Bank Foot to Upper Baysdale and Burton Howe 

11.3 miles                                          Showers

Clive is in London this week so Carole agreed to walk with me for today's longer Tom Scott Burns walk which we haven't done for nearly three years.

We parked at the road side near to Bank Foot Farm, which is approached from the unclassified road between Ingleby Greenhow and Battersby.

Today's walk from The Walker's Guide to the Cleveland Hills

Tom Scott Burns relates a grisly deed that occurred at Bank Foot on 3rd October 1924.  Frank Ward who lived in one of the railway cottages on the incline failed to return home after an evening of drinking at the Dudley Arms in Ingleby Greenhow.  His daughter Hannah and a neighbour, Medd Carpenter, made a search and followed a trail of blood to a haystack at Bank Foot where Frank's body was found partially concealed.  Later that morning the police found Frank's best friend Jerry Dalton, who lived in a cottage near Bank Foot Farm, slumped in a ditch with self inflicted throat wounds.  He was subsequently convicted of the murder of his friend and hanged for his crime.  Today all was peaceful at Bank Foot except for a row of 52 moles hanging gruesomely on the barbed wire fence.

Bank Foot Farm

We counted 52 dead moles strung on the wire

A couple of years ago we talked to a molecatcher on his rounds and he explained this practice was to prove their catch as they are paid per mole. By leaving the moles strung they cannot be accused of using the same moles as they go from farm to farm.

We walked past the farm and immediately started to climb the forestry path towards Turkey Nab.

Starting the climb

Cairn at Turkey Nab

The name Turkey Nab is believed to be a derivation of  Thurkill, and Thurkill's hill road, which passes this point on its way to Stokesley from Kirbymoorside, is mentioned in the grant of land to Rievaulx Abbey.  Nab is derived from Norse Nabbi meaning projecting peak and Turkey Nab is where the cairns are situated to the side of the rocky quarry cliff that is often used by climbers.

On reaching the top we paused to admire the view and get our breath back.  There are fine views over Ingleby Greenhow and Battersby Junction and we picked out familiar land marks before stepping over a chain and following a moor path onto Ingleby Moor.

Battersby below

Looking east from Turkey Nab

We think the padlock key must have been lost as the vehicle track simply bypasses the chain

Captain Cook's monument in the distance

Just beyond the Nab we turned left onto a smaller track that leads across Ingelby Moor, crossing Black Beck about a mile further on before a slight climb to bear left onto Middle Head Road. 

At a junction we turned left and followed the broad track of Middle Head Road which quickly brought us to an interesting group of large boulders known as the Cheese Stones and we walked over to have a better view. 

On Ingleby Moor

Very strong smell of pollen from flowering heather

Baysdale comes into view

Turn left at the junction

Follow Middle Head Road

.. to reach the Cheese Stones

The rain starts as we reach the Cheese Stones

Tom Scott Burns at the Cheese Stones in November 2001

Graffitti - Maurice H Close 1928

1808 Olave Sanderson

Carole wanders round the Cheese Stones reading the graffitti

Sheltering from the squall

Continuing along the moor we walked past the remains of a medieval cross and soon looked down onto Baysdale and the imposing building of Baysdale Abbey.  We continued down through forestry and sheep meadows to reach the abbey where we commandeered a picnic table and enjoyed our coffee and scones in the company of some fancy hens.

Walking in drizzle

Approaching Baysdale Abbey

Scones al fresco

Company arrives

"Hens like scones!"

Fancy Hens

Tom Scott Burns narrates that in the middle ages land rents for Baysdale were paid with the heads of wolves, which were numerous in the area, and one can imagine this wild enclosed ravine in the 1300s, when cattle were over-wintered in the valley bottom.  In fact, TSB explains, Baysdale is derived from Basdale meaning Cow Shed Valley.  We were unable to spot the 13th century mullions that TSB says are preserved in the south side of the abbey building.

Tom's map now indicates that we should take a direct route across the fields to Thorntree House Farm and in fact when we checked the OS map, a route is shown but has long since fallen into disuse.  We stuck to the farm track (also shown above) and on reaching Thorntree House we took a right turn onto a forestry track which we followed steeply uphill to reach a moor gate.

We stick to the farm track

.. to pass behind Thorntree House Farm

Steep climb

.. to the moor gate and it's raining again.

 We followed the moorland track for about 1.5 miles before reaching an old stone shooting box.   Our path actually turned right 100 yards before the building but we decided to go and look at it.  The shooting box was in good repair, padlocked and with the date 1928 on the wall.

Old shooting box

We walked back up to rejoin our path which led us down through the old disused coal pits of Armouth Wath, ('ford at becks meeting') and across Grain Beck after which we followed a colliers' track until we reached the Bronze Age tumulus of Burton Howe, at 1419 feet.

On Baysdale Moor

Looking down on Armouth Wath

Approaching Armouth Wath

Armouth Wath

Armouth Wath is a very bleak spot and life in the coal pits must have been hard.  Excavation work has been done at the ruins of the four colliery buildings and revealed that the pits were 106' deep.

We left following the colliers' track and a long climb brought us to the Bronze Age tumulus of Burton Howe.

Lone tree set in purple heather on Baysdale Moor

Approaching Burton Howe tumulus

"Any inscriptions?"

Burton Howe

Our path now followed the escarpment across the open land of Ingleby Moor, locally known as Siberia, and devoid of interest until we came to a well preserved standing stone  near Tidy Brown Hill.  We could make out the inscription Kirby and Helmsley 1757 on one side and Guis Boro on the other and we were pleased to see that tradition had been maintained and a few coins had been left under a loose top stone, should a needy person happen by.  Strangely TSB doesn't mention this stone in his walk description.

View from Burton Howe

On 'Siberia'

The path follows the escarpment

A two mile walk along the ridge

Interesting standing stone inscribed 'Ingleby and Stoxley'

Kirby and Helmsley 1757

Alfred J Brown in his book Tramping in Yorkshire, says, "Even the longest ridge must come to an end, and suddenly the road twists, hesitates, and takes the plunge gloriously down Turkey Nab. The Cleveland County is full of 'Nabs' but Turkey Nab will take some beating."

Arriving at Turkey Nab we rejoined our outward path, this time descending back to Bank Foot Farm and our car.

Descending from Turkey Nab

A short drive took us to the Royal Oak in Great Ayton where we enjoyed a pint and discussed this fine TSB walk.

To Turkey Nab!