Eston Hills Circular from Flatts Lane

5 miles             Warm and sunny

Last week's knee injury from The Inn Way to the Dales was still troubling me so we decided to do a short walk from Tom Scott Burns' The Walker's Guide to the Cleveland Hills, that had the advantage of being a walk we hadn't done before.  We drove to Flatts Lane and parked in the public car park that is built on the site of the old Normanby Brick and Tile Co., which was established in 1883.

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

Country Park and visitor centre next to the car park

From the car park we walked along the field to a stile which took us on to Flatts Lane, emerging opposite Rose Cottage.  A perilous 100 yard walk up Flatts Lane as cars zoomed past brought us to a footpath on the left side of the road and we crossed here and immediately left civilisation behind.  Tom Scott Burns reports that Flatts Lane was metalled across the Eston Hills to the Guisborough road by the local authorities in the days of the depression.  Evidence of ironstone working is all around the area, worked by Bell Bros until 1889 when the Cargo Fleet Iron Co. took over.  There was a weekly extraction of 3000 tons of ore from the surrounding hills.

Approaching Flatts Lane from the Country Park

Leaving Flatts Lane

A short climb brought us to a T junction where we turned right and followed a pleasant path below Ten Acre Bank.  We were shocked to find that Himalayan Balsam, a large and very invasive plant with attractive pink flowers, was everywhere we looked.  It was so prolific it had even smothered the bracken.  On other walks we have seen signs encouraging locals to join Himalayan Balsam Bashing meets and that would certainly be a good thing here!  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impatiens_glandulifera

Himalayan Balsam flowers

Himalayan Balsam stands about 6'6" tall

A pleasant path below Ten Acre Bank

We are astonished at the amount of Balsam....

....which even smothers the bracken

The path veered left over a stile into a meadow which led us to Mill Farm and then Claphams Wood.  We were surprised that the path was little walked and in fact we didn't see another soul until nearly back at our car at the end of the walk.  It was difficult to believe that we were not far above the main Guisborough road.

Looking back towards Ten Acre Bank

A nice meadow walk above the A171!

Our view to the right, Roseberry Topping in the distance

Mill Farm

We enter Claphams Wood

Lake (and Himalyan Balsam) near Mill Farm

A steady climb alongside the wood on little walked paths, thick with nettles and brambles, brought us to Moordale Bog, which was actually fairly dry underfoot.  TSB tells us that here, hidden among the undergrowth, is the ruins of Upsall Pit, run by Bolckow, Vaughan and Co from 1866 and then Dorman Long and Co until 1945.  The shaft was 564 feet deep and in all 63 million tons of iron ore were extracted from these hills between 1850 and 1949.  Another climb took us onto Wilton Moor where we came to a convenient bench with a magnificent view back to Roseberry Topping, an ideal place to sit in the sun and enjoy our coffee and scones.

Our path alongside Claphams Wood

Is Clive wishing he's worn long trousers?

Transmitter masts at Eston Nab come into view for the first time

Masses of Rosebay Willow Herb

Heather starting to flower on Wilton Moor

A convenient bench

Our path headed north west across Eston Moor where TSB says early man built barrows and left flint tools dating from 6000 to 2000 BC, until we reached a cluster of transmitter masts.  We walked on towards the Eston Nab Monument where we paused and read the bronze inscription.  At this spot a beacon tower was constructed in 1808 during the Napoleonic Wars.  After 1815 it was used as a house and from 1884 was the home of a David Helm and his wife until 1933, when the body of 80 year old Mr Helm, who had outlived his wife by a year, was carried by horse drawn cart down for burial at Wilton churchyard.  In 1956 it was finally demolished and the present monument was built by ICI, using the stone from the original beacon.   We stood and enjoyed an amazing panoramic view of Teesside and beyond from the Nab with Clive being able to identify most of the industrial landmarks below us.

View from our coffee stop

Transmitter masts near Eston Nab

Approaching the monument

Mast, monument and trig point

The area around the monument was once an Iron Age hill fort dating from 550 BC.  TSB says that it probably served as a refuge for surrounding settlements and calcined bones have been found at the site which prove that cannibalism took place, possibly when ancient warriors were besieged on the nab.

Redcar and Marske in the distance

The yellow rectangle is the nuclear power station

The blue Transporter Bridge can be seen in the centre

The other Power Station is at 3 o'clock with the thin silver tower being the new EU subsidised wood burning plant

We followed the path along the escarpment where someone had erected a flag in memory of Lee Rigby, the murdered soldier, and reached Carr Pond where we saw our first people, a father and his sons with fishing nets.  The boys shouted to us to come and see what they had caught, leeches!

TSB informs us that during the last war a Junkers Ju88A aeroplane crashed here on 30th March 941 after being shot down by a Spitfire from 41 Squadron.  All four crew died and during the war another three aircraft crashed on these moors, including a Spitfire which crashed near to the Junkers site.

The houses of Eston

Memorial flag near the monument tower

Following the escarpment

We now started the descent back towards Flatts Lane and our car.  We agreed that it had been an interesting walk with great views in the clear weather, and it was good to get an unfamiliar view of familiar places so close to our homes.

Starting to descend towards Flatts Lane

Back in the Himalayan Balsam