Captain Cook Country from Great Ayton

8 miles                            Fine and dry

We  parked on Great Ayton High Street near to Suggitt's Cafe and crossed the River Leven by the steel bridge opposite the cafe.  We paused briefly to admire the old pissoir which has been located near the bridge as a non-operational feature and painted red for some reason.  There were originally three of these and to my recollection they were painted a tasteful green and I remember being glad of their presence when I was a child and used to cycle to Ayton from Middlesbrough.

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

New feature on bridge commemorating...

... fallen soldiers from WWI

Crossing the Leven on the said bridge

Victorian loo - gentlemen only please

The sluice gate still in situ

Leaving the old urinal we read a nearby notice board which told us about the flood of 1840, that caused much damage and destroyed the Fulling Mill at Kildale.  We would visit the site of the old mill later during today's walk.

Leaving Waterfall Park behind we followed field paths along the River Leven soon reaching Woodhouse Farm.

"This is your last warning - we're coming through!"  Horses near Woodhouse Farm

Tricky field paths

Woodhouse Farm

"Built 1712,Rebuilt 1905, Mod. 1962"

After crossing Woodhouse Farm's horse paddock and a bridge over the river to Easby Lane, we walked through Easby and over the railway bridge.

"See you later young cowboy", Flowers beneath this indicate a 'pop-up' shrine in the  hedge

Easby Bridge

Easby Village

Jockey in garden of Easby Mill

Hunter weather vane at Easby Mill

Leaving Easby village

After walking through the village we stayed on the tarmac road for half a mile before crossing a way-marked stile into fields just before Borough Green Farm where we began a steady climb to Easby Moor.

As we climbed we saw two hikers walking down towards us and on meeting discovered one was Stephen, a reader of this blog who hails from the York area and has walked all of TSB's routes.  They had travelled up to Kildale this morning to walk a circular hike covering part of the Cleveland Way.  It was very nice to bump into them and discuss our common interest in walking in North Yorks, hello Stephen, if you're reading this!

Looking across at Roseberry...

.. and Captain Cook's Monument

Turning off Easby Lane

Looking back at Ayton as we climb

We reach the moor gate

Moor gate post "1668  JW"

Zoom lens to Easby Hall below us

Reaching the Moor Gate we turned right to follow the path below the moor to Mill Bank Wood.   Here we turned right again onto a permitted path, to descend to the river and the remains of the old mill.  TSB says that the wood is actually 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, and was still 6 feet high as it rushed through Great Ayton.  

Reaching the river we saw the ruined foundations of the mill to our right, just off the concessionary path.

Descending to the mill ruins

Very little left to see

Mill ruins

Leaving the ruins of the mill we followed the river along the concessionary path.  On a bend in the track we saw a stone memorial inscribed 'Black Pepper'.  TSB tells us this this marks the burial place of the favourite pony of Cecily Turton from Kildale Hall.  Poor Cecily died in the 'flu epidemic of 1919 aged 20.  We decided the horse must have dropped dead at this spot, as it would have been very difficult to bring it here for burial.

Black Pepper memorial stone

Kildale Force waterfall would have been a nice spot for coffee

... but now fenced off and out of bounds!

Eventually we came out of the woods below Bankside Farm where large stones positioned to deter motorists from parking made ideal seats for our coffee stop.

Coffee and scones at Bankside

Bankside Farm

Climbing above Bankside Farm Kildale Church comes into view

Robin at Bankside Farm

We followed the farm road uphill from Bankside Farm and were delighted to spot a slow worm basking in the sun at the side of the road.  Apparently the slow worm is actually a legless lizard and not a snake as is commonly believed and our slow worm was a juvenile, shown by its dark underside and shortish length. (approx 9")

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slow_worm

Also called a bind worm, its tiny eyes do function

"and away..."

Leaving the slow worm in the sun we came to a fork where we turned left to walk through the trees of Coate Moor.  A gentle climb led us to Captain Cook's Monument.

Gentle climb to Capt. Cook's monument

Monument ahead..

Roseberry over to our right

You can see where the original door has been bricked up

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.  

Walking down from the monument we passed the remains of old workings that is the site of Ayton Ironstone mines, worked by Pease and Partners from 1909 to 1928.  

We took care as we descended the slippery path through the trees and followed the track to pass some white cottages on the Gribdale Gate road.  

The houses of Ayton can now be seen below

A steep and slippery slope

The white houses of Gribdale Terrace over to the right

White cottages on Dikes Lane

A steep climb followed, up the tarmac track to Aireyholme Farm where there is a fine view over to Roseberry.

Aireyholme Farm is famous for being the workplace of Captain Cook's father, who was bailiff there in 1736.

Duck Pond at Aireyholme Farm

Aireyholme Farm

Our path now took us through two farm gates to Aireyholme Cottage where we turned sharp left.  This track took us below Cliff Rigg Quarry, where whinstone was mined.  This hard reddish stone is the remains of a volcanic explosion on the west coast of Scotland about 58 million years ago, and is the only such stone on the Yorkshire moors. 

Descending from the quarry we crossed the railway line once more before following the path towards Cleveland Lodge. 

Magnificent Undercliffe Hall over to our left

Back in Great Ayton we walked along the High Street and took the opportunity to collect pies from Petch's Pie Shop before changing out of our boots and popping into the Royal Oak for a pint to end our day's walk in the pub's beer garden.

"To legless lizards everywhere!"