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.
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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.
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Bank Foot Farm |
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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.
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Starting the climb |
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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.
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Battersby below |
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Looking east from Turkey Nab |
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We think the padlock key must have been lost as the vehicle track simply bypasses the chain |
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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.
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.
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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.
We left following the colliers' track and a long climb brought us to the Bronze Age tumulus of Burton Howe.
A short drive took us to the Royal Oak in Great Ayton where we enjoyed a pint and discussed this fine TSB walk.
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To Turkey Nab! |