The Hanging Stone and High Cliff from Gribdale Gate

8 miles                                   Misty start then bright and fine

In The Walker's Guide to the Cleveland Hills, Tom Scott Burns relates a curious belief from a 19th century book called 'Customs of the North Riding' which states, 'Anyone who dares to stand near Gribdale Gate on New Year's Eve at midnight will see an old man pass through and then vanish'.    Fortunately it is well into January as Clive and I drive through the gate and park.

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

Looking back down to our car as we climb Great Ayton Moor

Wet paths on Great Ayton Moor

From the car park we climbed steeply on to Great Ayton Moor and followed the path alongside a dry stone wall for a little over a mile until we reached a gate at Newton Moor.   There was a nice view here over towards Roseberry Topping but we turned right and followed a forestry track until it descended to the surprise view at Hanging Stone.

Roseberry Topping from Great Ayton Moor

Surprise View at Hanging Stone

Old graffiti on Hanging Stone  'MPH 1905'

Standing on Hanging Stone

After we had examined the huge sandstone block of Hanging Stone our route descended sharply through Hutton Lowcross Woods and was so muddy that we were relieved to stay upright after which we reached a forestry track.  Turning right here we followed the track for a few yards and then once again plunged left down through the woods on another slippery path.

Looking back towards Hanging Stone

In the distance our next destination, Highcliff Nab 

Gated road at Hutton Village

Eventually we reached the road and walked towards Hutton Village.   TSB tells us that Hutton Village was built during the ironstone mining boom of the 1850s and that the 1861 census showed 50 miners out of a population of 271.   Now the houses are quite exclusive and we passed quickly between them and on through a gate to a forestry track which soon climbed steeply through conifers to Bold Venture Gill.  Here the road forks, the right fork leads to High Cliff Farm and the left, our path, continued upward to the base of Highcliff Nab.  There was a well placed bench here and we sat in the sun to enjoy our coffee and scones with fine views in all directions.

Looking into the woods near Bold Venture Gill

Our first glimpse of Highcliff Nab

A walker descends from the Nab as we enjoy our coffee

Our view the other way from our coffee stop, towards Guisborough

Much refreshed we followed the track from Highcliffe Nab west towards Codhill Heights.  'Cod' is derived from the Viking word 'Keld', which means 'spring'.  This area is well walked and also used by cyclists and horse riders, added to which farm beasts are using the same tracks.  This combination of heavy use together with recent rain made the next half mile very difficult and we picked our way carefully through thick mud until we reached a junction with the paved path of the Cleveland Way.  

Highcliffe Farm

Gruesome totems, to frighten other rabbits?

Our path becomes a quagmire

We reach the Cleveland Way

Crossing straight over the Cleveland Way our track headed roughly south with Codhill Heights to our right and Sleddale to our left.  Sleddale is from the Old English word slaed, meaning wide valley, and nestled at the end of this wide valley was Sleddale Farm, where our path turned right towards Percy Cross Rigg.

Codhill Heights

Looking back along Codhill Heights

Sleddale Farm

Reaching Percy Cross Rigg our track turned right onto a tarmac road which we followed, enjoying fine views in all directions until we came to a small fenced area of uneven ground covered in dense heather.  TSB tells us that this is the site of Iron Age Hut Circles, dated to around 800 BC and which were excavated in the 1960s.  Unfortunately heather has reclaimed this site and the only thing left to see is the metal sign describing the find.

Unfortunately these hut circles are no longer preserved

The location of the Iron Age Hut Circles

Walking along Percy Cross Rigg

We walked along Percy Cross Rigg, once a prehistoric track connecting settlements at Eston Moor, Great Ayton Moor and the Crown End Settlement in Westerdale, until we reached the end of Lonsdale Plantation.  This meeting of paths is actually the junction of four parishes, Guisborough, Kildale, Great Ayton and Hutton Lowcross, although there is no sign to that effect.  However, we did notice a sign declaring the area a Site of Special Scientific Interest and saw that someone had obscured the word 'Motorcycles' from the prohibitions on the sign.  This junction is where we turned left from Percy Cross Rigg to cut across the moor on a green path with Lonsdale Bowl to our left.

Meeting of tracks at Lonsdale Plantation

Highcliff Nab in the far distance

A grouse watches us pass by

We crossed Great Ayton Moor with our path becoming ever more boggy and rutted, until we crossed the lip of the moor and looked back down at our car parked at Gribdale Gate.

Lonsdale Bowl

Descending to the Car Park

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