Route Summary - Cockshaw Hill, Cook's Monument, Pale End, Percy Cross Rigg, Sleddale, Roseberry Topping then back to car park. |
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Cook's Monument with Roseberry Topping in the distance. |
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Roseberry Topping was connected with the Vikings, as the word 'Topping', from 'Toppen', is one of a number of old Viking words for a hill, but the original Viking name for Roseberry Topping was Odins-Beorge meaning Odin's Hill. Over the years, the name changed to Othensberg, Ohenseberg, Ounsberry and Ouesberry before the association with the village then called Newton-under-Ouseberry at the foot of the hill led to the modern name Roseberry when the final 'R' of 'under' produced the initial letter of the modern name. Newton under Ouseberry is now called Newton under Roseberry
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Once again Ivor had brought us great weather for this walk - colder, but a clear blue sunny sky giving us clear views all around. We started our walk at a car park just off the lane below Cockshaw Hill - a remote spot but not so remote that some low life had been there before and judging by the glass scattered all along the car park had smashed the windows of all the cars they could find. A bit worrying to say the least but we decided to leave the cars anyway.
We walked north uphill over little Ayton Moor up to Easby Moor and the Cook's Monument, an imposing monument honouring James Cook who went to school at Great Ayton when he lived as a boy at the nearby Aireyholme Farm at the foot of Roseberry Topping.
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Roseberry Topping was once used by sailors out at sea as an indicator of changing weather, as the following rhyme records;
"When Roseberry Topping wears a cap,
Let Cleveland then beware of a clap !"
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From here we were rewarded with a great view of Roseberry Topping - the Cleveland Matterhorn. We posed for a few photos then continued east over Coate Moor to reach a lane, and a quick coffee stop, just before reaching The Pale.
We continued north, the lane turning into a track, passing through Lonsdale Plantation up to a tumulus on Percy Cross Rigg. Turning right onto the track we soon arrived at a fenced-off area. Here are the remains of three Iron Age hut circles (Grid Ref. 610 116) which were excavated by the late Roland Close from 1962-68 and were dated at 800 BC to AD 70. The remains found during the excavation indicated that the inhabitants were farmers who had occupied the site for a long time.
Soon afterwards we joined a track to our left. We had lunch overlooking the remote Sleddale Farm then joined the Cleveland Way at the corner of Highcliff Wood.
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On the summit of Roseberry Topping. |
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We then walked west, across moorland, towards Roseberry Topping. About 1km from Roseberry Topping most of us stopped for a coffee break in a sheltered spot just off the path.
Ken, Mick and Ivor, soon to be joined by Kate, Judith and Margaret, continued on the short but sharp climb to the summit. This was well worth the effort, despite the strong wind, giving us great views all around. After taking a few photos we returned to the others then walked south back to the car park. |
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Then it was a quick trip to The Royal Oak Hotel at Great Ayton for refreshments and divvying up of the car petrol money.
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