Walking in North Yorkshire

Old Nunthorpe from Newton-under-Roseberry

7 miles Snow, poor visibility and calm

Snow on the hills made us decide to choose a more local walk today and one which we haven't walked before. We parked at the lay by in Newton-under-Roseberry and walked back through the village past the King's Head and turned into Roseberry Lane.

Today's walk from The Walker's Guide to the Cleveland Hills

The Kings Head

Roseberry Lane

Tom Scott Burns informs us that the King's Head dates back to 1796 and was run by an old woman known as 'Old Gag Mally Wright' who started a fair at the village and was a 'handy body' who acted as midwife and for laying out the dead. Locals said she 'tied up t' jaws of t' dying afore tha wur deead'. The fair developed into a kind of disorderly annual orgy attended by the lowest classes and in 1901 the Vicar of Newton, the Rev. Tugman, successfully petitioned for it to be suppressed. Far too cold for orgies today as Clive and I picked our way towards Roseberry Topping.

Looking back along Roseberry Lane

Approaching the summit of Roseberry Topping


Site of the rockfall

TSB tells us that a Northumbrian princess had been warned by an astrologer that her son Oswy would be drowned on a certain day. To avoid this she took the child to the summit of Roseberry Topping where he would surely be safe from drowning. While she slept the child wandered off and fell down a well situated on the North East slope of Roseberry, fulfilling the prophecy, which led the princess to kill herself. Mother and child were buried together and 'Os by his mother lay' and so the village of Osmotherly gained its name. The name Roseberry has puzzled many historians. In 1119 it was Outhenesbergh, Osenburgh in 1424 and Roseberye in 1657. The hill was mined for iron ore between 1880 and 1926 and in 1912 the mining caused a landslip that gave the hill its distinctive shape. We climbed the hill then turned west to walk down to the folly built on its western slope.

Heading down

Wilson's folly

After looking at the folly we walked down to a gate and entered Newton Woods. Our path followed the edge of the wood and then dropped down until we came to the site of the old incline railway running parallel with Cliff Rigg Quarry. We crossed the Middlesbrough to Whitby railway line via a stone bridge and on reaching the road turned right before turning left at a footpath sign. There was a Mountain Rescue jacket draped over the railing and we realised the hut behind it is the Rescue HQ. Chatting to a volunteer we learned that there was to be a practice with a helicopter that would be arriving at 12 noon. "Hmm, nearly 12 now" so we walked a little further down the path and sat on a couple of old tractor tyres to enjoy our coffee and scones and wait for the helicopter.

Looking back at Roseberry

Walking through Newton Woods


'I am a thousand winds that blow, I am the diamond glints on snow.' Bench in Newton Woods

Crossing the Middlesbrough to Whitby Line

Mountain Rescue Building near our path.

No sign of the helicopter, perhaps delayed by the misty weather, so we set off again following the old rail bed to Langbaurgh Quarry to our left, then taking a path parallel to a ridge with more disused quarries. This ridge is of whinstone (the term for any hard dark coloured rock) and stretches to Quarry Hill Farm, a very imposing building which we passed to reach the A179 Stokesley road.

Our path towards Nunthorpe

Crossing the Main Stell

Quarry House Farm

We crossed the A179 and walked over a field to Old Nunthorpe. The original name of the village was Torp which was amended to Nunthorpe in the early 12th century in honour of a Cistercian Nunnery. In 1231 the nunnery moved to Baysdale. We walked through some stables where Clive couldn't resist spoiling a horse and a couple of pet sheep with his Rich Tea biscuits. Turning right along the road we could see, belatedly, the mountain rescue helicopter buzzing round Roseberry in the distance. We passed by Nunthorpe Hall, the original site of the Priory, and turned right once more to walk through a farm and back across fields towards the A179.

'Rich Tea Biscuits, my favourite!'

'Yummy'

Helicopter and Roseberry

Nunthorpe Hall

Re-crossing the road we headed straight along a farm track to Morton Carr Farm. TSB reports that Carr is a Norse word for a marshy piece of land, and these lowland meadows which are drained by numerous stells are certainly marshy. We passed by Morton Carr Farm and turned right at its outbuildings and walked across fields towards Eastfield Farm. As we approached yet another metal bridge over a stell Clive spotted some deer on the other side of the bridge. I took my camera out but the deer were off. Amazingly, before we could speak or move, two foxes ran over the bridge towards us. It was a terrific sight and I suddenly remembered my camera and attempted to grab a shot - not very successfully!

Field Paths

Morton Carr Farm

Can you see the two foxes?

The bridge the foxes ran across

We walked past Eastfield Farm, amused by a small cannon near the front door, and across more fields until we reached the Middlesbrough to Whitby line where our path, which ran under a stone bridge, was flooded. I had better not say how we got to the other side but cross we did and carried on until we emerged near Newton Church and the village green. A quick walk back along the road took us to our car. We thought it was hard going today in the snow but a very enjoyable new walk.