The Northern Echo
THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017
Walks
what’son
Walks
Walk information
Distance: 12 km (7.5 miles)
Time: 3 - 4 hours
Maps: OS Explorer OL27 - always
take a map on your walk
Start/Parking: Parking besides
Beggar’s Bridge, near Glasidale
Refreshments: Glaisdale and
Lealholm
Terrain: Mixture of country roads
and moorland tracks; woodland,
riverside, field and moorland paths.
How to get there: From the A171
to the east of Scaling Dam, follow a
minor road down to reach Glaisdale;
Beggar’s Bridge spans the River Esk
near Glaisdale Railway Station.
Caution: Take care crossing the
railway line. Glaisdale Rigg is
exposed to the elements. Map and
compass essential.
Points of interest
T
HIS walk starts beside the
famous Beggar’s Bridge,
a graceful 17th Century
packhorse bridge that
spans the River Esk. A
story is told of Thomas Ferris, son
of a poor farmer, who was courting
local beauty Agnes Richardson,
daughter of a wealthy landowner
who, needless to say, did not approve
of their relationship. Thomas
regularly made the short journey
across the River Esk from Glaisdale
to see his sweetheart; however, in
order to win her hand he decided to
go to sea to make his fortune. The
night before he was due to leave,
Thomas set out in torrential rain to
see Agnes but was prevented from
crossing the swollen River Esk. So
Thomas went to sea, fought against
the Armada and made his fortune!
He returned to Glaisdale a rich man
and married Agnes, later settling
at Hull where he became a wealthy
shipping merchant as well as the
Lord Mayor. He built this graceful
bridge in 1619 so that no other lovers
would be separated by the river.
From Beggar’s Bridge, we walk up
into the village of Glaisdale, which
is built on steep hills at the point
where the valleys of Glaisdale and
Esk Dale meet. Glaisdale has the feel
of an industrial town rather than a
rural village. The reason for this was
Beggar’s Bridge, Lealholm
and Glaisdale Rigg
the arrival in 1865 of the railway
and the subsequent development
of ironstone mining in the hills
behind the village, thus changing its
character.
From Glaisdale, our route follows
the River Esk to Lealholm, passing
the grassy cutting of the Waddell
Railway near Rake Farm, officially
known as the Cleveland Mineral
Extension Railway. This was an
ambitious project to take a branch
line from the Esk Valley Railway
near Rake Farm over the moors
to connect with railway lines near
Lingdale over ten miles away to
the north. In 1873 John Waddell, a
famous Victorian railway engineer,
began work on this line which was
intended to provide a more direct
route to the ironstone mines and
furnaces at Glaisdale. The closure
of the Glaisdale ironworks did
not help, nor did the end of the
railway ‘boom years’, however, this
project continued on and off until
1896. Cuttings, embankments and
foundations can be seen along most
of its intended route, though tracks
were never laid.
The walk
1
From the parking area beside the
road bridge and Beggar’s Bridge
across the River Esk, walk under
the railway bridge and then head
over the footbridge beside the ford
ahead across Glaisdale Beck (which
feeds into the Esk), after which bear
right to quickly join the clear track
leading from the ford (ignore the
path up steps ahead into Arnecliff
Wood). Follow this track straight
on (away from the ford) for a short
distance then, immediately after the
house/garage on your right, take
the footpath to the right that leads
down over another footbridge across
Glaisdale Beck then up along the
rough path to reach the road beside
the Arncliffe Arms at Carr End.
At the road take the lane directly
opposite (‘Local Traffic Only’) and
follow this straight on for 400 metres
before climbing steeply up into
Glaisdale. Just before the top of the
hill where the road bends round to
the left, take the track to the right
immediately after Wrens Nest House
through a gate (signpost) that leads
into Millers Wood. Follow the track
down through the woods to reach
the old mill beside the River Esk.
As you reach the old mill (house),
carry straight on along the path
that passes to the left-hand side
of the house then, just after the
house and garden, turn right (do
not climb steps into woods) to join
a riverside path (just behind the
old mill). Follow this path through
woodland alongside the River Esk
on your right to reach a stile at the
end of the woods, after which head
to the left across the field (still with
the river just to your right) then,
where the river turns away under
the railway bridge, head straight
on to cross a stile by a gate. After
this stile head straight on bearing
slightly right to join the railway
embankment on your right which
you follow straight on up to reach a
stile in the corner of the field (beside
the railway line). Cross the railway
line (take care) and over the stile on
the opposite side of the tracks, then
turn left across the field and up to
reach a stile just to the right of the
old railway bridge (Waddell Railway)
that leads onto the road opposite
Rake Farm.
2
Turn left along the road over the
old bridge (Waddell Railway) and
then the railway bridge (Esk Valley
line) then, as the road bends to the
left, turn right along a rough track
(signpost ‘Lealholm’) that leads
quite steeply down to a footbridge/
ford over the River Esk. After the
footbridge, head left along the grassy
track and follow this straight on
across the field then, as you re-join
the River Esk after 150 metres, follow
the track bending round to the
right then take the footpath to the
left (signpost) immediately before
the hump-backed bridge over the
railway. Follow the path through
woodland at first then down to join
the riverbank, which you follow
all the way (river on your left) to
reach a gate just to the left of the
large barns at Underpark Farm.
Head through the gate and follow
the track round to the right through
the farmyard (skirting to the left
of the barns) to reach a junction of
tracks (farmhouse just to your right)
where you turn left along the track
(signpost) and follow it for 1 km all
the way into Lealholm.
3
As you emerge in the centre of
Lealholm, turn left along the
road (signpost ‘Glaisdale 2’), over
the road-bridge across the River
Esk passing the pub on your right
and out of the village. Continue
straight on along this road for 1.8
km rising steadily up (passing
Mill Lane Farm on your left after
750 metres) until you come to a
crossroads. At this crossroads,
continue straight on along the road
ahead towards ‘Rosedale’ (sign
‘Unsuitable for Coaches, Caravans
and HGV’s’) then, after 325 metres,
take the second path to the left
(signpost ‘Glaisdale Rigg’) just
below numerous small mounds (old
workings) on the moorland just
ahead.
4
Follow the narrow path bearing
gradually away from the road
across the open moorland passing
to the left of (just below) these
small mounds, keeping to roughly
the same contour line across the
hillside. Beyond these mounds,
continue straight on along the
narrow path across the moorland,
still keeping to the same contour
line (crossing a wooden walkway
over a boggy section) for a further
750 metres (path becomes sunken
for a while then gradually becomes
less distinct and boggy) to reach
a small stone-slab footbridge
over Busco Beck marked by two
stone posts. After the footbridge,
head straight on up across the
moor along a path marked by two
standing stones for 500 metres up
to the top of the ridge where you
come to a rough track across your
path. Cross over this track and head
straight on across the moorland
to quickly reach the clearer track
along Glaisdale Rigg, marked by a
signpost.
5
Turn left along the clear track
across Glaisdale Rigg to reach a
junction of tracks after 150 metres,
where you take the clearer (lefthand) track ahead and follow this
straight on for 1.5 km (keep to the
clear track - ignore rough tracks off
this main track) to reach a sharp
left bend in the track (with a pond
just beyond this bend on your right).
Follow this clear track bending
sharp left (passing the pond) then
carry straight on along the clear
track for 500 metres to reach a gate
across the track, where the track
becomes a road after the gate (sign
Arncliffe Arms cafe). Head through
the gate and follow the road ahead,
which drops down into Glaisdale.
Walk into the village to reach the
triangular green and road junction,
where you turn right down along
the road through Glaisdale, passing
rows of houses and some shops, to
reach a road junction with a ‘phone
box (Underhill). Turn left, heading
steeply down along the road through
Glaisdale and re-trace your steps
along the road back to the Arncliffe
Arms pub, where you head straight
on back down along the eroded path,
over the footbridge across Glasidale
Beck and back to reach Beggar’s
Bridge.
Mark Reid
Walking Weekends 2017
walkingweekenders.co.uk
Birdwatch By Ian Kerr
N
OW we are into March the
volume of spring song
seems to be increasing
daily, particularly during some of
the milder spells we’ve all enjoyed.
It’s long been recognised that the
lengthening hours of daylight
rather than weather prompts
singing although, like the rest of
us, most birds seem appreciative
of a bit of sunshine.
Most of our common garden
species, blackbirds, song thrushes,
robins, chaffinches, wrens and
blue and great tits are now all in
good voice. I noticed that even
with a hard frost on Tuesday
morning, the local starlings were
still gurgling in the guttering
35
and wood pigeons and collared
doves were indulging in their
undulating display flights. In the
wider countryside, the cheerful
early songs of skylarks are really
starting to brighten up the place.
Around a couple of local ponds
I checked out this week one of
our smallest aquatic species,
little grebes, were in full and
noisy mating display with lots of
trilling and skirmishing between
pairs as they sorted out breeding
territories.
We are now just two or three
weeks away from the exciting
prospect of seeing our first
early summer visitors such as
wheatears, sand martins and,
along the coast, Sandwich terns.
All three species have already
been appeared along the south
coast between Kent and Somerset
so it won’t be too long before they
are with us.
March is always a month of
great change with the numbers
of our wintering birds in steep
decline as many start to move off
towards far northern breeding
areas. Our most plentiful
wintering geese, pinkfeet, are
gradually drifting northwards
to regular early spring staging
posts in eastern Scotland before
heading off for the Arctic. The
numbers of pale-bellied brent
geese at Lindisfarne has also
decreased sharply with flocks
moving back to Denmark, their
regular stop-off while they await
spring’s arrival in the Arctic
Ocean archipelago of Spitzbergen,
often referred to these days by its
Norwegian name, Svalbard.
Despite spring being in the air
there are still winter attractions
to be enjoyed, particularly as our
star species of recent weeks are
proving to be really long-stayers.
The eastern black redstart
has now been at Skinningrove
since late October and the pine
bunting at Dunnington and
Pacific diver at East Chevington
are into their second months.
Our waxwing winter continues
as flocks continue to roam the
region. Over the past week,
for example, 29 were reported
around the Houndgate Fountain
in Darlington, 34 at East Durham
garden centre, South Hetton, and
flocks of varying sizes in many
other widespread localities.