Distance Covered: 10 miles Time to complete walk: 4.5 hours
Suitable for dog walking: No
Total Steps: approx. 22,000
Safety Tips: This is a long walk - take plenty of water and sunscreen/waterproofs depending on the weather as most of the walk is on the exposed moorland. Walk on the grass verge on the small time spent on a minor road out of Kildale.
A walk on the beautiful remote moorland from Kildale to Baysdale and back with brilliant views along the way. The walk has a steep start and finish and is on minor roads and then moorland paths and a short finish through rough heather. Great for a long walk with refreshments available in Kildale at the wonderful Glebe Cottage. Parking is free and can be found on the roadside near Glebe Cottage or at the Kildale station car park. Visit the church at the beginning or end of the walk as an optional detour.
The Kildale Walk
Getting There
From Middlesbrough, follow the Middlesbrough Road heading for Guisborough. At the first roundabout turn right and head towards Great Ayton passing Roseberry Topping on your left. Go through Great Ayton and shortly after the bridge keep straight ahead on a narrow country road heading past a turn off to Little Ayton. At a junction turn left and keep on this road until you come to Kildale. Turn left and park either on the roadside or at Kildale station car park.
Map of the Kildale walk
The Walk
From the car parking, head back out of the village and turn right to follow the road you came in on for a while.
Glebe Cottage
Head back out of Kildale
Shortly you will come to a left turning signed the Cleveland Way. Follow this road as it steadily climbs.
Turn left onto the road signed to the Cleveland Way
Head up the road
Ahead of you are the steep slopes of Park Nab, keep on the road as it climbs around the foot of the nab.
Park Nab ahead
Keep to the road as it climbs
There are magnificent views around you as the road climbs.
View from the road
Plaque on stone pillar
Follow the road again over a cattle grid
Go over the cattle grid
To your right you will be able to make out Captain Cooks Monument in the distance. Follow the road over another cattle grid and when the road turns left sharply head through a gate onto Battersby Moor.
Head through the gate
Signpost on gate
Head through another gate onto the moorland track and keep ahead until you come to a junction.
Follow the path to your left
At the junction follow this moorland track to your left, which meanders for a while and climbs and then eventually you arrive at a T Junction.
Follow the moorland track
Turn right at the T Junction
Follow the track to your right at the T Junction which again offers superb views
all around you.
When you come to another junction keep ahead slightly left and follow the track onwards.
Kildale is a village and civil parish in Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England. It lies approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) south-east from Great Ayton, within the North York Moors National Park and on the Cleveland Way National Trail. The parish occupies 5,730 acres (23.2 km2), with 3,416 acres (13.82 km2) being taken up by moorland.
A church at Kildale was referred to in the Domesday Book. Viking relics (bones, swords, daggers and a battle axe) were discovered on the spot where a later church, St Cuthbert's, was erected.
Kildale railway station is on the Esk Valley Line.
The name of the village, Kildale has derived from Norman times where it was scribed as Childale. The transition from 'Chil' to 'Kil' is uncertain. Many believe the name changed to 'Kil' in the Saxon times as a result of the Norse Kyll stream or after the name of a Saxon proprietor patronymic.
In 900 years the boundaries of Kildale have never changed, along with only ever being in the hands of three families. Kildale was in the hands of the Percy family from an early date. Around 1662 John Turner purchased Kildale, then after the death of the last Turner in 1806, Kildale was then bought by Robert Bell Livesey of Thirsk, who then passed the parish of Kildale down to his daughter who married into the Turton family and is still owned by the Turton family today. Stone built walls were built as boundaries to enclose Kildale's fields and many are still standing today, over 300 years later. Stone was used to build the walls as during this time period, it was easier to get hold of than wood. Using stone to build the walls came at a great expense and took a long time to build, therefore the estate acknowledges this and ensures the stone walls are well managed even today, to maintain the structure of the stone walls in hope they should last forever holding on to Kildale's historical landscape. Kildale is in fact an estate and all the farms and the majority of houses are owned by the estate. The houses owned by the estate are only let to people who live in the dale to ensure a strong community is held, holding on to traditional values
View of the moors
When you come to another junction keep ahead slightly left and follow the track onwards.
Keep ahead on the track
The track soon dips and passes some old crumbling mining buildings and a bridge.
Remains of the mining buildings
Old stone bridge
Carry on upwards on the track which curves around and keep on it for some time.
Keep on the track ahead
When you come to a T junction turn left and follow the track ignoring any turn offs.
Turn left at the T Junction
The track passes a stone refuge which is ideal for a pitstop. Follow the road down to a small forest.
Stone refuge
Enter the forest
Follow the track as it descends through the forest and then passes a building to your right.
Follow the track through the forest
Follow the track past the house
Go through a gate and then head on the path to the right down to the beck.
Follow the track down to the beck
Turn left at the beck
Head through a gate and over a bridge to your right through some farm buildings
Go through the gate
Go over the bridge passing some farm buildings
After you pass through the farm buildings follow the tarmac road ahead and over a bridge over the beck.
Follow the tarmac road
Go over the bridge
Follow the open road until you come to a fingerpost on your right onto a short rough track.
Follow the road ahead
Follow the track to your right
Follow the track to your right for a short while and then turn a sharp left and climb up to the gate in the top right hand corner of the field.
Follow the signpost up the field to the gate
Head for the gate at the top of the field
Go through the gate and again follow the path as it climbs to another gate in the top right corner of the field.
Follow the rough track ahead
Go through the gate
Climb the rough track ahead which will eventually meet the road and the cattle grid you passed earlier, Follow the road down into Kildale and visit the Glebe Cottage tea rooms or the church.
Keep on the rough track
Head back onto the road and over the cattle grid and head down to Kildale
Railway at Kildale
Church at Kildale
Kildale
A church at Kildale was referred to in the Domesday Book. Viking relics (bones, swords, daggers and a battle axe) were discovered on the spot where a later church, St Cuthbert's, was erected.
Kildale railway station is on the Esk Valley Line.
The name of the village, Kildale has derived from Norman times where it was scribed as Childale. The transition from 'Chil' to 'Kil' is uncertain. Many believe the name changed to 'Kil' in the Saxon times as a result of the Norse Kyll stream or after the name of a Saxon proprietor patronymic.
In 900 years the boundaries of Kildale have never changed, along with only ever being in the hands of three families. Kildale was in the hands of the Percy family from an early date. Around 1662 John Turner purchased Kildale, then after the death of the last Turner in 1806, Kildale was then bought by Robert Bell Livesey of Thirsk, who then passed the parish of Kildale down to his daughter who married into the Turton family and is still owned by the Turton family today. Stone built walls were built as boundaries to enclose Kildale's fields and many are still standing today, over 300 years later. Stone was used to build the walls as during this time period, it was easier to get hold of than wood. Using stone to build the walls came at a great expense and took a long time to build, therefore the estate acknowledges this and ensures the stone walls are well managed even today, to maintain the structure of the stone walls in hope they should last forever holding on to Kildale's historical landscape. Kildale is in fact an estate and all the farms and the majority of houses are owned by the estate. The houses owned by the estate are only let to people who live in the dale to ensure a strong community is held, holding on to traditional values
The parish church was built in 1868 in dedication to St.Cuthbert. It replaced an earlier church of Norman origin and is approached across an iron railway bridge situated at the western end of Kildale station. The church is in the Early English style and is enhanced by its detailed stained-glass millennium window showing (amongst other panes marking Kildale's community and its beautiful surroundings) a steam train passing through Kildale, created by Goddard and Gibbs in c. 1996 1992. A framed list of all the names of the people living in Kildale is also present in the church to mark the millennium. Amongst the list is most of the people that farmed within Kildale parish from the year 1806–2006, the period during which Kildale has been owned by the Turton/Sutcliffe family. During the construction of St Cuthbert's Church Viking relics were found giving indication that the church grounds have been of great importance for centuries.
