Captain Cook Country from Great Ayton

8 miles                            Fine and dry

Tom Scott Burns remarks that Great Ayton was known as Canny Yatton and in the early 1800s was the haunt of Au'd Nanny, a notorious witch described in Blakeborough's dialect verse T' Hunt o' Yatton Brigg.

"Her naals they war lang, an' humped war her back,

An baith lugs war pointed, her skin ommaist black... "

Au'd Nanny is long gone and we parked on Great Ayton High Street near to Suggitt's Cafe and crossed the River Leven by the steel bridge opposite the cafe.

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

Great Ayton

River Leven at Great Ayton

This bridge was erected in June 1919 by The Ayton Mine Company in memory of five soldiers who died in WW1 and it has recently been given a facelift.

Recently fitted Remembrance panel on bridge

After crossing the bridge we paused briefly to admire the old pissoir which has been located near the bridge as a non-operational feature and painted red for some reason.  There were originally three of these and to my recollection they were painted a tasteful green.

The locked urinal

Leaving the old urinal we looked at the waterfall and read a nearby notice board that tells of the flood of 1840, which caused much damage and destroyed the Fulling Mill at Kildale.  We would visit the site of the old mill later during today's walk.

Waterfall Park

Clive passes by the old sluice gate

Walking along the banks of the River Leven

Leaving Waterfall Park behind we followed field paths along the River Leven to soon reach Woodhouse Farm.

Crossing the Ayton to Easby road

We are pleased to find paths clear of brambles 

Approaching Woodhouse Farm

Woodhouse Farm

Woodhouse Farm   'Built 1712 Rebuilt 1905 Modernised 1962'

After crossing Woodhouse Farm's horse paddock and a bridge over the river to Easby Lane, we walked through Easby and over the railway bridge.  After walking through the village we stayed on the tarmac road for half a mile before crossing a way-marked stile into fields just before Borough Green Farm where we began a steady climb to Easby Moor.

The Leven near Woodhouse Farm

Approaching Easby Bridge

Easby

Hunting weather vane at Easby

Captain Cook's Monument comes into view

Leave the road at the stile

It's quite a steep climb to reach the moor gate where we noticed the date 1668 carved into the stone gatepost.

'1668' and 'JW'

Steep climb to the moor gate

Flammulina Velutipes - winter mushrooms, grows on rotten wood

Easby Hall below (zoom view)

Reaching the Moor Gate we turned right to follow the path below the moor to Mill Bank Wood.   Here we turned right again onto a permitted path, to descend to the river and the remains of the old mill.  TSB says that the wood is actually named after an old Bleach Mill where woollen cloth was 'fulled' in order to soften and shrink it to a warmer, closer weave. The mill was destroyed on the night of 21st July 1840 when heavy rains caused enormous volumes of water to burst two fishponds at Kildale Hall. A wall of water 40 feet high carried away two stone bridges, a corn mill, sluice gates, an earth dam and the bleaching mill, and was still 6 feet high as it rushed through Great Ayton.  

Reaching the river we saw the ruined foundations of the mill to our right, just off the concessionary path.

Bear right as we reach Mill Bank Wood

Down the steep bank of Mill Bank Wood

... to reach the River Leven

Stone ruins of the old fulling mill

Mill Bank Wood

Leaving the ruins of the mill we followed the river along the concessionary path.  On a bend in the track we saw a stone memorial inscribed 'Black Pepper'.  TSB tells us this this marks the burial place of the favourite pony of Cecily Turton from Kildale Hall.  Poor Cecily died in the 'flu epidemic of 1919 aged 20.  We decided the horse must have dropped dead at this spot, as it would have been very difficult to bring it here for burial.

'Black Pepper'

We now had a pleasant walk alongside the river passing by Kildale Force waterfall, which was spectacular following the heavy rain we have had recently.

Autumn colours

Kildale Force

Eventually we came out of the woods below Bankside Farm where large stones that have been positioned to deter motorists from parking also make ideal seats for a coffee stop.

Choosing a coffee table

Scones in the sun

Finishing our coffee we walked back uphill, passing Bankside Farm and continuing towards the trees of Coate Moor.  It was here that we saw a slow worm last year.

Looking back Kildale Church appears below

Bankside Farm

Slow worm last year

We came to a fork where we turned left to walk through the trees of Coate Moor.  A gentle climb led us to Captain Cook's Monument.

Well camouflaged pheasant

Coate Moor

Approaching the monument

Roseberry from the monument

Captain Cook's Monument

From 'Round and About the NY Moors' by TSB, note the door!

TSB notes that the monument was built in 1827, the foundation stone being laid by Robert Campion of Whitby.  

Walking down from the monument we passed the remains of old workings that is the site of Ayton Ironstone mines, last worked by Pease and Partners from 1909 to 1928.  

We took care as we descended the slippery path through the trees and followed the track to reach some white cottages on the Gribdale Gate road. 

Leaving the monument, Great Ayton below

Larches stunted by the cold winds

Easby below

Arty shot of the monument

Steep descent through the trees

The path levelled out and we walked through the mud alongside Nanny Howe to our right, which is where Au'd Nanny held midnight orgies at the legendary Devil's Court.  

Great Ayton

Passing by curious cattle

Ladybirds make the most of autumn sun - a 14 spot

...and an invader - a Harlequin

Keep on past the cottages

A steep climb followed, up the tarmac track to Aireyholme Farm where there is a fine view over to Roseberry.

Aireyholme Farm is famous for being the workplace of Captain Cook's father, who was bailiff there in 1736.  It also has a modern automated egg sales machine where I bought half a dozen, when we had worked out how to use it!

Egg sales at Aireyholme Farm

Roseberry from Aireyholme

Aireyholme Farm

Our path now took us through two farm gates to Aireyholme Cottage where we turned sharp left.  This track took us below Cliff Rigg Quarry, where whinstone was mined.  This hard reddish stone is the remains of a volcanic explosion on the west coast of Scotland about 58 million years ago, and is the only such stone on the Yorkshire moors. 

Undercliffe Hall

Aireyholme Cottage is looking very smart these days

Descending from the quarry

Descending from the quarry we crossed the railway line once more before following the muddy path towards Cleveland Lodge and Great Ayton village.

Path alongside Cleveland Lodge

Walking into Great Ayton brought us almost immediately to the Royal Oak and its historic sun dial. It would have been churlish to pass by and so we sat in its beer garden to discuss today's interesting Tom Scott Burns walk.

The Royak Oak

'Deus adest laborantibus' - 1771  - 'God favours the diligent'

To diligent hikers everywhere!