Sunday 5th March 2000
Today's walk: Bank Foot Farm - Ingleby Incline - Turkey Nab ( 7 miles circular )
Today's walk starts at Bank Foot Farm (Grid Ref: 592 062) situated 1 mile east of Ingleby Greenhow and 4 miles south-east of Great Ayton - there is ample parking space on the grass verges by the old railway track bed. The farm lies in a sheltered spot at the foot of Turkey Nab (top left) which will be today's final viewpoint - we will return via the track seen to the right of the farm
We leave the farm in a southerly direction taking advantage of the old disused railway track between Battersby Junction and Ingleby Incline with good views south-west to the Cleveland Hills
After 1½ miles of easy, flat walking we arrive at the gate in Battersby Plantation just prior to the bottom of Ingleby Incline
Ingleby Incline was installed by the North Eastern Railway company and was completed in 1861. It measures 1430 yards in length and ascends 720 feet commencing at a gradient of 1:11 increasing to a maximum 1:5. It connected the high level line from Rosedale Ironstone Mines, about 10 miles distant, to the line from Battersby Junction from where the iron ore could be transported to the steelworks on Teesside. Wagons were hauled up by steel ropes 1650 yards long passing around 14ft drums, the descending loaded wagons, usually three at a time, drawing up a set of empty wagons. The last load of iron ore went down the Incline on 11th November 1929. The journey normally took three minutes at a speed of 20 mph.
Today that same journey takes us about 30 minutes with several pauses for breath on the way up !! Perhaps this photo doesn't do it justice - it really is a tough plod !
Click for some great old photographs of Ingleby Incline in its working days
The gate halfway up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . and looking back down
The views from the top of the Incline make the climb well worthwhile
Here we look west towards the Cleveland Hills past some of the ruins of the buildings that were once part of a thriving industry
Our walk continues for another mile along the old railway line which must be one of the most exposed tracks in the country as it winds its way south-eastwards across Farndale Moor to Blakey Ridge. A row of cottages once stood on this spot which was referred to by locals as 'Siberia' - in today's strong, cold winds I can understand why
At remote Bloworth Crossing we've come along the track (centre left) and turn and head north (centre right) following the Cleveland Way.
Three long distance trails pass this point - The Cleveland Way, The Coast to Coast Walk and The Lyke Wake Walk
Bloworth Crossing was the site of a level crossing over the rough drovers' road leading from Kirbymoorside to Stokesley by way of Rudland Rigg and Ingleby Bank. Just to the right of the photo stood the crossing-keeper's cottage - even on a busy day he was never overworked !
Ancient marker and boundary stones dot the North York Moors as we continue north on the old drovers' road which is now mainly frequented by Cleveland Way walkers - grouse shooting butts line the left hand side of the track ahead . . .
. . . let's hope for the birds' sake the view puts them off their aim
The view north over Ingleby Moor and Battersby Moor from Burton Howe, an ancient bronze age burial site - Roseberry Topping can just be seen peeping up from the horizon (centre left). The higher ground to the right is Highcliff Nab and Guisborough Moor
Many of the old standing stones on the moors were put there as direction indicators - this one has a carved hand pointing north with the words ' TO GISBORO ' inscribed above . . .
. . . a quaint old tradition is to leave a few pennies on the top, usually under a small stone, for the needy traveller
A mile further on we leave the Cleveland Way and begin the descent from Battersby Moor to Ingleby Bank
Looking north-west over Kildale we get a good view of Roseberry Topping and Captain Cook's Monument on Easby Moor
A last look north from our final viewpoint at Turkey Nab across the western extremity of Kildale towards Easby Moor before our descent back to Bank Foot Farm
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