Redcar ~ Easy Walk

Distance Covered: 6 miles Time to Complete Walk 3 hours

Suitable for dog walking: Yes

A popular seaside town, Redcar is packed with stuff to do and see, great for a family day out. This walk takes you via all its landmarks, the helter-skelter like Redcar Beacon, its esplanade with a new mini golf course, through Locke Park and then into its town centre to sample a famous Lemon Top at Pacittos- people will queue for this local delicacy. An enjoyable day out at this perennial seaside favourite.  This is an easy walk if you have a good general level of fitness. 

General Safety Tips: Be aware of bikes at the start of the walk. 

The Redcar Walk 

Getting There

From Middlesbrough head onto the A66 and follow the directions to Redcar. Turn left onto Kirkleatham Lane and then onto Majuba Road. Turn left and drive past the esplanade until you come to a roundabout. Turn left onto the Coast Road and drive past the Stray Cafe. Parking can be found on your left at the Headland Coast Road car park.

Maps of the Redcar Walk



The Walk

From the car park head onto the coastal path ahead and turn left.

Follow the path until you come to a wide path on your right above the beach.

Follow this path until it emerges onto the esplanade ahead.

Follow the path ahead as it makes its way to the impressive Redcar Beacon.

Keep ahead passing the iconic Regent Cinema.

Keep ahead to the right passing the TunedIn! centre

Pass the car park and follow the path to the very end to the caravan site. Turn left and follow the path ahead.

Keep ahead on the pavement and over a roundabout.

Walk over the bridge and at the traffic lights at the junction turn left and cross over to the entrance of Locke Park.

Exploring the park, there is a lake, boats to hire, fountains and a cafe. Walk ahead first and then branch right passing a bridge.

Heading to the right ahead passing the lake and fountains.

Pass the cafe and keep ahead on the path.

Go over a bridge and at a small roundabout take the right path.

Head out of the park and cross the road and turn left.

Walk along the pavement passing the college on your left.

At the junction turn left and head down the road crossing the railway crossing.

Next turn right into a Morrisons Car park and then head to the left towards the town centre.

Head down out of the centre towards the esplanade and turn right. Pacittos is on the right hand side of the esplanade and is a must stop - to sample one of their famous Lemon Top Ice Creams!

Further on from Pacittos is the Redcar Lifeboat Museum which is well worth a look.

Cross the road onto the esplanade and turn right returning to the entrance to the path you came down and a roundabout.

Instead of turning back onto the path instead leave the path to the left at the roundabout and follow the pavement to the Stray Cafe- another great pitstop.

At the back of the Stray Cafe is a path that will lead you back onto the coastal path. Turn right and head back to the car park.

Redcar

Redcar is a seaside town on the Yorkshire Coast in the Redcar and Cleveland unitary authority in the county of North Yorkshire, England. It is located 7 miles (11 km) east of Middlesbrough.

The Teesside built-up area's Redcar subdivision had a population of 37,073 at the 2011 Census. The town is made up of Coatham, Dormanstown, Kirkleatham, Newcomen, West Dyke, Wheatlands and Zetland.

It gained a town charter in 1922, from then until 1968 it was governed by the municipal borough of Redcar. Since the abolition of County Borough of Teesside, which existed from 1968 until 1974, the town has been unparished.

Redcar occupies a low-lying site by the sea; the second element of its name is from Old Norse kjarr, meaning 'marsh', and the first may be either Old English (Anglo-Saxon) rēad meaning 'red' or OE hrēod 'reed'. The town originated as a fishing hamlet in the 14th century, trading with the larger adjacent hamlet of Coatham. Until the mid-19th century it was within the parish of Marske-by-the-Sea – mentioned in the Domesday book.

Numerous ships have foundered off the Redcar coastline and many of their wrecks still exist. The Zetland is the world's oldest surviving lifeboat. It was built by Henry Greathead of South Shields and is housed in a volunteer-led sea-front museum. The lifeboat was first stationed at Redcar in 1802.

As seaside holidays became fashionable in the early 19th century, Redcar's facilities expanded. By 1841, Redcar had 794 inhabitants.In 1846, work was completed on the Middlesbrough and Redcar Railway and the presently named Redcar Central station, created to attract tourism and trade.

Redcar's population expansion corresponded with Middlesbrough's, with the discovery in 1850 of iron ore in the Eston area of Cleveland Hills. Redcar prospered as a seaside town drawing tourists attracted by eight miles of sands stretching from South Gare to Saltburn-by-the-Sea.

Plans for a pier were drawn up in 1866, but lay dormant until prompted by the announcement of plans to build a pier at Coatham in 1871. Coatham Pier was wrecked before it was completed when two sailing ships were driven through it in a storm. It had to be shortened because of the cost of repairs and was re-opened with an entrance with two kiosks and a roller-skating rink on the Redcar side, and a bandstand halfway along its length.

Redcar Racecourse was created in 1875. Redcar Pier, another pier as well as Coatham Pier, was built in the late 1870s. In October 1880 the brig Luna caused £1,000 worth of damage to this pier. In New Year's Eve 1885 SS Cochrane demolished the landing stage. and in 1897 the schooner Amarant went through the pier. A year later, its head and bandstand burned down.

In October 1898 the Coatham Pier was almost wrecked when the barque Birger struck it and the pier was thereafter allowed to disintegrate. An anchor from the Birger can be seen on the sea front pavement close to the Zetland Lifeboat Museum.

In 1907 a pavilion ballroom was built on Redcar Pier behind the entrance kiosks and in 1928 it was extended. A glass house for concerts was added to the remains of Coatham Pier's entrance. The presently named Redcar East railway station was built in 1929.

In 1929 Coatham Pier's glasshouse was replaced by the New Pavilion theatre. After the war, comedian and entertainer Larry Grayson coined his catchphrase "Shut that Door!" while performing there, since the stage door was open to the cold North Sea breeze.

Driffield ~ Medium Walk

 

Distance Covered: 7 miles Time to Complete Walk 3.5 hours

Suitable for dog walking: No

Known as the capital of the Yorkshire Wolds, Driffield is an established commuter town. The walk starts on the Driffield Canal path and winds its way to the picturesque village of Wansford for a pitstop next to a stream. Then walk to the village of Nafferton and back to Driffield. 

General Safety Tips: The canal path may be overgrown - take a walking stick to battle the nettles. Be aware of traffic on the road parts of the walk. 

The Driffield Walk

Getting There

From Middlesbrough head towards Stokesley on the A172 and then take the B1257 through Great Broughton. Follow the B1257 all the way to Helmsley. From Helmsley follow the B1257 through Sproxton and Hovingham to Malton. From Malton take the B1248 through Wharram le Street and then onto the A166 through Wetwang. Follow the A166 into Driffield. Parking can be found at the Eastgate car park which is free of charge.

Maps of the Driffield Walk 

The Walk

From the carpark turn right and head down the road.

Follow the road all the way to the end until you come to a footbridge over the railway line.

Go over the bridge and to the end of the road and turn right. Cross over the road and make your way to the start of Driffield Canal. Turn left to follow the canal route.

Pass an information board and a mechanical device next to the canal.

Follow the path as it narrows and passes a goat pen on your right.

Go through a metal gate and follow the path beside the canal. If the path is overgrown use your walking stick to negotiate your way ahead.

Eventually the path runs parallel to the road and ends up at a pair of lock gates.

Cross over the lock bridge and turn right and head towards a path between the canal and the road.

Follow the narrow path until you reach the village of Wansford.

For a short diversion, head across the roundabout and follow the path until you go over a stream on your left.

Turn left and follow the signpost through a gate to the side of a house and through another gate to a lovely calm spot - ideal for a picnic or a pitstop.

Make your way back to the roundabout and turn right to make your way to the village of Nafferton.

Make you way through the village of Wansford - some great highlights including a marvellous church.

The road to Nafferton is a quiet one and straight so keep to the grass verge whenever you can keeping your eyes and ears peeled for any traffic.

Head over a level crossing and through Nafferton and turn right heading to the church which is prominent in the skyline.

When you arrive at the church turn left onto Westgate and follow the road out of Nafferton.

Keep on the road taking care and remaining aware of traffic until you come to the end and as the road veers to the right head to the left of a building into a cornfield.

Follow the path in the cornfield as it turns left head towards a footbridge on your right.

Cross over the footbridge and head towards the woods to the right of roadworks. 

Follow the path to the right in the woods and then look for a left fork and head towards a metal barrier which then emerges onto a housing estate.

Follow the footpath through the housing estate and then turn right and walk up to a roundabout.

At the roundabout turn left and head into Driffield town centre passing a fire station on your left. Eventually when you come to the junction with the Spread Eagle pub, turn left and head back to the carpark on your right.

Driffield

Driffield, also known as Great Driffield, is a market town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The civil parish is formed by the town of Driffield and the village of Little Driffield. By road, it is 53 miles (85 km) north-east of Leeds, 70 miles (110 km) north-east of Sheffield, 29 miles (47 km) east of York, 23 miles (37 km) north of Hull and 72 miles (116 km) south-east of Middlesbrough.

Driffield is named The Capital of the Wolds, due to its location sitting centrally within the Yorkshire Wolds.

According to the 2011 UK census, Driffield parish had a population of 13,080, an increase on the 2001 UK census figure of 11,477.

The town was listed in the 2019 Sunday Times report on the Best Places to Live in northern England.

Driffield is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and the name is first attested in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle where King Aldfrith of Northumbria died on the 14 December 705. It is also found in Domesday Book of 1086, meaning "dirty (manured) field".

A Bronze Age mound outside Driffield was excavated in the 19th century, the contents of which are now kept in the British Museum. It includes a knife, a dagger, a beaker and a greenstone wrist-guard all dating to between 2200 and 1500 BC.

The remains of Driffield Castle, a motte-and-bailey castle, sit at Moot Hill.

RAF Driffield was targeted by the Luftwaffe during the Second World War. On 15 August 1940, a raid by Junkers 88s resulted in 14 deaths and many injuries. RAF Driffield was the site of the first death in the WAAF during the Second World War.