Guisborough Forest ~ Easy Walk

Distance Covered: 3 miles Time to Complete Walk: 2 hours

Suitable for dog walking: Yes

Guisborough Forest has a network of walking, biking and horse- riding routes. The waymarked walking routes are coloured Green, Red and White and are well signposted so you cant get lost.  This route follows the Red route. Pass by sculptures in the forest and do not miss a magnificent surprise view along the route. 

Virus Awareness: The walk was done whilst in tier 3 and will change to tier 4 on New Years Eve. Outdoor exercise is actively encouraged. Stick to within your council areas. This walk is in the Redcar/Cleveland area. Social distancing was easy to maintain along the route, however due to heightened interest in open public spaces, wear a mask in the carpark and around the visitor centre.

General Safety Tips:  This walk can get very muddy and the added frost can be difficult to negotiate. Wear sturdy boots and take a walking stick. The walk would be classed as a medium walk if completed under muddy and frosty conditions.

The Guisborough Forest Walk

Getting There

Drive towards Guisborough on Middlesbrough Road. Turn right at the first roundabout signposted to Pinchinthorpe. Guisborough Forest is the second turning on your left just before you reach Pinchinthorpe. Parking is £4.00 for over 2 hours and £2.00 for two hours. 

Map of the Guisborough Forest  Walk

The Walk

From the car park head past a railway carriage and the visitors centre. 

Guisborough Forest information panel

Pass the railway carriage

At another information panel follow the path to the right waymarked as the Red route.

Head right in the direction of the Red route

Go through a gate and follow the path to the left.

Head through the gate and follow the path to the left

Soon you come to another red waymark - follow the path to the right.

Follow the path to the right

Follow the path passing a wooden sculpture

Wooden Sculptures

Turn left at a branch in the path which climbs upwards.

Turn left at the branch in the path

Follow the path as it climbs.

Keep on the path as it climbs

Look for another red marker and follow the path to the left.

Follow the direction of the red waymarker

The path now goes to the right at another signpost.

Follow the path to the right

Keep left as the path bends.

Keep left at the bend in the path

The path now heads straight ahead at another red waymarker.

Keep ahead at another waymarker

Keep ahead up some steps.

Keep ahead up some steps

Heading through the forest

Keep to the path, however there may be branch-offs you can use to avoid mud.

Keep on the path

Soon you come to a lovely surprise - a seat to your right on which you can view from a gap in the trees- the iconic Roseberry Topping - Teessides little Matterhorn.

Take a seat on your right

Roseberry Topping

Back on the path keep ahead as the path dips.

Dip in the path

The Green route now diverges to the left- keep ahead on the Red route.

Keep ahead on the Red route

The path sticks with the upper part of the forest as it continues and then descends down. 

Through the forest...

At the far edge of the forest you come to a split in the path and a stream next to a field- a nice place for a pitstop.

View from the edge of the forest

The Red and the White route now part ways- head left on the Red Route at a waymarker.

Head left on the Red Route

At a major junction in the forest head left.

Turn left at the junction

The path now widens and becomes easier to walk on.

Follow the forest path

There is a bench to your right if you need another pitstop!

Take a break on the bench to your right

The path now swerves to the left and down to the right. Keep to the main path.

Keep on the main path as it winds downwards

Head through a gap in an iron gate.

Go through the gap in the gate

At a couple of branches in the path keep to the right on the lower path.

Keep to the lower path

Keep ahead at a waymarker.

Keep ahead at the waymarker

Go through a gate and turn left and follow the path

Go through the gate and turn left

Keep on the path passing some interesting sculptures.

Sculptures in the forest

Keep ahead at another waymarked junction.

Keep ahead at another junction

Head past a pond to your right and there is a refreshment cabin on your right- then head back to the car park

Guisborough Forest

Find out more about this beautiful forest and all it offers here:

https://www.forestryengland.uk/guisborough-forest

Errington Woods ~ Easy Walk

Distance Covered: 3.5 miles Time to complete walk:  2 hours

Suitable for dog walking: Yes - check for livestock in fields though

Starting from Errington Woods and then passing through the attractive village of Upleatham before walking back to the woods, this walk is great for a short walk or a dog walk. Great for an Autumn/Winter walk you will also have great views of Roseberry Topping along the way.

Virus Awareness: This walk is in the Redcar Cleveland area at tier 3 at the time of the walk, please check your tier before travelling outside of it.

General Safety Tips: This walk can get muddy after rain- wear sturdy walking boots and thick socks and a walking stick to negotiate the mud. 

The Errington Woods Walk

Getting There

Follow the A174 towards Saltburn. Look for a right turn at a roundabout signposted to Errington Woods. Follow this road and the entrance and car park is to the left just before a sharp right hand bend in the road. Parking is free and the car park closes at dusk.

                                                         Map of the Errington Woods     Walk

The Walk

From the car park head through the gates.

Go through the gates 

In about 20 metres look for some steps on your right. Climb the steps.

Climb the steps

At the top of the steps turn right and follow the path.

Turn right and follow the path

Wooden squirrell to your left

Soon you reach a crossroads of paths - keep on the path straight ahead.

Keep ahead at the crossroads

Keep on this path for some time and dont miss the great views of Roseberry Topping to your right.

Views of Roseberry Topping

Soon the path ends at a gate. Go through the gate onto a field.

Go through the gate 

There are two distinctive paths ahead - both end up at a gate- I followed the lower path.

Follow the lower path

Reach the gate

Reach the gate

From the gate follow the path ahead.

Follow the path ahead 

The path then bends to the right and down to a farmyard.

Follow the path down to the farmyard

Now follow the path to your left which enters the village of Upleatham.

Follow the path into Upleatham

Enter Upleatham

Upleatham is an attractive village with a nice church and individualistic houses. Walk through the village ahead.

Church in Upleatham

Head out of Upleatham by joining a bridleway.

Head out of Upleatham on the bridleway ahead

Follow the path as it bends back towards Errington Woods. 

Follow the path

There are great views of Skelton and the coastal cliffs to your right on the path.

Views to your right

Follow the path ahead

Soon you arrive back at the woods. Turn left at a barrier and onto the woodland path.

Turn left at the barrier back into the woods

The path bends and climbs and falls as it goes through the woods. Keep to the main path ahead.

Keep to the path ahead

When you eventually come to a T-junction - turn left and take the higher path passing a wooden sculpture.

Pass the wooden sculpture

Follow the path and as it comes to branch keep to the lower main path.

Keep on the lower path at the branch in paths

At another branch keep ahead.

Keep on the path ahead 

Soon you will come back to the crossroads you came to at the beginning of the walk. Turn right at the crossroads.

Turn right at the crossroads

Look for the steps on your left and head back to the car park

Errington Woods

This community woodland of approximately 100 ha is located above New Marske and has achieved Local Nature Reserve status. It was mainly planted in the 18th century to provide a cash crop, and extended in the early 20th century with a resultant tree mix that is predominantly coniferous. There is a good network of paths throughout the wood, and a new footpath access to the wood has been created which runs from Quarry Lane to the ruined winding house. There are also areas of deer habitat, and pine martens have been seen in the wood.

Upleatham

Upleatham is a village in the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. The village was mentioned in the Domesday Book  and the name derives from Old English and Old Norse as Upper Slope, in that it was further up the hill than Kirkleatham. 

An ironstone seam that was 13 feet (4.0 m) thick was worked beneath the village which meant that some dwellings were lost to subsidence. The mine operated between the 1850s and 1924 with reserves of ironstone being estimated at a little over 36,000,000 tonnes (40,000,000 tons).The landowner of the time, the Earl of Zetland, allowed the mining company to extract the ironstone from underneath the village provided that the area around the church was left undisturbed. This is why the conservation area in the village is just a small selection of buildings clustered around the church. The arrival of the ironstone mine increased the population of the village from 204 in 1841 to 1,007 in 1861.

It has a small grade II listed church, believed by some to be the smallest in England, although Bremilham Church in Wiltshire is actually slightly smaller. The village is located near New Marske, between Saltburn and Guisborough; there are a few rows of houses which are adjacent to Errington Woods.