Captain Cook Country from Great Ayton

8 miles                                     Fine and dry

We parked in Great Ayton High Street and crossed the road near Suggitts Ices to the steel bridge over the River Leven.

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

Tom Scott Burns remarks that Great Ayton was known as Canny Yatton and in the early 1800s was the haunt of Au'd Nanny, a notorious witch described in Blakeborough's dialect verse T' Hunt o' Yatton Brigg.

"Her naals they war lang, an' humped war her back,

An baith lugs war pointed, her skin ommaist black... "

Au'd Nanny is long gone thank goodness and when over the bridge we walked by the river along field paths towards Little Ayton.

Waterfall at Great Ayton

Field paths, Captain Cook's Monument in the distance

Little wood before Woodhouse Farm

We often see shrews dead with no apparent cause, perhaps just because they are short lived?

We passed by Woodhouse Farm and after crossing a couple more fields came to a stile and a tarmac road.  We followed the road through Low Easby Village and across the Whitby to Middlesbrough Railway line.

Woodhouse Farm

Low Easby

Hunting weathervane at Low Easby

Following the road beyond Low Easby

We stayed on the tarmac road for half a mile before crossing a way-marked stile into fields just before Borough Green Farm, to begin a steady climb to Easby Moor.

Leaving the road

Following waymarks across the fields

We reach a green lane to the moor

Reaching the Moor Gate we turned right to follow our path below the moor to Mill Bank Wood.   Entering the wood we walked for over a mile.  Our path had been used by motor cycles and horses which had made it very muddy and awkward to walk. TSB says that the wood is named after an old Bleach Mill where woollen cloth was 'fulled' in order to soften and shrink it to a warmer, closer weave. The mill was destroyed on the night of 21st July 1840 when heavy rains caused enormous volumes of water to burst two fishponds at Kildale Hall. A wall of water 40 feet high carried away two stone bridges, a corn mill, sluice gates, an earth dam and the bleaching mill as it rushed towards Great Ayton.  We came out of the woods by Bankside Farm. The wind had dropped, the sun was shining and we sat on stones looking down at Kildale to enjoy our coffee and scones.

Entering Mill Bank Wood

Bankside Farm

Looking down on Kildale Church Spire from our coffee stop

Very short legged sheep at Bankside Farm

Refreshed we followed the farm road uphill from Bankside Farm until we came to a fork where we turned left to walk through the trees of Coate Moor.  A gentle climb along a distinct path led us to Captain Cook's Monument.

Forestry path on Coate Moor

Approaching the Monument

Inscription on Captain Cook's Monument

View of Roseberry Topping from Captain Cook's Monument

After admiring the monument and reading its inscription we continued across Easby Moor between two stone gate posts before reaching a clearly marked path downhill to our left.

Easby Moor

Great Ayton appears top left in the distance

Looking back at the Monument

We bear left downhill at the waymark

Our path was once more made difficult by horse and bike use and we slipped and slithered until we came to a steep descent which we negotiated with care.

Sliding downhill

We get a nice view of Roseberry Topping

Looking down at Great Ayton

The path levelled out and we walked through the mud alongside Nanny Howe to our right, which is where Au'd Nanny held midnight orgies at the legendary Devil's Court.  Sadly unmolested we continued to reach the Ayton to Gribdale road where we admired a couple of very tidily kept cottages.

Ayton from our path

Roseberry to the right of our path

Very muddy tracks

Cockerel at Ayton Road

Attractive cottages on Ayton Road

Strong feelings.  We passed several of these signs.

We crossed the tarmac road and followed the farm track to Airy Holme Farm where Captain Cook's father was bailiff in 1736 and where the family took up residence.  Continuing along the track brought us to tiny Airy Holme Cottage where we turned sharp left to cross fields to Cliff Rigg Quarry where whinstone was mined.  This whinstone is the only example of  volcanic rock on the North Yorshire Moors and TSB explains that it originated 58 million years ago in a volcanic eruption off the West Coast of Scotland.

Airy Holme Farm, Captain Cook's father was bailiff here

Remains of winching gear for Cliff Rigg Quarry

Looking down into Cliff Rigg Quarry

After reading the quarry's information sign we followed the path straight downhill, crossed the railway line once more and followed a muddy path alongside Cleveland Lodge, which led us back into Great Ayton.

Walking through the village we had a look at a bronze statue of Captain Cook on the village green and next to it, a modern basketwork memorial in memory of the fallen of the First World War.   Walking on through the village I was surprised to see my son and granddaughter by the water feeding the ducks, and when we went down to chat to them we were even more surprised when a rat swam from under the river bank and emerged to steal the duck's bread.

Muddy path alongside Cleveland Lodge

Captain Cook

Clive admires the basketwork  memorial

Appropriate weathervane near the river at Great Ayton

Spot the rat

Opportunist rat at Ayton

Whorlton Castle and Church from Swainby

6 miles                            Windy, dry and grey

We parked in Swainby at the roadside and crossed the river to leave the road by a footpath just before reaching the church.  TSB gives a distance of 6 miles for this hike but my pedometer and our walking time would suggest it was over 7 miles.

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

Turn off the High Street at the Whorlton footpath sign

The footpath passes along the back of houses and we quickly left Swainby, which Tom Scott Burns informs us means 'Swain's Farm', from the old Norse name Sveinn.  Our footpath soon joined a lane which took us very quickly to Whorlton Castle.  TSB tells us that there have been a number of castles on this site, even before the Domesday Book records it as Wirueltun in 1086. William the Conqueror gave the manor to Robert Count de Mortain, and then it passed into the hands of the de Meynell family.  The castle was surrounded by a deep moat over which was a drawbridge.  In 1323 Edward II was known to have stayed at Whorlton Castle while hunting deer in North Yorkshire and during the Cromwellian period Royalists held the castle and were bombarded by Roundheads from Whorl Hill on the East and Toft Hill to the West.

Path at rear of houses in Swainby

Whorlton Castle

Rear view of Castle

Ruins of 'motte and bailey'

There is a tale that an underground passage links the castle to the nearby old church of Holy Cross and after leaving the castle we decided to stop off to have a look round this church.  The building was locked so we contented ourselves with exploring the graveyard.  Most stones were ancient and illegible but our eyes were drawn to one that features a skull and crossbones and an hourglass.  The name of the deceased had long since disappeared but we were able to make out the strange verse, which, in modern language is:

                         'In perfect health he went from home

                          And little thought his glass was run.

                          But dying in so short a space

                          I hope his soul's in a good place'

I didn't think the verse scanned very well and we wondered who he was, where he had gone to and what fate had overtaken him.

Holy Cross Church, Whorlton

We'd like to know the story behind this inscription

Holy Cross Church

The church was constructed in the late Norman period and is now partly ruined.  The last divine service was held on 7th March 1875.   We spent an interesting 20 minutes looking round the old church before returning to the lane and following it to the junction with Whorlton Lane, where we climbed a stile into fields and headed towards Whorl Hill, which dominates the skyline.

Field paths to Whorl Hill

A steady climb took us into the trees of Whorl Hill (old Norse 'hvirfill' - 'high hill with a rounded top') and we continued to climb until our track levelled out and we circumnavigated the hill, just inside the tree line.  TSB informs us that in 1810 one of Britain's largest hoards of Roman silver coins (weighing 2 stones) was dug up on Whorl Hill by a local farmer whilst ploughing his field.  We followed the path with a fine view down to Swainby through the trees, until we dropped away from the main path to exit the woods at Bank Lane, through the garden of a bungalow.

Approaching Whorl Hill

Long walk through Whorl Hill woods

Looking down on Swainby and Whorlton Castle

Descent from Whorl Hill to Bank Lane

We walked up Bank Lane into a strong SW wind, startled by two terriers who suddenly barked as we walked past.  Bank Lane is a steady climb towards a nice backdrop of moorland and trees and leaving the lane we faced a steep climb through these trees to reach the moor.  We then followed the line of trees next to a dry stone wall until we came to a gate.  Coffee and scones beckoned and going through the gate we hunkered down behind the wall to get out of the wind for a spell. 

Bank Lane

Ambush!

Leaving Bank Lane

Steep climb to the moor

Following the line of trees

'That looks like a spot for coffee!'

Much refreshed we left the trees and climbed sharply up to the moor top where we joined the Cleveland Way path at Gold Hill.  Now walking into a strong headwind we were unable to talk as we followed the Cleveland Way until we descended down a slippery slope to Huthwaite Green where we were surprised to see an old railway goods vehicle at the side of the path. This reminded us that the mineral railway once ran up this valley into Scugdale, although little trace can be seen of it now. 

Climbing to Gold Hill

Company on the Cleveland Way

The Cleveland Way

Looking down from The Cleveland Way to Whorl Hill

Slippery descent to Huthwaite Green

Old railway goods vehicle

We followed the lane to Hollin Hill Farm where we admired a nicely decorated box for the sale of eggs.

Christmas spirit at Hollin Hill Farm

Eggs for sale at Hollin Hill Farm

We climbed across a field, still following the Cleveland Way, and turned into woods alongside Scugdale Beck.  Our path led us alongside the beck for a mile and looking over to the east we could at all times see Whorl Hill and our outward path.  

Path from Scugdale Beck to forestry plantation

Still on the Cleveland Way

We leave the Cleveland Way to join the road.

Our path now fell steadily through the trees until we joined the Sheepwash to Swainby road which we followed back to the village.  As we entered the village we saw an old steam engine pulling into the village school and were very surprised to see who was in the trailer it was pulling.

Nice weather vane at farm outside Swainby

Looking down into Swainby from the road

Entering Swainby we are careful to watch out for hazards

An old steam engine but can we see a flash of red in that trailer?

Santa's little helper is given parking advice

As we walked through the High Street we realised that we would have to walk past the Black Horse in order to reach the car and it seemed prudent to call in for refreshments for this final leg.  We were astonished to see that Santa had beaten us to it.  
Merry Christmas!

Swainby High Street

Merry Christmas!