Out & About …

… on the North York Moors, or wherever I happen to be.

Category: North York Moors

  • Doing the Sheep Walk

    Doing the Sheep Walk

    A view familiar to those walking the Cleveland Way and Coast to Coast trails. Both long-distance footpaths pass through this opening flanked by the sandstone rocks known as the Wainstones. Climbers name this gap the Sheep Walk, though sheep must resort to some scrambling to navigate it. Legend has it that a Danish chief met…

  • Smoke Signals from Baysdale

    Smoke Signals from Baysdale

    I am always saddened when I see those great plumes of smoke drifting across the skyline. It’s a stark reminder, according to the State of Nature Report 2023, that the UK has earned itself a reputation as “one of the most nature-depleted countries on Earth“, with biodiversity taking a significant hit. A good three-quarters of…

  • Roseberry’s Forgotten Quarry

    Roseberry’s Forgotten Quarry

    It might sound unbelievable, but, back in the day, sandstone used to be quarried right at the very top of Roseberry. A small quarry nestled just below the summit was the most recent scene for this extraction. On the climb up the back of Roseberry, from the summerhouse, and you’ll start to climb a gentler…

  • In Search of Magical Gate Posts

    In Search of Magical Gate Posts

    Upon the high moors near Young Ralph Cross at Rosedale Head, a commemorative stone stands in honour of Frank Elgee, a notable naturalist and archaeologist, who once curated the Dorman Memorial Museum in Middlesbrough. His wife and “assistant,” Harriet Elgee, was a knowledgeable writer and poet in her own right. I recently came across a…

  • Highcliff Gate — From Glacial Spillway to Forgotten Farm Track

    Highcliff Gate — From Glacial Spillway to Forgotten Farm Track

    The recent felling of Guisborough Forest has completely changed the landscape, evident even on this dreary spring day. Down in the valleys, vernal signs are everywhere: hawthorn buds are emerging, and the woods are alive with birdsong, and some birds are even gathering nest stuff. But up here on Potter’s Ridge, winter’s still holding its…

  • Cold Moor Lane — Hollow Way and Medieval Trod

    Cold Moor Lane — Hollow Way and Medieval Trod

    Taking a respite from the biting easterly breeze while in the shelter of Cold Moor Lane, a sunken bridleway climbing out of Chop Gate, a debate unfolded about its origins. Well, if we concede that its sunken characteristic stems from centuries of human and animal movement along this route, then I suppose one could argue…

  • Dovedale Griff

    Dovedale Griff

    On the weather front, a rather dreary day unfolded with the National Trust at Bridestones. Nevertheless, a new view for me as I stood atop one of the High Bridestones, gazing down upon the narrow upper stretch of Dove Dale, also known as Dovedale Griff. Beneath me, the valley slopes will, in a few months,…

  • Gin Garth — A Smugglers’ Retreat

    Gin Garth — A Smugglers’ Retreat

    In the 17th through to the 19th centuries, Yorkshire’s coast was notorious for smuggling, and today, places like Saltburn, Staithes, and Whitby all have their smuggling attractions and yarns. They had this intricate operation going on, and it was no secret — everyone knew about the ‘coopering’ business in the North Sea. Dutch ships, sailing…

  • Siberia on the Moors — A Lost Railway Community

    Siberia on the Moors — A Lost Railway Community

    For nigh on seventy years, this exposed stretch on Greenhow Moor, with its splendid panorama of the Cleveland Plain and beyond, served as home for a community of railway workers and their families. Sited at the top of the Ingleby Incline, a cluster of building once stood here, in a location so remote and exposed…

  • A Tale of Erosion and Repair on Roseberry Topping

    A Tale of Erosion and Repair on Roseberry Topping

    Roseberry Topping, perhaps the most popular honey pot in Cleveland, bears the weight of incessant foot traffic. Prior to the National Trust’s takeover in 1975, the upkeep was a bit lax, as it was deemed mere agricultural land. Fast forward to 1995, the Trust had rolled up its sleeves and pumped some serious effort into…