A Bilsdale Circular from Clay Bank

Approx. 6 miles               Grey, cool and still

We decided on a shorter walk today as I am recovering from two weeks with 'flu.  We drove along the B1257 Stokesley to Helmsley road and parked at Clay Bank car park, once the site of eight Bronze Age burial mounds which were excavated when the car park was built in 1969.

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

Walking from Clay Bank towards Spring House

We were surprised at how much snow still lay on the eastern side of the hills.  We set off walking back down the B1257 for about a hundred yards before crossing the road to enter the forestry plantation.  Our path through the trees ran steadily downhill until we came to a right fork which we followed.  This minor path led straight down hill through the trees, parallel with the road, to meet the B1257 again, near to the entrance to Spring House.  

Take the right fork

Paths appear to have been little walked since the snow arrived three weeks ago

We drop below the snow line

Spring House entrance

We turned sharply left at this junction and followed a vehicle track towards Spring House, whose residents must have been pestered by trespassers in the past as there are numerous signs warning of loose dogs and also CCTV.  Checking our route was correct on the GPS we walked confidently across the front of Spring House where an ancient tractor was blocking our path.  Squeezing past we entered a field where yellow way-marks now indicated our direction.

Welcome sign at Spring House

Yellow way-marks keep us right

Spring House

Immediately past Spring House our path runs into fields

At first there was no sign of a path and we followed the GPS across a couple of fields but soon we joined a pleasant path which took us below the Cleveland escarpment and was in total contrast to the rough terrain above.  We passed an attractive building called Broughton House and then reached the untidy buildings of Huntons Folly and a little further along the road, a farm called Solomon's Porch. 

 

Horses have made the track messy

Looking north towards Middlesbrough

Turn left here

Our track becomes a road

Broughton House

We'd like to know why the latter two farms are so named but haven't yet been able to find any information and unusually, TSB is silent on this matter.   The track continued past Solomon's Porch to a couple of buildings whose unusual signs we admired. 

The old buildings of Huntons Folly

Solomon's Porch

Intricate sign of tractor and hedge cutter

We didn't reach these cottages, instead turning sharp left to enter fields at a way-mark and begin a long, steep ascent to the top of the Cleveland escarpment.  Eventually we left the trees behind and had a clear view across Cold Moor and we rewarded ourselves with coffee and scones, sitting behind a stone wall to duck out of the chilly breeze. 

We start the long climb to the top of Cleveland escarpment

Entering the forestry tracks

Up and up

An old Romany sign meaning 'coffee and scones here'

Much refreshed we started the climb to the top of Cold Moor, surprised by a female fell runner who overtook us near the top.  She was the only person we saw on the hills today.  A cautious descent from Cold Moor on icy stones brought us to another climb, this time towards the Wainstones.

Ram and ladies on Cold Moor

Looking back from start of climb to Cold Moor

"We'll let you past...!"

From top of Cold Moor

We walk under the Wainstones

Our path veered off here to the right through an open gate and we walked towards Garfitt Gap and a farmhouse called Garfitts.  Tom Scott Burns says that the original name of Garfitts was Garthwat (in 1335) meaning 'a clearing with an enclosure on it'.   All along this path were pheasant feeders and birds complaining noisily about our presence.    Garfitts was a very pretty house despite its remote situation and we passed it by and followed the road gradually down into the valley of Bilsdale.

Garfitts Gap

Approaching Garfitts

Garfitts

Tom Scott Burns tells the story that William the Conqueror brought his army through Bilsdale on route to York, after harrying the North Riding in the winter of 1069/1070.  To William's fury the army became bogged down in deep snowdrifts and the pace was very slow through Bilsdale valley.  This story is said to have given rise to the local phrase "swearing like Billy Norman" and Billy's Dale, later Bilsdale.

Reaching the B1257 we turned left and followed the road for a couple of hundred yards before crossing to enter the gates of Holme Farm.  In The Walker's Guide to the Cleveland Hills TSB has a photograph of Holme Farm dating from1896 which I've copied below.  You'll see that the farm hasn't changed much in 120 years!

Holme Farm in 1896

Holme Farm today

The path turns left in front of the farm and joins the old Bilsdale Road, which climbed steadily back to Clay Bank and our car.  

The old road

A Bilsdale Circular from Clay Bank

5 miles                 Very cold and sunny

We parked at Clay Bank car park which Tom Scott Burns tells us was once a Bronze Age burial site.  It was excavated in the 1960s and found to have eight burials from around 1500BC.

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

Looking back towards the Bilsdale Road

We walked North back down the Bilsdale road and turned off after a couple of hundred yards into a forestry track which meanders downhill and eventually turns sharp left, almost immediately reaching Spring House.  The track here is invisible and one appears to be entering a private drive which ends at Spring House. We walked warily up to the house, passing signs saying, 'Dogs running loose', Thieves Beware and several other welcoming messages.  The owners of Spring House obviously want to discourage people but my GPS told me that our track was definitely there so we soldiered on by the house and a little later came to a friendly yellow way-mark proving that we did have right of way.

Tracks today were little used

Spring House, difficult to negotiate

Open land after Spring House

We now walked along the base of the Cleveland Escarpment on little used paths that were often impeded by bramble and holly, until we met Bank Lane running up from our right after which our path became a more substantial farm track.

Our path along the base of the Cleveland Escarpment

A better track at last

Attractive house on our path

We passed an old house called Huntons Folly and then came to a farm with the unusual name of Solomon's Porch where we turned left off the farm track and crossed a stile.

Huntons Folly

Solomon's Porch to the right

Leaving the track st Solomon's Porch to begin our climb

 
We now faced a long, steady uphill path to Cold Moor, where, hot from the effort of climbing, we sat on a wall in the sun and enjoyed our coffee and scones.

Climbing to Cold Moor

Lunch in the sun

Climbing to Cold Moor

We set off again and followed the track over the top of Cold Moor towards the Wainstones.  A steep descent off the top of the moor was followed by a right turn just before the climb to the Wainstones.  We walked around the plantation edge to Garfitt Gap.  Apparently this was known as Garthwat in 1335, meaning 'a clearing with a garth (enclosed yard) on it'.

Looking back from Cold Moor

Carole walks towards The Wainstones

First glimpse of Garfitt

There is still a nice 'garth' there today and on reaching it we turned sharp right, leaving the forest track and crossing a stile to go past the front of the the house.  Our track took us gently down from Garfitt to the Bilsdale Road.

Garfitt

Walking down to the Bilsdale Road

We turned left here and walked alongside the busy road keeping Pirate on a short lead before crossing the road to join a track at a metal footpath sign.  This footpath was also the entrance to Holme Farm and TSB has a photograph from 1896 in his book The Walker's Guide to the Cleveland Hills; the farm still looks exactly the same today.

Holme Farm

Footpath was once the old road to Hasty Bank

The little used footpath from the farm was once part of the old road to Hasty Bank and our track followed it all the way back to the car park. 

An interesting short walk that was somewhat spoiled by awkward path-finding near several buildings which one suspects has been made deliberately difficult.