Cleveland Way - Kildale to Swainby (★★★★★)

After moving up to the north for work, I found myself living roughly halfway between Darlington and Middlesborough. 

Before moving up, I had head much about National Parks such as the Lake District, the Peak District and the Yorkshire Dales - but the North Yorkshire Moors was a relative unknown.

But one day - while looking over a map, to see what I could explore of the area - I noted some train stations heading out through the Moors, and figured that it was time for me to go for an explore.

I have been a regular visitor to the Moors ever since - and the walk for today is one of my favored routes through the Moors.

For this walk, I'm heading out by train to Kildale station - and whilst I also hav a writeup for a walk from Kildale to the coast at Saltburn - today I am walking in the opposite direction from Kildale to Swainby. 

And so, having arrived at Kildale train station, I turn left out of the station - and then continue along this road to a slightly bigger road, where I turn right through the village.

Kildale is a very small village - but does have a somewhat interesting history, with Viking relics having been discovered during the construction of the church (in 1868) - including a number of swords, some daggers and a battleaxe.

Kildale also became a base for ironstone mine (albeit with only so much success) - and the former mine can still be seen if you divert off, and head up the track from Little Kildale (heading past Warren Farm).

Borehole tests had identified a seam of iron ore at this spot - and work started on a mine to extract this ore in 1865, and this mine extracted ironstone from the smaller top seam. This was then calcined and before being sent down to the railway below (you can see the route of the now dismantled branch line on the map - running along Leven Vale)

After this early success, work began to sink two new shafts to connect up with the main seam of ironstone (at a depth of 220 feet), and the surface works were finished by the end of 1866 (with the boiler house chimney still standing today - marked as 'Chy' on OS Maps). 

These shafts were excavated to 150 feet, but the company ran out of money before they got far enough down to extract any ore. Later in 1872, a new company took over the effort - and it was this company that built the cottages at Little Kildale. But they didn't make all that progress on the mine itself, and also went into receivership, bringing an end to ironstone mining at Warren Moor.

Heading out the village, we initially have a very short stint of road walking (although the road is quiet and there is a grass verge), before turning left up a farm track.

This farm track, although recently relaid, is not a particularly busy route - and the only traffic will be walkers, cyclists, farmers, or those looking to get to the houses at the far end of the track.

The path is - however - a bit of a climb, and although the path goes up gently at first - after a right turn and then a bend left, the path starts to pull up more sharply. Since it is a quiet stretch of road I do often go cycling here - and so if you do see a cyclist, give them a wave, as it might be me.

From here the real climbing begins, but at the same time, views open up of the countryside around.

The view from the road

We will be following this ridge as it heads south, and then we will then follow the ridge as it turns west, and becomes the run of hills that can be seen in the above photo - with Swainby sitting below the hills far right in that photo.

After the steepest bit of climb flattens out, we reach the site of an aircraft crash during WWII (a Hudson bomber that crashed here in bad weather, having been out on a mission over the North Sea). Leaving this site behind, we turn right with the road, and start walking directly south.

There is a decent stint of walking to be done on this road, but with it being so minor, the route feels little more than an exceptionally well built footpath - and you can relax, and not worry about any traffic too much.

After a while, this road transitions into a stone track (the road itself drops off to the left to the houses below), and we continue to head along this route, to join up with a track heading in from the right-hand-side - near Battersby Plantation (which connects up with Battersby village below).

Looking back towards Roseberry Topping

As we head on along Greenhow Bank, there is a path heading up to meet us from below (again from Battersby) along the Ingleby Incline, which is an old railway route (which I walked near the end of a walk from Glaisdale to Battersby via Rosedale mines).

Not on our route, but this is a photo from the incline below (taken on a different day)

Train tracks used to come up onto the Moors here from Battersby, and our path ahead continues on to Bloworth Crossing, which was part of this old rail network - used to move iron ore through and off the Moors.

An old photo of a train at Bloworth Crossing

At Bloworth Crossing, we meet up with this old railway network, and here the path turns back on itself (taking the third exit if this were a roundabout), as we continue on along the old railway route, back towards Ingleby Incline.

From Bloworth Crossing, the first exit heads off to Blakey Inn along the old trail route (walked in the previously mentioned writeup) and the second heads down Rudland Rigg to Gillamoor - through the middle of the Moors (along an old drover's route). And both are great walks to do in late July or August when the heather is out in full force.

On our route we don't stay on the old railway tracks for long, however - and soon turn off to the left along a path that heads west, passing a series of small ponds. 

The path is now heading through a sandy landscape past Round Hill, which is the highest point on the Moors at 454m (you might as well go climb it, because it is only a few meters up from the path).

This section of the moors has a lot of ancient sites of historical interest. The easiest site to find is the Face Stone, although that is only known to date beyond 1642, with it's actual age largely up for debate.

However, on the western end of Urra Moor you can see a note for Earthworks on the map and this is believed to date back to the Middle Bronze Age - and this dyke extends up to the Cleveland Way as it reaches the gate that marks the end of Urra Moor (if you turned left at the gate and followed the footpath you would be following this dyke). 

From this gate we, however, continue on - and here the path starts to drop away, with views out across the fields as we head down this slope.

The view out towards Rosberry Topping

At the base of the slope we find a cut through the hills (we remain well above the plains below), and here we cross over a road that runs from Great Broughton to the north, to Helmsley in the south).

Having crossed this road, the height lost must be regained on the other side - with this climb offering fresh views back to the route just walked.

Looking back at the old path

From the top of the climb

This here is a good spot to stop and have a bit of a rest - looking out across the view - and these sorts of views are what you walk the Cleveland Way to enjoy.

Heading along this bank, the path soon dips back down again as we reach the Wain Stones, which must be scrambled through in order to reach the other side.

The Wain Stones

Having passed this section, the path then dips again once again into a valley (that again remains well above the plains below) - before climbing back up to head towards Cringle Moor. This is one of my favored sections of the path, and the pictures describe the views better than I can.

A look back over the route towards the Wain Stones (the grey cluster on the far hill)

Here you are looking back across the full extent of the already walked route - and then to the side you can look out over the plains below to the towns of Teesside in the distance.

There is a decent climb to be done getting back up the other side, but the height does not last for too long, before it is time to drop down once again - into yet another dip in the ridge.

Time to go back down again (the path can be seen heading up the other side)

There are a lot of rises and falls along this path, but whilst some walks can cause vertigo in certain locations, these hills are all a bit smaller and rounder - without the same sharp and dramatic drops. This is bad in terms of dramatic photos, but it can also make for more relaxed walking.

Having got down into the dip, there are a few fields to pass through (with fairly uninterested cows and sheep), before a stretch along the flat - and yet another climb back up on the other side (if you have had enough of climbs, there is a lower path to the right that still has good views, out across the plain below).

This takes you up onto Cringle Moor, which is only marginally lower than the highest point of the Moors (already reached today).

On the map you will notice Drake Howe marked just off the footpath - and this marks the location of a Bronze Age burial mound. 

Here the path gets busier, so there is a bit of stepping to one side, and waiting for walkers to come through - but before too long it is time to drop down once again to pass Lord Stones cafe - where there are a few more ancient monuments (plus a modern addition just to keep it interesting).

Off on the right of the path you can go find the Green Bank Modern Circle, which was added in 2013 - but before you cross the road from Lord Stones cafe you will pass the Lords Stone, which marks the edge of a Bronze Age burial cairn.

There is additionally a second Bronze Age mound next to this one that has no standing stone.

Plus there is a third Cairn Circle slightly to the north of here (with little rocks just about poking above the ground), which mark a third mound dating between the late Neolithic Period and the Bronze Age (2400-1500BCE).

Finally there is the Hall Cliff Boundary Stone, which is supposed to mark the boundary between the land owned by three lords - hence the Three Lords' Stone (Lord Duncombe of Helmsley, Lord Marwood of Busby Hall and Lord Aislesby of Scugdale). This is found further north, near the Modern Stone Circle.

There is also supposed to be a fourth burial mound across the road - but now where the quarry sits and so I don't know much about it.

For those seeking refreshments - you can also get food and drink here, but otherwise the route continues on, crossing over a minor road, before starting up another climb. Eventually though, we find ourselves at the trig point at the top of this next climb.

From the trig point on Carlton Bank

Here at this summit we also find another Cairn - that now has a trig point and boundary stone set on top of it (I'm not sure about the age of this one).

We do, however, now get a bit of a break in the climbs - with a flat path heading out, before the path drops down to Holey Moor as it turns to head in a more westerly direction. And this is a spot that is sandy with a large heather moor.

The heather is not so dramatic at this time of year, but if you come in late July or early August the whole view turns purple at once - with bright purple in late July, and then a fading colour through August.

Once again there are no climbs on this section to worry about, but we do have one more ancient site of interest just off the path (for which there is a sign this time) - before we start to descend down from Live Moor to the road below, at Huthwaite Green. 

Having reached the road, the path heads almost straight on, down a connecting road, before turning off to cross over Potto Beck, and then into a field of Highland cows.

Feeling a bit lazy today

But more friendly at the exit of the path

Crossing this field does involve a bit of a climb - but nothing compared to before - and at the top of the field the path turns to the right and heads off through the trees. If this part is waterlogged then simply use the other path, which heads up slightly more to the left from the base of the hill.

From here the path continues along the base of Limekiln Bank for a short while, before the path heads round to meet up with the road coming up from Swainby. Turning off the Cleveland Way, this is where I head down this road, and into Swainby. 

On this day my route will head onward, as I head home across the plains, but from here you can catch a bus that connects up with Northallerton - and from there you can connect up with trains. Note that this bus is not particularly frequent and you may have to alternatively head round to Osmotherley to catch a bus home (depending on the times on the date you travel).

If using the bus it may work better to get the bus to Swainby - and then you have the more reliable option of the train at the end of your journey.

Total Distance: 17.5 miles (16.6 miles on the Cleveland Way)

Total Ascent: 2,894 feet (2,871 feet on the Cleveland Way)

Enjoyment Rating : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ / 5

Click for a writeup of the next section on the Cleveland Way from Swainby to Thirsk.

Disclaimer: This writeup provides a narrative of what to expect rather than a route guide to follow. The route is covered by the 93 and 94 (along the edge of) OS Landranger maps - while there is also a Cleveland Way guidebook which includes OS mapping (links redirect to Amazon). The route is in general well way-marked.