Hasty Bank, Cold Moor and Upper Bilsdale

9 miles                             Fair with stiff breeze

We parked at Clay Bank Car Park and walked straight to the top of Hasty Bank, using the Cleveland Way footpath.   I paused to take a couple of photographs as we climbed but failed to notice that I had left the white balance setting on my camera on 'tungsten,' which means that all today's photos are somewhat spoiled by a blueish tint.

Map of today's walk from The Walker's Guide to the Cleveland Hills

Always check your White Balance - today's photos are ruined by Tungsten setting!

Tom Scott Burns tells us that there is an ancient carving of a woman's head in a quarry near to our path, once the summit of Hasty Bank is reached.  We have walked this path many times but never seen this carving so today Clive and I decided that we would make an effort to locate it.  We split up and followed little paths through the heather until we came across the remains of an ancient quarry.  We climbed down and there, gazing down on Bilsdale with an enigmatic expression was our lady.  Who carved her, when and why are long lost in time.

Looking back from Hasty Bank

The enigmatic lady of Bilsdale

Clive in quarry, the lady's face behind his right shoulder

We returned to our path and followed the ridge around to the Wainstones.  TSB tells us that the name Wain Stones comes from the Saxon 'wanian' - to howl.  They were known as the stones of lamentation and were formed by unequal erosion of rocks of different strengths.

Approaching The Wainstones

Clive picks his way through the Wainstones

We followed the Cleveland Way footpath down through Garfitt Gap and then up to the summit of Cold Moor where we made a sharp left turn, following the track along the spine of Cold Moor.  Recent heavy rain meant all today's tracks were heavily waterlogged and difficult to walk.   At the end of the moor we descended via a hollow lane to Chop Gate.  This lane was a quagmire and we made slow progress, eventually coming out at a small Wesleyan chapel, hidden from the main road and built here by local non-conformists against the wishes of the landowner, Lord Feversham,  in the 1850s. 

Cold Moor

Descending from the moor

Hollow Lane to Chop Gate

Clive inspects the Wesleyan Chapel

Wesleyan Chapel

We now followed the main road back towards Seave Green, named after Nicholas del Seves, a landowner in the 1300s.  We left the road at the entrance to Bilsdale Hall  and followed the lane upwards past a renovated mill, called Chisel Hill Mill.  In the 1970s this mill was converted to a recording studio and was used by Chris Rea.  He named one of his songs Chisel Hill, although locals believe he was referring to Roseberry Topping with its distinctive shape.  

A little further along the lane we stopped and enjoyed our coffee and scones facing the entrance to Bilsdale Hall.

Walking through Chop Gate

Chisel Hill Mill

Bilsdale Hall

Clive digs out the coffee

We then had a steep climb to the top of Urra Moor where we made a sharp left and followed the ridge, with sweeping views of Bilsdale below us.  As well as being the ridge of the moor we also noticed we were walking alongside the remains of an earthworks.  This earthworks stretches for 2.5 miles and its origin is forgotten, possibly defensive or possibly an animal enclosure.  The ground became increasingly wet as we approached and crossed a beck below Maiden Spring.

Climbing to Urra Moor

Looking back to Chop Gate

Urra Moor

Looking across to The Wainstones in the distance

Traffic jam on Urra Moor

Leaving the beck we continued to follow the earthworks until we rejoined the Cleveland Way track on Carr Ridge.  We turned left and walked steeply down to Haggs Gate where we rejoined the main road for a few yards back to Clay Bank Car Park and our car.

Looking at Hasty Bank, our first climb of the day, from Urra Moor

Maiden Moor beck

Walking down to Clay Bank Car Park

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.