The Cleveland Way on the North Yorkshire Moors is one of my local areas to go walking - and when walking in the North Yorkshire Moors, this is the path I use most.
Today's section of the Cleveland Way makes use of two train lines - first the line from Middlesborough to Whitby, and second the line to Saltburn (along the coast).
The first operates as a single track line, and closely follows the path of the River Esk - with the line itself being named the Esk Valley Line - and with the Esk Valley Walk being easy to find from this line.
This line cuts through countryside that is very challenging to drive through (it is very hilly) - and initially sets out from Middlesborough to Battersby, before it turns back on itself at Battersby, and takes a new branch out towards Whitby (there is always a pause at Battersby while the driver changes ends).
Here the train line used to continue on - either up onto the North York Moors and on to Rosedale Mines, or round via the villages to the north of the North York Moors (along the Picton-Battersby line).
That Picton-Battersby line would eventually join up with the Northallerton-Eaglescliffe line (that branches off from the East Coast Mainline), and used to stop at Picton, Trenholme Bar, Potto, Sexhow, Stokesley, Ingleby and Battersby, with only Battersby remaining on the modern day train network.
The line also had branches heading off to the ironstone mines at Ailesbury and Swainby (these branches closed in 1892 when mining stopped).
But whilst the Picton-Battersby line closed in 1964, the Esk Valley line remained open - and that is great news for us today - as it makes our walk much easier than it would otherwise be. A lot of work has been done in recent years to increase the number of services able to run along this line, but it has been slow progress, and we are still waiting on our promised allocation of daily trains.
From Battersby the train line continues on round to Grosmont, where the line down to Pickering was closed under the Beeching cuts - but which now operates at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, which is the most successful heritage line in the UK, and the third-longest standard gauge heritage line.
You can change here and travel down on that heritage line (it runs regularly), or you can walk sections of the route parallel to that heritage line - and there is a writeup of such a walk here.
From here at Grosmont, the Esk Valley line continues on to the seaside town of Whitby (with the North Yorkshire Moors Railway additionally running heritage trains along the stretch between Whitby and Grosmont). Indeed at Whitby the heritage line has it's own platform, separate to that served by normal trains.
But at the other end of our journey, we will reach the coast at Saltburn - and whilst trains used to run along the coast to Whitby, and then on from Whitby to Scarborough (along what is now the Cinder Trail) - these days trains only run as far as Saltburn (and here we will catch the train home).
And today we will make use of these two still existing lines, taking the train out to Kidale (along the Esk Valley Line), before walking to Saltburn along the Cleveland Way, where we will catch the train back from Saltburn.
And so today we arrive in Kildale - having come out on the first train of the day - and now have a very short walk to join up with the Cleveland Way as it heads through Kildale.
Heading out of the station, we turn left, and left again, as the Cleveland Way cuts across the road from the station - and head up a farm road, heading up to Bankside Farm.
After a steep climb up past the farm, there is another stretch of ascent to clear, before the path turns left and heads through a forest at Coate Moor.
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| Heading through the forest |
It is a cold start to the day, and it is only a little bit past 8am - so the day hasn't really had much of a chance to warm up at all, but it is at least very quiet out as I continue along the path - heading up to Easby Moor and Captain Cook Monument.
Here you get great views looking out over the run of hills, along which the
Cleveland Way can be found.
The monument here was erected in 1827 to honor the explorer James Cook, who grew up in Great Ayton (the town just below).
James Cook was famous both for eating penguins on his travels, and for taking on explorations around New Zealand, Australia and Antarctica - along with Hawaii, Alaska and North America.
Indeed he completed the first circumnavigation of New Zealand, and was the first European explorer to reach both Australia and the Hawaiian Islands. Plus as I mentioned, would eat penguins.
Eventually he died, aged 50, during his second visit to Hawaii, when a dispute with natives turned violent. After which he stopped eating penguins.
During his early years his father's employer paid for him to be schooled in Great Ayton, and at sixteen he moved to Staithes (on the coast) to be apprenticed as a shopboy. But not enjoying this life he moved to Whitby eighteen months later, and was taken on as a merchant navy apprentice. He would spend much of the rest of his life at sea.
But having made it to the monument, we have ticked off our first climb of the day, and leaving this monument behind, we start heading towards Roseberry Topping.
This first involves a drop down the hill to the road and car park below, before climbing back up to a similar height on the far side, arriving at Great Ayton Moor.
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| There are others out and about |
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| Looking back towards Captain Cook Monument in the distance |
As the path moves into Newton Moor, it bends round to the west and heads more directly to Roseberry Topping, with the towns of Teesside lying behind it in the distance.
The path of the
Cleveland Way does actually go up Roseberry Topping - and then heads straight back again, much as the coast path often will for a coastal peninsula.
Usually I would just skip Rosberry Topping, as it is usually very busy (indeed most people will only visit Roseberry Topping) - but today I can see no little people in the distance, either on or going up Roseberry Topping. And so, with the opportunity of having it to myself, I decided to break from tradition, and pay it a little visit.
On the way over, I opt against the main path and instead use a slightly more hazardous track that splits off to the right - but which gives a much better photo of Roseberry Topping - and it is looking particularly good today, with the frost making all the routes up stand out.
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| Rosberry Topping up ahead |
From here, I have to descend down into the dip, and then take the steps up to the top of Rosberry Topping - which continues to be deserted for miles around.
Having made it up to the top, I enjoy the view for a bit, and then it is time to back track and head back - this time going along the official path - to rejoin the main path of the
Cleveland Way.
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| Looking back one more time |
Roseberry Topping itself is a hill of interest. It is not very big, but it does standout due to it's unusual shape - and in many ways it is the baby brother of Sugar Loaf near Abergavenny.
And because of it's unusual shape it is well documented throughout history - and indeed (possibly) features in the Norman invasion of 1066, albeit on the losing side of the story.
According to Nordic histories, Harald Hardrada met up with Tostig Godwinson (brother of King Harold II) at Tynemouth, and raided down the Cleveland Coast, before sailing up the Humber and Ouse - where he won the Battle of Fulford, two miles to the south of York.
This would be the last ever battle won by a Scandinavian force (at least at the time of writing!), and five days later Harald would be defeated by Harold at the Battle of Stamford Bridge (Harold would go on to lose to William at the Battle of Hastings).
According to the Sagas, Harald is believed to have been particularly concerned by the sight of Roseberry Topping (although only based upon one historian's interpretation of the following):
They reached land and came ashore at a place called Cleveland. The king asked Tostig, ‘What is the name of the hill which is along the land to the north?’
Tostig said, ‘Not every hill here has a name given to it.’
The king said, ‘But this one has a name, and you shall tell it to me.’
Tostig said, ‘That is the howe of Ivar the boneless.’
The king replied, ‘Few who have landed in England near this howe have been victorious.’
Tostig said, ‘It’s just superstition to believe such things now.’
This area was Cleveland (cliff-land), with Guisborough being the ancient capital of Cleveland - and so this probably made up story could possibly refer to Roseberry Topping (or it could not) - but Roseberry Topping certainly fits the description. And of course the tip of the hill would have been more prominent then, as the top has since collapsed due to mining activity (with a major rockfall occurring in 1921).
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| Rosberry Topping as sketched in 1881 |
Still there is a lot of genuine history around this hill, with Bronze Age hoards being discovered on the slopes, evidence of Iron Age occupation - and a first recorded Viking name for the hill of Othenesberg.
Toppinn is then Old Norse for hill, which became Anglicised into Topping. And so 'Othenesberg Toppinn' became 'Roseberry Topping'. With this name Othenesberg Toppinn potentially being a derivation from Odin's Hill, or potentially not - such is history.
In any case - at the rejoin, I head left, heading back across Newton Moor, and after a gate, a stretch down the path, a right, and a left - I'm heading towards Highcliff Nab, on a path that takes me just to the right of Highcliffe Farm.
Here the path crosses what is normally very wet ground, with flagstones protecting your feet from getting wet, and here I'm able to find some larger chunks of ice, to show just how cold it has been today.
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| Yep, I've been very brave today |
Having past Highcliffe Farm, the path then heads up to a gate, which has a bench for those visiting in summer (it is a bit cold to be stopping today). This is my usual first big break stop of the day.
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| Looking back over my path - the ground is solid, but mostly free of ice |
After a left turn at the gate, the path winds round, and then climbs up a set of steps to the top of Highcliff Nab, with views over the large town of Guisborough below.
Here the path turns to the right, and heads off through Guisborough Woods - with the next section to be spent walking amongst the trees (although many have been felled recently - extending the views of Guisborough, beyond what would be typical for this section of path).
Coming out the woods on the far side, the views out to the hills beyond to once again open up.
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| Heading out the woods (have I mentioned it was cold) |
Here the path joins up with an extremely minor road, which the path then heads down, before turning right and heading into Spa Woods.
This next section passes through an off-road motorbike track, which does cross over the path - but the sections of join between the path and the track are controlled - and in all my many years of walking through here I have never even come close to having a problem. This is mostly because it is very easy to hear these bikes (they really won't pop out from nowhere - nuurrrrr, nurrrrgh, nuurrrr, nurrrrgh).
Having made it past this track, the path drops down, and then turns back on itself, to join up with the A171, near Slapewath.
Here there is a pub to be found just along the road, but the path itself heads over the road, and then turns right then left, up around what looks to be a former quarry.
It is a bit of a climb up this section, and at the top is a bench - but with it being so cold, the benches just don't seem to be quite so welcoming as they usually are. So instead of the usual rest, it is a right turn to head north, and on towards Saltburn.
The next section runs along the edge of fields with a right turn to follow the field edge, before bending to head north-east, on a track that turns into a minor road, heading into Skelton.
Skelton has seen a lot of new housing over recent years, and so the route of the path has bounced around a bit to avoid the construction works, and to accommodate the new homes - but it is easy to navigate through and head through the houses, before dropping under the A174, to be release back into less urban terrain.
Here the path follows the edge of a field, before turning right into Crow Wood. Dropping down the hill, the path passes some old mill sites down in a steep valley, through which the Skelton Beck runs.
Turning back on yourself, the path heads under the high viaduct, that carries the freight trains - heading down to Boulby - overhead.
As you head on, the path runs through Saltburn Valley Country Park, and while the official path climbs back up to the road, you are far better just exploring the park, and heading through it via whichever route takes your fancy.
This park used to have formal gardens, woodland walks, and a miniature railway back in Saltburn's Victorian heyday - and now it merely has some remains of these, with some of the gardens still maintained to a high standard.
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| An older picture of the park (the bridge is no longer in existence) |
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| A popular spot for Victorian holiday makers |
Outside of London we don't really develop these parks as sites to attractive visitors, but what remains of the gardens pretty and enjoyable to walk through.
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| A more modern photo (obviously not from today) |
Once you have made it through the park, you find yourself coming out onto the seafront - and here I choose to head out to walk along the seafront.
Normally I would stop to get fish and chips, and spend some time watching the dogs play along the beach - but today it is still quite cold, so I'm ready to head to the station, and head home.
While this is a walk I tend to do in winter, it is also a great walk for the summer months, and then you can spend more time in Saltburn, and maybe even ride the Cliff Lift (it costs just £1.80 and is the oldest water-balanced funicular in the UK). It might not be what it was in Victorian times, but it is still a great place to relax, and take in the sea air.
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| A last look at the pier at Saltburn |
Total Distance: 15.6 miles (14.7 miles on the Cleveland Way)
Total Ascent: 2,434 feet (2,247 feet on the Cleveland Way)
Enjoyment Rating : ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ★ / 5
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 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.
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