Wednesday 7th August 2002
Weather: Mainly fair but always a threat of thunder and rain...
Today's Walk: Pinchinthorpe - Eston Nab
( 9 miles - Moderate )
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Today's walk starts at the Pinchinthorpe Visitor's Centre (Grid Ref. 584 153) near Guisborough.
Begin by following the old railway track in an easterly direction towards Hutton Gate...
...soon passing these ponds to your left - there's a nearby seat to sit quietly and observe the varied wildlife.
Near this 'hide', turn left and follow the path to a pleasant housing estate - make your way through the estate...
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...before emerging at The Avenue - turn left and follow the pavement to the Voyager pub - but don't be tempted, it's too early!
Turn right at the
Voyager and follow the road to a set of traffic lights, then turn
left along a pavement and then a grass verge
until reaching a roundabout at the end of a busy
dual-carriageway. Cross over carefully to the other side and go
left along
the grass verge for a couple of hundred yards before turning
right near a layby along the 'old road' (Grid Ref. 597 158).
(The traffic on this short part of the walk is usually busy but is unavoidable to get to our destination - just take care.)
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About 200 yards
further on, turn right and follow a surfaced access road (above
left looking back to Guisborough)
- the track enters a small forest (Park Wood) then eventually
emerges near Poplar Farm (Grid Ref. 585 170).
Continue along the track, bearing west to the left of the farm alongside fields.
The view above is
looking back south-east towards Gisborough Moor and Highcliff
Nab, with the threat of a
thunderstorm looming in from the east - we could clearly hear it
but were lucky enough not to catch it.
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At the rusty gate above (Grid Ref. 578 172) turn left and follow a winding track between fields then along a lane...
...eventually reaching the former site of Barnaby village and Upsall Pit - nowadays a place of peace and beauty.
There's very little
evidence remaining of the two rows of cottages, chapel and
schoolroom, built in 1871,
which once stood here and served the hardy villagers and miners.
"Bolckow,
Vaughan & Co operated this ironstone mine from 1866 to 1929,
then the workings were taken over by
Dorman Long & Co till 1945. The shaft here was 564 feet
(172m) deep - the fourth deepest of all the Cleveland mines
- although only a small quantity of ore was taken to the surface
and stored at the pit top. At a later date the dumped ore
was taken back down the shaft, to be unloaded from the 'Trustee'
drift entrance further north. The Upsall shaft was only
used thereafter for access/egress and for ventilation and
pumping. In all, 63 million tons of iron ore was extracted from
beneath these hills over ninety-nine years of working from 1850
until 1949. Provisions were brought in for the small
community of Barnaby village via the underground railway and lift
shaft to the surface."
(From 'The Walker's Guide to the Cleveland Hills' by Tom Scott Burns)
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Passing further
evidence of the mine in the form of a shale tip to your right, at
a junction keep right and continue to
head north then north-west across the expanse of Eston Moor
following a good, clear track which leads gently uphill.
The view here is
looking back south towards Roseberry Topping and the distant
Cleveland Hills
- from the look of it, anyone on those hills might be getting
wet...!
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Soon, a tall TV
mast, covered with an array of aerial dishes, dominates the
horizon - however, much more interesting
and mystifying is the stone pillar seen slightly further on and
to the left.
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At an altitude of
793 feet (242m), with superb views across Teesside, Eston Nab
Monument (Grid Ref. 568 183)
is all that is left of a former beacon tower, first constructed
in 1808 during the Napoleonic wars with France.
"This
Napoleonic watchtower overlooking Teesside was once a familiar
landmark to crowds of pleasure seekers from
Middlesbrough and the surrounding district who ventured onto the
Eston Hills. Here we see an Edwardian picnic party
at the Beacon enjoying the clean air of the moors and extensive
views at this vantage point.
The sandstone tower
was erected at an altitude of 793 feet on Eston Nab by Thomas
Jackson of Lackenby in 1808 to
give shelter to those who kept watch for the French invaders.
When the hostilities had ceased in 1815, it continued to
be used as a dwelling place. In 1933, a stockily built man in his
eightieth year called Mr Ellam had lived here for 49 years,
of which 30 had been spent working in the Eston ironstone mines.
Dave Helm and his
wife proceeded in the steps of Mr Ellam, acting as keeper for the
Wilton estate. With an old nag
for transport, he would descend once a week in fair weather or
foul for provisions in Eston. When he died, relays of
strong bearers carried him down the steep pathway along the same
route he'd so often trod with his pony.
When the tower was
finally demolished in 1956, after surviving the storms and
blasting gales for more than 150 years,
ICI erected from the stony ruins a pillar monument, which
incidentally overloooks an iron age fort."
('Round and About the North Yorkshire Moors Vol II' - Tom Scott Burns)
The view north-east
from Eston Nab towards the coast - part of Lazenby village and
the Wilton ICI complex
can be seen (left) with the tree-dotted Wilton golf course nearer
the centre of the photograph.
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The view north-west over Eston towards Teesside - the River Tees can just be seen (top left) through the haze.
From Eston Nab, follow the escarpment path south-west passing Carr Pond - a host to much fauna and flora.
At this junction of
paths (Grid Ref. 559 170), where you've arrived from the top
left, turn almost back on
yourself and follow the track (above right) through trees - the
main track today soon became very boggy but
there is a drier, narrower path, just to the right of the main
route, by a stone wall, and easy to follow...
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...eventually
emerging near the stile (above left) at Grid Ref. 566 170, where
you turn right and follow fieldside paths
heading almost dead south towards the unmistakeable landmark of
Roseberry Topping, approx 2½ miles distant.
Continue on down
the pleasant paths, ignoring any other tracks, keeping the
hedgerows to your right,
until you emerge over a stile onto the busy A171 dual carriageway
near the Cross Keys Inn.
Cross straight
over, taking great care, to another stile at the far side, then
continue straight on for about a further
¼ of a mile along more field paths, this time with the hedges on
your left, until you reach a disused railway track.
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Turn left at Grid Ref. 568 152 along this lovely track, once the main Middlesbrough to Guisborough railway route...
...enjoying the superb views south, dominated by Roseberry Topping.
Above is a photograph of Pinchinthorpe Station before its closure in 1951.
"The old
railway track was initially run to serve mining interests at
Hutton of the Pease family of Hutton Hall,
and was opened for mineral traffic on the 1st November 1853. It
was not until the 25th February of the following
year that a passenger service was introduced, which provided one
train each way per day from
Guisborough to Middlesbrough, second class travel costing 2d (1p)
a mile."
('The Walker's Guide to the Cleveland Hills' - Tom Scott Burns)
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The building, above left and looking back, is the original station dating from the late 1850's.
Just beyond, you pass through a couple of gates to arrive back at your starting point - Pinchinthorpe Visitor's Centre.
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