Tuesday 10 March 2015

Kildale 4 Peaks Hike


We reached the little village of Kildale late morning and got ready for todays walk. We started out on the Cleveland Way, climbing steadily up the Park towards Warren Moor. We passed the farm where we'd camped on the Cleveland Way a few years and shuddered at the memory! The climb was a lot easier with a simple daysack.

Almost at the top, where an old stone wall ran down to meet the road, we found the first Geocache. It was inside a fake rock!

We continued on to the cattle grid marking the transition from metalled road to moor track, but we now turned off onto a bridle path which lead downhill into Baysdale. We followed the path through Baysdale Farm and Baysdale Abbey then continued on a metalled track which ran above the beck.

Upon reaching some farm buildings, we turned left crossed the beck and climbed uphill once more. We then followed the moor/pasture boundary over marshy ground for a little while before another uphill stretch to crest Warren Moor once again. We dropped down the other side, a tall chimney in site across the Vale. We crossed the infant Leven to reach the chimney which was part of the ruins of Warren Moor Mine. After a quick explore, we sat down to eat some food out of the breeze.

We continued uphill past Warren Farm before picking up the road and dropping down through Little Kildale. A right and a left took us along the road and over the level crossing at Quarry Hill. We continued uphill (again!?) past the neat cottages of New Row and through trees to top out on Percy Cross Rigg on Kildale Moor. The Geocache located near an iron age village was not forthcoming and we continued to the end of the rigg. Here we picked up a good track that swept across Great Ayton Moor, meeting up with the Cleveland Way high above Gribdale. We dropped down the uneven stone steps and began the (final) climb of Cockshaw Hill. We went right past the next Geocache and had to retrace our steps by about 100 yards, but once at ground zero we quickly found the treasure!

Back to Captain Cooks Monument then continue on the Cleveland Way through the trees on Coate Moor.

The next Geocache was located shortly after the junction with the road at Pale End Plantation and was a very easy find. We follwoed the road steeply downhill all the way into Kildale.

Glebe Cottage tea rooms were open so we called in for cake, he'd been very busy by all accounts and didn't have much left!

I stopped off at the village bustop to get the fourth and final cache before we set off home.

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