Birk Brow to Commondale and the 

Quaker Causeway

11 miles                               Bright and breezy

We parked at Birk Brow car park (free) at the top of Birk Brow Bank, 3 miles east of Guisborough on the A171.

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

The Beacon at Birk Brow

This was a new walk to us and I had carefully entered a track into my GPS.  Unfortunately I had forgotten to change its batteries and it expired before we reached Charltons, so we walked with only an OS map and Tom Scott Burns' route description and we were fine.

We left the car at a footpath near to the brazier mounted at the car park. TSB says that this beacon was one of thirteen beacons lit to mark the 400th anniversary of the Spanish Armada, in July 1988.  Apparently during the actual invasion it would have taken only 18 minutes by beacon to pass the message from the Lizard to Berwick, and across country from East Anglia to Wales.

We passed a caravan park and emerged at Margrove Park Heritage Centre, following the road to cross the A171 at the old mining village of Charltons.  Slapewath mine was in operation here from 1872 to 1906 and the nearby Spa drift mine until 1931.

Walking down from Birk Brow to Margrove Centre

We pass through dense woodland

Masses of berries this year on the rowan trees

Passing the Margrove Centre

Walking through Charltons

Leaving the village we turned left onto a forest track as the road reached the A171 once more. We joined the Cleveland Way track and were now walking through the old mine workings of Spawood.

Bear left off the road....

... and join the Cleveland Way

Through Spawood on the Cleveland Way

We walked through Guisborough Woods, once thick with conifers planted in the 1950s and 1960s by the Forestry Commision.  TSB describes walking through "corridors of timber" but this is no longer the case, many of the trees having been felled and fed to the Biomass furnace at Wilton Power Station

No longer a "corridor of timber"

Looking east towards the coast and wind farm

Leaving Guisborough Woods for the moor

 
The route emerges from Guisborough Woods and heads south towards Commondale Moor.  Sadly now that September is here the beautiful purple bloom is fading from the heather.  We passed through the moor gate and walked for a couple of miles, pausing when we saw an old stone shelter.  There was a stiff breeze and we decided this would be a good spot to stop for coffee and scones.

Passing through the moor gate

Heather starting to fade

A nice spot for coffee

Packing up

The farmer and friends pass with a cheery wave and a bark

A little further along we came to a memorial stone standing alone in the heather.  It is to the memory of Robbie Leggott and Alf Cockerill, killed in WW1.  We wondered why such a lonely spot had been chosen for the stone, where few friends or relatives would visit it.

We cross the heather to visit the memorial

A lonely spot for a memorial

After another mile we descended from the moor to cross Whitely Beck on the outskirts of Commondale.  TSB explains that the name Commondale comes from Colman's dale or valley, after the seventh century Bishop Colman of Lindisfarne, who had been a monk at Whitby.

Dropping down to Whitely Beck...

... we reach Commondale

Unusual sign for these parts - it means "Keep entry clear"

Dropping in to Commondale

We walked downhill into the village and noticed that several older buildings are built in a bright red brick.  These are from the Cleveland Fire Brick and Pottery Company which was to the left of the crossroads in the village, which ceased production in 1947.  

The bricks are very distinctive and the old school and church, as well as one or two houses, are still here to be admired. 

The village pub

The old school house and school

Weather vane at the school

St Peter's Church, Commondale

We found the church to be unlocked and went in for a look around.  The red brick walls are very impressive as are the art deco style altar windows.

Looking towards the altar

The altar window

St Colman

Brick workers' cottages at Commondale

Checking our notes to keep on the straight and narrow

We left St Peter's and climbed out of the village, leaving the road just after a right hand bend and crossing the moor towards Brown Hill.  The ground here was still very boggy in places but our track remained dry.  We were surprised to see other walkers approaching us, a rare sight on a TSB walk.

Boggy land next to our track

A walking group passes us in the opposite direction

Shortly after we reached the bend in the road beyond Brown Hill we joined the erroneously named Quakers' Causeway.  We now walked for a couple of miles along these ancient stone slabs set in the moor.  TSB explains that it is now thought that this stone path may have connected the Augustinian Monks of Guisborough Priory (1119-1540) to Commondale and the priory at Baysdale (1189-1539).

There are a number of these causeways on the North York Moors and TSB says that two men would lead 30 or 40 pack ponies over the rough terrain carrying coal, lime, wool, fish and so on.

We look down on Lockwood Beck reservoir

Brown Hill

We join the 'Quakers' Causeway'

Easy walking through the heather

As we walked along the causeway we saw an adder, probably a young one by its size, sunbathing on the path.  Unfortunately it saw us at the same time and by the time I got my camera out it was streaking under Clive's boot and into the heather where it vanished immediately. 

Adder refuses to pose for the camera

We turn right into the footpath, from the bridleway

The causeway carries on down to Aysdale Gate but we turned right onto a footpath which leads us back to the car park at Birk Brow.

The end of the walk at Birk Brow