Rookhope
| Rookhope | |
|---|---|
Location within County Durham | |
| Population | 267 (2001 census) |
| Civil parish | |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Rookhope is a village in the civil parish of Stanhope, in County Durham, England. A former lead and fluorspar mining community, it first existed as a group of cattle farms in the 13th Century. It is situated in the Pennines to the north of Weardale. W. H. Auden once called Rookhope "the most wonderfully desolate of all the dales".
In the 2001 census Rookhope had a population of 267.
The village had two public houses, the Rookhope Inn and the Swallow's Rest on the fell surrounding Rookhope but now closed (May 2022), both popular with cyclists on the coast to coast cycling route which runs from Sunderland on the east coast to Whitehaven or Workington on the West Cumbrian coast of northern England.
The village had a primary school but it was closed in 2024 due to falling pupil numbers.
Travelling by road, Rookhope is 25.4 miles (40.9 km) to the west of Durham, 37.4 miles (60.2 km) to the west of Newcastle upon Tyne, 48.5 miles (78.1 km) to the north west of Middlesbrough and 47.2 miles (76.0 km) to the east of Carlisle.