‘Klifland’

If asked to define the Cleveland Hills, some people would say they begin at the utmost northern point with the prominent Eston Nab overlooking the industrial landscape of Teesside. They would continue their description southwards, encompassing the Guisborough Moors and Roseberry Topping. Alternatively, some might designate this conspicuous peak itself, which rises to a height of 320 metres, as the starting point. From there, the journey leads to Easby Moor, where the obelisk commemorating Captain Cook proudly stands, and skipping across the gap of the Leven-Esk Valley to reach the escarpment at Park Nab. It then proceeds towards Battersby Moor, Ingleby Moor, and completes the circuit at Botton Head on Urra Moor, which stands at an elevation of 489 metres(Edit: see comment below), boasting the distinction of being the highest point within the North York Moors. And finally, all will include the main chain of the Cleveland Hills, stretching from Urra Moor to Osmotherley. This, in my opinion, is where the Cleveland Hills truly begin.

Those familiar summits of Hasty Bank, Cold Moor, Cringle Moor, and Carlton Moor form a rugged, brooding range that symbolises the Cleveland Hills. When seen from the Vale of Cleveland, it presents a formidable and untamed obstacle. It is doubtful that this imposing west-facing barrier alone prompted the early Viking settlers to christen the region as ‘Klifland,’ as mentioned in their ancient sagas. Rather, it is more plausible that the name originated from the imposing cliffs that shield the Yorkshire Coast, as they approached from the vast expanse of the sea.