The Grey Panthers

Explorer Map OL26, - North York Moors (Western Area)

Choose a sunny day with good visibility and this walk is amongst the best. What is so surprising is that the walk is near to heavily built-up and industrialised Cleveland, and yet one is a world away from the city and traffic.
Generally the route presents little difficulty with respect to navigation and gradients, and for a goodly part uses forestry tracks.
However, there are gradients, and on one section descending through Newton Woods the path is very steep. This path can be quite slippery when wet, as the pathway is made of stone slabs.
We also found that although you won't get "lost", it was surprisingly easy to make a wrong turn, - resulting in extra mileage on your route. This is because there are a large number of footpaths in the area which don't appear on the OS map.
All-in-all, though, this is a highly worthwhile walk, - especially if the weather is good.

For a Memory Map overlay of the walk described, please select the above link.
(Overlay made with Version 5 of Memory Map)

Some new mapping software is now available which you may want to try, - QUO mapping. You can download the software for free from the link below, complete with demonstration maps. Having installed QUO, you can import and export Memory Map overlays. Thus YOU DON'T NEED Memory Map to use any of the overlays provided on the Grey Panthers web site, - just use QUO!!

Start car park for Pinchinthorpe Country Park, NZ584 152.(small fee payable).

Head Eastwards along the Cleveland Way footpath, which follows a broad tracks and is well sign-posted. Finger posts direct you towards "Guisborough - Market Town". Close to the Cleveland Way itself are several footpaths in the Country Park which you may want to take instead.
Continue on the Cleveland Way footpath to Hutton gate and past Home Farm.
When you reach the minor road, turn right and after a short distance take the track that leads you to Hutton Lowcross Woods.
Follow the track in a South Westerly direction until you emerge at Roseberry Common.
Cross the Common, continuing in the same direction along this track, to reach a gate in a stone wall.
Through the gate, take the farm lane (an old tramway track bed) to Airyholme Farm.
At the farm itself, there is a view of Roseberry Topping from the duck pond which you may wish to enjoy.
Just before the farm buildings, a footpath is waymarked on your right. Follow this path until you come to the field corner, cross the stile, and turn left.
Just past a small copse, there is a sharp turn right where the footpath (not shown on the map) heads North Westwards along the edge of some high ground. This footpath eventually emerges at a lane, close to the bridge that crosses the railway line.
After crossing the railway line, immediately take the footpath on your left that takes you into Great Ayton village.
From the centre of the village, retrace your steps to the railway bridge.
Now take the footpath that heads North Eastwards into Newton Wood.
Continue on woodland footpaths to eventually emerge at the "entrance" to Newton Wood and the main track up to Roseberry Topping.
Here, turn right and follow the Brant gate Path back up to Roseberry Common.
Up on the Common, find the track that heads back to Hutton Lowcross Woods, and retrace your steps to the Pinchinthorpe Country Park.