Seaside stroll

I DO like to be beside the seaside, especially in winter. At Saltburn it was just the two of us on the sands. Well almost, a local walked a dog and a yellow sailed sand yacht zipped around the piles of the pier.

The beach caf was shut, the swings were padlocked, and a single oystercatcher dodged the tide. The fishing cobles were pulled up on the front, their ancient tractors swaddled in tarpaulins.

We promenaded through the drizzle, past the pub and the little 1881 mortuary and set off for the huge cliffs, by a round about way.

A warming climb took us past Little Dale and its fruit-laden scrub. A long shallow climb, heads down into an easterly, took us by tracks over featureless fields with occasional farms and houses, places neat and tidy by necessity, such is the wind. Then shortly after a railway line we started on Warsett Hill, an Open Access Area of eco-grasslands. Don't work up a sweat on the steep 'one in three' climb up to the trig point because you will want to hang around on top, it's a fabulous viewpoint.

As we sandwiched (for warmth) and looked down and around, a hare ran by, a small goods train trundled round the hill and out at sea all the cargo ships were pointing south.

Scanning down the coast we could see sand, Skinningrove and then cliffs. Inland are a few villages and deeper into the moors the sharp top-half of Roseberry Topping. Up the coast the cliff top curves all the way to the proud terraces of Saltburn and then beyond is a sombre and striking industrial horizon.

We went down to the cliffs and were puzzled at first by an unusual building of rendered brick and bold geometry including a barrelled roof and tall circular patterned walls. It's the Guibal Fan House used to ventilate an ironstone mine (1872-1906).

Take care here, the internal hazards have been grilled with metal, except the gate to the 20-ft diameter vertical shaft was open and someone has dug into the horizontal shaft.

Back to the cliffs, where the geological verticality is a 300-foot issue, and where in places two false steps would have you plummeting to the rocks. Not that this is likely, on the Cleveland Way, but it adds tang to the sea airs.

We walked through steady grey but the weather played nicely on the sea and on the shipping lane. Of the dozen vessels, half would vanish in the rain, or a couple would be caught by a shaft of sunlight and glow brightly.

Here and there are installations in iron of a mermaid and such, and quite a few signs and info boards because this bit of coast has a dozen designations, plenty of protection except from the sea. The wind-shaped bushes on the edge sheltered robins, tits and wrens.

Walking this length of cliff is a two-mile treat for the senses, all the way back to 'Old Saltburn' announced on a National Trust sign, which reminded me, both my grandmothers used to live here.

The tide had left the resort's beach with a mirror finish; the yellow sand yacht was still manic.

Fact File:

Distance: Four miles.

Time: Two or three hours.

General location: Cleveland.

Start: Cat Nab car park by the beach in Saltburn.

Right of way: The route is along public rights of way and in an Open Access Area (until 2011).

Date walked: Friday, October 31, 2003.

Road route: From York A19 north, A172 to Stokesley, A173 to Guisborough then signed.

Car parking: Cat Nab car park, May to September £2, winter free.

Lavatories: At car park.

Refreshments: Inns, cafs, hotels.

Tourist & public transport information: Saltburn TIC 01287 622422.

Map: Based on OS Explorer OL26 North York Moors western area.

Terrain: Sea cliffs and hill.

Points of interest: The Roman signal station was on the edge in 1912, and has gone.

Difficulty: Moderate to easy.

Dogs: Suitable if sensible on cliffs. Keep on lead in Open Access Area if livestock.

Weather forecast: Evening Press and recorded forecast 0891 500 418

Please observe the Country Code and park sensibly. While every effort is made to provide accurate information, walkers set out at their own risk.

Directions:

When in doubt look at the map. Check your position at each point. Keep straight on unless otherwise directed.

1. Cross road from Cat Nab Car Park to pavement along promenade and right, pass pub, immediately path on left uphill and immediately fork right (bridleway sign). Path joins track, straight on when this curves.

2. Gates and cross railway line with care, 11 o'clock across field, stile into open access area, uphill to right of fence, stile on left at top to Trig Point.

3. Almost east, downhill (fence to right), stile, 1 o'clock, stile, 1 o'clock to ladderstile.

4. Cross railway line, stile and left to cliff-edge path back to Saltburn.

Click here to view a map of the walk

Updated: 09:37 Saturday, November 08, 2003