a field centre in 1983. Since then the remaining station buildings have been brought back into use and the site now houses a visitor centre, café, gift shop and farm shop.

The park is also home to an observatory and planetarium, an indoor play area for kids of all ages, and events teaching crafts like weaving and handturning.

Visitors have said on Tripadvisor that it is a “great day out”, with one saying: “What a great use of a redundant space, hats off to the local council and local community.” Many praised the cafe and playground in particular.

One visitor said it is a “great find off the beaten track”, with another adding: “We visited for an autumnal walk through the woods and the leaves were beautiful shades of yellow and orange, but with plenty of green left in places too.”