Members of the public have been invited to tackle part or all of The Five Churches Round, a route of nearly 20 miles that links communities and five active churches in the Parish of the Upper Skerne, through Sedgefield, Bishop Middleham, Trimdon Grange, Trimdon Village and Fishburn. After a successful first event last year, the 2026 Tour of The Five Churches Round will take place on Saturday 20 June and organisers have tinkered with the format to make the event more accessible for those who want to get involved.
The Five Churches Round was created after Fishburn parish councillor Vivienne Anderson suggested the idea of a walk or run to link churches and celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Parish of the Upper Skerne. Chris Lines, a Durham county councillor for the area and member of Sedgefield Harriers, devised a route that uses footpaths and bridleways, and which takes walkers and runners through a variety of the County Durham countryside.
Together with Vivienne, team rector Revd David Lucas and volunteers from the parish, Chris organised a community event to launch the round in June 2025. Following a blessing by Revd Lucas and starting at St. Edmund’s Church in Sedgefield, a large group of local residents of all ages walked or ran all or part of the round. Groups were led by members of Sedgefield Harriers, and in each church along the route, parishioners welcomed them 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.
This year’s tour of The Five Churches Round will have two starting points - St. Edmund's and St. Alban's. Walkers and runners will set off from both locations at 10:00am on Saturday 20 June, and can either take on the whole round, 11 miles from St. Edmund’s to St. Alban’s, nine miles from St. Alban’s to St. Edmund’s, or a shorter section if they want. Once again, all five churches will welcome participants and offer refreshments. Volunteers will lead participants at different paces.
The Five Churches Round is not currently waymarked, but is a self-guided route that uses public rights of way. A leaflet has been designed and printed to promote the round, and the detailed route is available free of charge as a GPX file. People can email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for a copy of the file and for details of where to find the leaflet. The route is also available online at https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/356144780 and information about the project can be found at www.facebook.com/FiveCRound.