Walking in North Yorkshire

Roseberry Topping, Easby Moor and Captain Cook's Monument from Great Ayton

7.1 miles Warm and sunny

This is not a Tom Scott Burns walk but it is near to his doorstep and he would have known it well. It's a good walk with great views for a summer's day.

Today's walk in the Cleveland Hills

We parked on Great Ayton High Street and walked east, eventually crossing and leaving the road at a footpath sign taking us towards Cleveland Lodge.

Suggit's Cafe and sweet shop

Looking east along the High Street

Through the iron gate to the footpath

The path alongside Cleveland Lodge is shaded and usually muddy, but recent fine weather had dried the path. We walked past the lodge which is hidden in trees and followed the overgrown field path across the Middlesbrough to Whitby railway line near to Rye Hill Farm.

The path becomes very overgrown

Cross the Middlesbrough to Whitby line

We walked through farm fields to reach Cliff Rigg Quarry where whinstone was mined until 1973. We diverted from our path slightly by climbing uphill to reach the top of the old quarry for a better look.

After crossing the railway walk towards Cliff Ridge Wood

Entering the wood

Passing old winching blocks as we climb through the wood

We exit the wood

... and get our first view of Roseberry

Information Board at the site of Captain Cook's cottage

A sharp climb up from the path takes us to Cliff Rigg Quarry

A stone plug was left to prevent shale collapse

We climb up to look into Whinstone or Cliff Rigg Quarry

Quarrying ceased in 1918 but in 1970s resumed with crushed stone used for roads

Leaving the quarry we had a steep descent to our path, where we turned left and headed along a very overgrown path, our horizon dominated by Roseberry Topping.

Steep descent from Cliff Rigg Quarry

Eventually we passed by Wilson's Folly, a shooting box on the slopes of Roseberry.

Very overgrown path

Approaching the Shooting Box

The shooting box folly

From the Shooting Box, also known as Wilson's Folly, a short steep climb took us to the top of Roseberry, where we stood by the trig point. We had fine views in the clear air, even picking out landmarks in County Durham.

Marching towards Roseberry

Harebells

New paving being installed near the summit

Carole at the Trig Point

"There's no show without Punch"

Newton-under-Roseberry below

Panorama shot from the summit

Looking west towards Great Ayton below

TSB recounts the story of a Northumbrian princess who had been warned by an astrologer that her son Oswy would be drowned on a certain day. To avoid this she took the child to the summit of Roseberry Topping where he would surely be safe from that fate. While she slept the child wandered off and fell down a well, situated on the north eastern slope of Roseberry, so fulfilling the prophecy, which led the princess to take her own life. Mother and child were buried together and 'Os by his mother lay' and so it's said the village of Osmotherly gained its name.

Descending eastwards from Roseberry

Roseberry is believed to have been held in special regard by the Vikings who settled here and gave the area many of its place names. They gave Roseberry Topping its present name: first attested in 1119 as Othenesberg, (Othenes (personal name) rock, or Odin's rock). The name changed successively to Othensberg, Ohenseberg, Ounsberry and Ouesberry before finally settling on Roseberry, this means that Roseberry Topping is one of only a handful of known pagan names in England, being named after the Norse God Odin.
See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roseberry_Topping

With Roseberry behind us we headed south towards Newton Moor.

Looking back at Roseberry

Through the gate to Great Ayton Moor

The hot weather had brought a lot of large Oak Eggar moth caterpillars onto the paths

Striding across Great Ayton Moor

Our next objective, Captain Cook's Monument, appears on the horizon

Descending to Gribdale Gate

"Where's me scone?"

Descending from Great Ayton Moor to Gribdale Gate we stopped at a picnic table to take a coffee break before setting off on the climb up Cockshaw Hill to Easby Moor and Captain Cook's Monument.

Picnic over

The long climb to Captain Cook's Monument

This memorial is near the top of the climb

Approaching the 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.

We left the monument and crossing Easby Moor began the very steep descent through Ayton Banks Wood. This is always tricky and care is needed. We emerged from the woods to a fine view down to Great Ayton.

View from the Monument

Carole forces stone pillars apart

Back to the monument through the pillars

Carole begins the descent

...which gets very steep

The white houses of Gribdale Terraace to our right

We turned left just before Dykes Lane into a farm track where there is a Weak Bridge sign, and this led us, via the weak railway bridge, to Brookside Farm. The farm now hosts a popular cafe called Fletcher's.

More overgrown paths

Turn left into the lane at the Weak Bridge sign

Fletcher's Cafe

After passing the farm we joined the tarmac lane from Little Ayton and walked into Great Ayton where we paused to admire the sun dial at the Royal Oak.

The Royal Oak is a Grade II listed building and its old sun dial is in excellent condition. The Sun Dial Society-Royal Oak