Walking in North Yorkshire: The Hanging Stone and High Cliff from Gribdale Gate

8 miles Fine and still

We parked at Gribdale Gate which was already busy with the arrival of a large walking group. We booted up and headed straight up Great Ayton Moor before they set off.

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

In The Walker's Guide to the Cleveland Hills, Tom Scott Burns relates a curious belief from a 19th century book called 'Customs of North Riding' which states, 'Anyone who dares to stand near Gribdale Gate at midnight on New Year's Eve will see an old man pass through the gate and vanish'. No such ghosties for us today and our fast pace made sure we left the walking group behind.

Walking over Great Ayton Moor

Fine views of Roseberry Topping to our left

Lovely bright conditions for photography today which is just as well as I had to take today's photos with my phone. In my haste to pack my bag I had forgotten my camera.

After reaching the moor the footpath follows a dry stone wall where there are views over to Roseberry Topping. We came to a gate at Newton Moor but turned right just before it. Tom Scott Burns mentions that this is the site of a chambered cairn, part of a complex Neolithic burial site dating from the Bronze Age, roughly 2300 - 800BC, a time when these moors were covered with mixed forest and woodland clearance was just beginning to take place. By the Iron Age the site was treeless and cultivation was in progress. Following that period heather spread across the moor replacing farmland, so the moors have in fact looked much as they do now since the Iron Age.

Early walkers are already on the summit of Roseberry

We take a moment to spot landmarks

Walking towards the coast and wind farm

We followed the distinct path through the remains of a conifer wood which TSB describes as 'a corridor of trees rinsed with the scent of pine.' No more, I'm afraid, as those trees have gone to the Biomass power station. However, new growth in the form of mixed woodland is springing up around our path and is quite dense. In fact it would now be very easy to miss the turn which leads to a surprise view of Hanging Stone and Guisborough below.

New woodland springing up around our path

TSB believes the massive block of sandstone which is Hanging Stone may have been part of an ancient quarry. We descended the short distance to stand on the rock with its exhilarating view.

The surprise view ...

... of Hanging Stone and Guisborough

We are disappointed to find no interesting old graffiti

I step out for a better look, so far and no further!

The track falls steeply from the Hanging Stone and is always slippery, so we took our time descending through the trees to briefly join a connecting track through Hutton Lowcross Woods, then turning left, to again descend to reach Hutton village road. Turning right along the road we entered Hutton village, which was built as a model village during ironstone mining of the 1850s. At the end of the village the track climbs towards Bold Venture Gill.

The path drops below the stone..

.. and the descent is always slippery and wet

Hutton Lowcross Woods

The path to the road at Hutton Village

The Rover V8

We do this walk every couple of years and are always pleased to see a magnificent old Rover V8, still roadworthy, in Hutton Village. We looked for it today and there it was!

The village road leads to Bold Venture Gill and a steep concrete track into forestry land. We stayed on this track ignoring all turn-offs and noted much recent forestry work. No longer are there 'endless rows of conifers' as described in 'The Walker's Guide to the Cleveland Hills'. A convenient bench near to the nab made an ideal coffee stop and we ate our scones with a fine view.

Through the gate, Bold Venture Gill on the right

A steep climb towards Highcliffe Nab

Highcliffe Nab from our coffee stop

Refreshment break with a fine vista

Leaving our bench we left the main track to walk beneath Highcliffe Nab. Now on Guisborough Moor we looked down on Highcliffe Farm and strode out across Codhill Heights. 'Cod' being derived from the Viking word 'Keld', which means 'spring'. On the far side of Sleddale men were setting fires for controlled burning of the moor.

A last look at Highcliffe Nab

Through the gate to Guisbrough Moor

Highcliffe Farm

Codhill Heights

Sleddale below

Controlled burning on the far side of Sleddale

Sleddale is apparently derived from the old English 'slaed', a wide flat valley. Soon isolated Sleddale Farm came into view and here we turned right, away from the farm.

Sleddale Farm

At the farm gate we turn right...

... and follow the farm track across the moor

We joined a road that serves as the access road to Sleddale Farm. After a while we came to a T junction with Percy Cross Rigg Road and turned right into it, enjoying the views in all directions.

We followed Percy Cross Road until we came to a small fenced area which is the site of several Iron Age huts that were excavated in the 1960s. On our last visit the heather had been cut back to reveal the shape of the huts but this has now re-grown.

Clive at the junction with Percy Rigg Road

A walk on tarmac

Iron Age Huts Site

Iron Age Hut remains

We walked along Percy Cross Rigg, once a prehistoric track connecting settlements at Eston Moor, Great Ayton Moor and the Crown End Settlement in Westerdale, until we reached a gate and information board at Percy Cross Rigg. Here there is a meeting of paths that is actually the junction of four parishes, Guisborough, Kildale, Great Ayton and Hutton Lowcross, although there is no sign to that effect.

This junction is where we turned left from Percy Cross Rigg to cut across the moor on a green path with Lonsdale Bowl to our left. Looking at the map of the walk (above), you will see that this took us alongside Lonsdale Plantation. The trees shown on the map have now been felled, but in this case with the advantage that there is now a good view of Lonsdale Bowl.

North York Moors Graffiti

Lonsdale Bowl

On Great Ayton Moor

We followed our path across Great Ayton Moor for the final leg of our walk, dropping down from the moor to retun to the car at Gribdale Gate. A short drive took us to the Royal Oak at Great Ayton where we discussed today's walk over a pint.