Cleveland Way: Carlton Bank to Bloworth Crossing

Notes

General Data

This is the first particularly difficult leg of the Cleveland Way. After leaving Raisdale Road, a path climbs steeply up to reach a magnificent viewpoint on the edge of Cringle Moor, before descending equally steeply into a little beallach. The climb is immediately repeated, and no sooner is the summit reach than a descent is made. A third climb follows, leading up past the Wain Stones onto White Hill, before a steep drop take the trail to the B1257 road.

The fourth steep climb of the leg follows. The gradient slackens as Carr Ridge is followed, after which a more gentle climb leads onto Round Head and across Cockayne Head to reach Bloworth Crossing, where the course of an old railway line meets a track across the moors.

Distance  6.9 miles
Ascent  1906 feet
Descent  1581 feet
Est. time  4 hours 2 minutes
Difficulty  strenuous

Map of the leg


Maps courtesy of Google Maps. Route for indicative purposes only, and may have been plotted after the walk. Please let me have comments on what you think of this new format.

Directions

This leg starts off on the trail immediately to the north of the car park and Lord Stone's Cafe at NZ524030.

Follow the path eastwards for a short distance, with the car park and cafe away on the right. When the path forks three ways, take the right-most branch and follow a fence on the right. Soon another fork is reached; take the right-hand branch to follow a stone wall on the left uphill. Go through a bridleway gate and follow stone flags uphill. It passes a little stone wind-shelter and viewpoint and curves sharply to the right to continue climbing towards the top of the hill. The path descends steeply down the eastern side of the hill, and at the bottom reaches a little bealach at NZ545033.

The path crosses a boggy area before starting to climb once more. When the path forks, take the right-hand branch; this curves to the right to reach a field gate. On the other side the path joins a stone wall on the left that soon curves sharply to the left. Follow the wall uphill to reach a clapper gate beside a field gate. The path climbs steeply uphill to reach a summit, and then drops equally steeply down the other side. It passes through a pedestrian gate and continues falling to reach Garfit Gap at NZ555034.

Go through a field gate at the bottom and climb up to a clapper gate. Steps then lead up towards a rocky outcrop called the Wain Stones ahead. Care needs to be taken at the top; climbers have created several paths around the flanks of the hill that can cause confusion. The path passes the first outcrop on the right and then curves to the left towards the main mass of rocks. Turn slightly to the right to head through the rocks to reach the top, where a good path continues climbing gently to the east. This path reaches the summit and then curves to the right to head southeastwards. Initially it gently falls, before turning to the left to zigzag steeply down the hillside eastwards. Squeeze beside a fence to reach a clapper gate, and then follow a wall downhill. A series of steps then leads to the B1257 Clay Bank Road at NZ572032.

Carefully cross the road and take a stone path that leads through a gap in a low stone wall. The path follows a fence on the left for about ten yards to a bridleway gate. On the other side follow a stone wall on the left to a second bridleway gate. Go through this and continue uphill as the path slowly curves to take a more southeasterly course to reach pedestrian gate beside a bench. On the other side of the gate continue uphill; the gradient slackens until it reaches a small summit on the Carr Ridge. One and a half miles after the road at NZ586018, the path joins a track and curves slightly to the left to take a east-southeasterly course.

The track continues climbing for a third of a mile as it passes close to the trig pillar on Round Hill on the left (marking the highest point on the North Yorkshire Moors); shortly afterwards it curves to the left to take a more easterly course and starts gently falling. At NZ609016 the track curves sharply to the left; here head straight on along a path that descends eastwards to reach some boggy ground and then a small stream. Cross the stream and climb up the other side for about a hundred yards until it reaches a track. Turn right to follow this track east-southeastwards for a quarter of a mile, passing a vehicle barrier to reach Bloworth Crossing at NZ615014.

 
 

Places of interest

Bloworth Crossing and the Ironstone Railways

The high North Yorkshire Moors can seem like an utterly natural environment, untouched by human hand since time immemorial. It is therefore somewhat of a surprise to discover that a railway once ran over the high tops.

The Rosedale Railway ran for eleven miles from ironstone mines in Rosedale to the Stockton to Whitby line at Battersby Junction. A 1-in-5 incline was needed at Ingleby to pull the wagons up hundreds of metres onto the moors, the weight of loaded wagons pulling empty ones up. The railway opened in two phases: a narrow-gauge line to above Ingleby opened in 1858, which the NER rebuilt to standard gauge and extended to Rosedale three years later. The mines closed in 1925, and the line four years later.

It is odd to think of steam trains chugging across the top of the Moors, and the heart attacks that locals, the park authority, and visitors might have at any attempt to reintroduce such a line nowadays. Yet the old line has becomes a useful footpath across the moors, and has mostly merged into nature. Man’s effect on nature is not necessarily long-lived.

The Cleveland Way crosses the course of the old railway at Bloworth Crossing.

location UID #338
 
 

Transport

The Lord Stones car park on Raisdale Road is not served by public transport. The village of Carlton in Cleveland, a mile and a half to the northwest, does have infrequent services to Romanby and Leeming.

Likewise, there is no public transport access at Bloworth Crossing.

For more public transport information, see the Travelline website.

Map information

Landranger (1:50,000)   Outdoor Leisure (1:25,000)
Landranger 93 (Middlesbrough, Darlington & Hartlepool)
and
Landranger 94 (Whitby & Esk Dale, Robin Hood's Bay)
or
Outdoor Leisure 26 (North York Moors - Western Area)
 
 

Photos of this leg

Looking back west towards Carlton Moor.Looking back west towards Carlton Moor from Cringle Moor.The shelter and viewpoint on Cringle Moor.The view from Cringle Moor towards the next hill.A cyclist on the descent off Cringle Moor.Looking east towards the Wain Stones.The ascent up towards the Wain Stones.The Wain Stones.The good path heading east from the Wain Stones.Looking west from the ascent up Carr Ridge.Looking west from the ascent up Carr Ridge.A boundary stone beside the path.The old railway line leading to Bloworth Crossing.

Accommodation information

B&B
Dromonby Grange Farm
Kirby in Cleveland
North Yorkshire
TS9 7AR
P: 01642 719227
E: jeanhugill@dromonbygrangefarm.co.uk

Grid ref: NZ529052 (54.439042,-1.185928)
9757
B&B
Dromonby Hall Farm
Busby Lane
Stokesley
Middlesborough
TS9 7AP
P: 01642 712312
W: http://www.dromonby.co.uk/
E: tricia.weighell@live.co.uk

Grid ref: NZ531059 (54.445322,-1.182259)
9758
B&B
Staindale Farm
Chopgate
Cleveland
TS9 7JQ
P: 01642 778255

Grid ref: NZ529017 (54.407966,-1.186738)
9759
 
B&B
tents
Beakhills Farm
Chop Gate
Stokesley
Teesside
TS9 7JJ
P: 01642 778371

Grid ref: NZ547026 (54.415556,-1.158124)
9760
inn
tents
The Buck Inn
Chop Gate
North Yorkshire
TS9 7JL 
P: 01642 778334
W: http://www.the-buck-inn.co.uk/

Grid ref: SE559996 (54.389136,-1.14128)
9761
B&B
West Cote
Chop Gate
Middlesborough
TS9 7JF
P: 01642 778281
W: http://www.west-cote.co.uk

Grid ref: NZ546001 (54.39317,-1.160664)
9762
 
B&B
Maltkiln House
Urra
Nr Stokesley
North Yorkshire
TS9 7HZ
P: 01642 778216
W: http://www.maltkiln.co.uk
E: stay@maltkiln.co.uk

Grid ref: NZ571017 (54.407929,-1.122252)
9763
tents
Caravan
The Jet Miners Caravan and Campsite
59 High Street
Great Broughton
Middlesborough
TS9 7ES
P: 01642 712642

Grid ref: NZ549062 (54.448185,-1.155142)
9764
B&B
Newlands House
Ingleby Road
Great Broughton
Middlesborough
TS9 7ER
P: 01642 712619

Grid ref: NZ548064 (54.449751,-1.155619)
9768
 
Hotel
Wainstones Hotel
High Street
Great Broughton
Middlesborough
TS9 7EW
P: 01642 712268
W: www.wainstoneshotel.co.uk
E: reception@wainstoneshotel.co.uk

Grid ref: NZ547065 (54.450646,-1.157556)
9769
B&B
Ingle Hill
Ingleby Road
Great Broughton
Middlesborough
TS9 7ER
P: 01642 712449

Grid ref: NZ549063 (54.449493,-1.155219)
9770
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