A Tour of Raisdale from Chop Gate

7 miles                         Cold and bright

We parked in the public car park at Chop Gate Village Hall and began the walk immediately by climbing over a stile at the rear of the car park, and following Raisdale Beck across meadowland to Cock Flat Farm.  Toms Scott Burns tells us that Raisdale came from Reith's Valley (an old Nordic personal name) and Cock Flat from Kyrkflat meaning Church Field.

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

Chop Gate Village Hall

Walking alongside Raisdale Beck

Our path leads through the gate!

These meadows were very wet, no doubt made much worse by last night's heavy rain and a couple of the stiles and gates we had to negotiate were waterlogged. Fortunately our path got higher after the farm and followed field boundaries to High West Cote Farm and then down to briefly join the road next to Stone Intake Farm where we were first welcomed and then 'seen off' by an old sheepdog.

The King of the Castle...

Black faced ram with his ladies

Looking down on West Cote Farm

Just past Stone Intake Farm we crossed a field stile and walked down across a meadow, rejoining the road above Raisdale Mill.

New roofs at High West Cote Farm

Looking from High West Cote Farm at our intended path diagonally following the trees up to the moor

We are 'seen-off' once again

We walked through the old buildings that make up Raisdale Mill which was a working mill until the 1920s.  We then almost immediately joined a green bridleway that climbed straight up to the moor, emerging next to Barkers Crag.

Buildings at Raisdale Mill

Clive admires the Mill

The sandstone block above the window says 'John Garbutt 1849'

TSB  says this path "transforms into a most beautiful green lane which threads its way up to Barkers Ridge..."  Unfortunately in the 25 years since he wrote The Walker's Guide to the Cleveland Hills motor cycles have used this path and it is no longer a green lane!  The last time Clive and I walked here we talked to a couple of riders who said that they considered the  'No Motor Vehicles' signs erected by the Parks authorities to be illegal and said they would continue to use the path.  This is a shame as it has become a badly rutted and eroded track and very difficult to walk.

A green lane no more

Emerging onto the moor

The path took us past Barkers Ridge and we found a sheltered spot in the lee of a stone wall where we enjoyed our coffee and scones looking down towards High Crosslets Farm and the valley of Raisdale.

Coffee and scones in the sun

View from our coffee stop of High Crossletts Farm and the valley of Raisdale

Resuming our walk we continued along a moorland path alongside Barkers Ridge until we suddenly had a surprise view of Scugdale to our right.

Barkers Ridge

Surprise view of Scugdale

Our path veered right and we walked straight into a headwind until we came to a track leading left across the heather to a plantation of conifers and then to the old, isolated building of Head House.   This old house, which TSB describes as a useful shelter, has been derelict for years.  Clive and I have used it as a coffee stop in the past but today we were surprised to see that it has been re-roofed and work is being carried out. 

Monotonous moor track towards Bilsdale Mast

Cold Moor to the far right and Roseberry in the distance

Monotonous moor tracks

Renovating Head House

Passing Head House we descended to cross a beck at Arnsgill where we admired an ancient Rowan tree, now fallen but still alive and described as 'weathered' by TSB in the late 1980s.

Arnsgill below and our path up Trennet Bank opposite

Solitary weathered Rowan

Moor top

We climbed steadily up Trennet Bank after which we had a choice of a couple of 'hollow ways' down to Chop Gate.  These hollow ways are a feature of the area and were made over centuries by sledging turves down from the moor to use as fuel for winter.

Walking towards Chop Gate

First view of Chop Gate

A steep descent with frequent views of Chop Gate and over towards Cold Moor brought us straight back to the village hall and our car.

Steep descent to Chop Gate

Chop Gate and Seive Green behind

Hollow lane

An excellent walk today on little used tracks; in fact while walking from Chop Gate to Stone Intake Farm we used yellow way markers on field boundaries to guide us, the path being non-existent.

Captain Cook Country from Great Ayton

8 miles                  Cold and Clear

We parked in the High Street at Great Ayton, opposite Petch the Butcher, who had a magnificent and tempting display of pork pies in his window.

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

Great Ayton

We walked down the High Street and crossed the River Leven at the iron bridge opposite Suggits Cafe.  Our track now followed the river along field paths towards Little Ayton, crossing the road via stiles at Cross Lane before returning to the river bank.  Before Cross Lane we were surprised to see a field of deer, obviously being farmed, behind a high wire fence.

Deer Farm outside Great Ayton

Walking towards Woodhouse Farm

Walking alongside River Leven

Woodhouse Farm

Low Easby with monument in distance

We arrived at Woodhouse Farm and continued along the river to Low Easby where we swung left across a bridge to join a lane which we followed over the Whitby to Middlesbrough Railway line to Borough Green Farm.

Hunting weather vane at Low Easby

Clive checks new railway lines outside Low Easby

This farm has a gateway on the left which leads into a green lane that goes straight uphill to Easby Moor.  On reaching the gateway a solitary walker, a small elderly chap, met us from the opposite direction.  We exchanged greetings and agreed with him that it was a blessing to wake up on a morning and find yourself still alive.  "I'm 84 and still walk, but take my time," he told us proudly.

84 years old and still hiking

Looking back from green lane 

Nearly at the top

We congratulated him on his good fortune and then began a long climb up to Easby Moor, turning to wave as he shouted "Merry Christmas" after us.  At the top we turned right after passing through the moor gate.  Our path now leveled out and we traversed the hillside before entering Mill Bank Wood.  Walking through the wood the remains of an old bleach mill can still be seen to the right of the descent from Easby Moor.    Tom Scott Burns tells us in The Walker's Guide to the Cleveland Hills that this mill was destroyed on 21st July 1840, when heavy rains above Kildale caused an enormous volume of water to burst two large fishponds at Kildale Hall creating a flood 40' high, which carried away everything in its path, including the mill, as it rushed towards Great Ayton.

Moor Gate

Mill Bank Wood

Kildale Church

We emerged from the woods at Bankside Farm buildings and started to walk uphill, but decided to stop at an old barn where level stones made a good resting place for our break.   We sat enjoying our coffee and scones while looking down towards Kildale Church and watching the farm's Jack Russell terrier as it slowly, very slowly, approached us, sitting down to stare at us intently every few yards.  When it eventually drew closer it was easily won over by Clive's Rich Tea biscuits.

Bankside Farm

The watcher

View from our coffee stop

We continued to walk uphill from the farm until we came to a fork, where we swung left through a forestry plantation that had been roughly stripped of its trees leaving a desolate area that looked like the Somme.  Suddenly Captain Cook's Monument appeared on the skyline before us and we walked up to read the inscription before continuing straight on along the top of Easby Moor.    The inscription tells us that the monument's foundation stone was laid in 1827, in memory of Marton and Great Ayton's famous mariner.

Easby Moor, not The Somme

Captain Cook's Monument

Plaque on monument

Our track led us off the moor and eventually down a steep descent through Ayton Bank Woods, which we remembered as being very treacherous when wet from the last time we came this way .  Dry today and an easy descent to the road that led us up Airey Holme Lane to Airey Holme Farm, where Captain Cook's father was employed as a bailiff in 1736.

Leaving the monument

Looking back

Descending from Easby Moor

The farm is attractive with a nice duck pond and Roseberry Topping can be seen in the distance behind it.   Passing by the farm, the lane leads to Airey Holme Cottage where we turned sharp left down a field track past the old quarry where whinstone was mined, apparently the only example of volcanic rock to be found on the North Yorkshire Moors. 

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Duck pond at Airey Holme Farm

Airey Holme Farm

Cliff Rigg Whinstone Quarry

Remains of old winch near Cliff Rigg Quarry

Our path then followed fields which skirt the imposing building of Cleveland Lodge and eventually returned us to Great Ayton and our car.

Muddy path alongside Cleveland Lodge

We glimpse Cleveland Lodge through the trees