6 The Northern Echo Thursday, September 9, 2010 7DAYS northernecho.co.uk COUNTRY DIARY WALKS HERE are few more pleasant Saltburn-by-the-Sea ways to idle away a sunny Tafternoon on the coast than to indulge in a spot of beachcombing, discovering what the retreating tide By has left behind, and when we arrived Mark Reid at Warkworth beach last Saturday & Warsett Hill lunchtime the tide had just turned, Hunt Cliff leaving a trail of marine life along the POINTS OF INTEREST beach. ALTBURN-BY-THE- The long sweep of apparently SEAis a delightful featureless sand in the bay belies the Victorian coastal resort fact that just below low tide level that stands high on a there’s a wealth of animal life, but Spromontory of land some of the seashells washed up on overlooking the sea, with the deep the shore give a clue to what lies wooded ravines of Hazel Grove, beyond. The rayed trough shell is a Skelton Beck and Saltburn Gill on clam-like mollusc whose empty shell is either side. This seaside resort often tinged mauve on its inner surface still retains a dignified air with and on the outside is bears markings rows of Victorian and Edwardian that resemble the rays of the setting villas overlooking the sea from sun. Banded wedge shells, that their cliff-top vantage point as belong to a small clam that lives well as the North-East’s only buried in the sand, come in a variety of surviving Victorian pleasure pier. colours including brown, purple and The problem of how to get from yellow and remain attached in pairs the town and railway station long after their owner has died. perched high on top of the cliffs However many times you visit a beach all the way down to the pier and like this, there is always the chance of seafront (and back up again) was finding something new and although solved by the construction of a we must have walked it scores of water-balanced clifflift in 1884, times the auger or tower shell, shaped which now stands as the oldest like a long, tapering spiral, was clifflift of its kind in this country. something we had never found before But the history of Saltburn along this coast. stretches far back before the High winds produced rough seas a Victorians when this was once a couple of weeks ago and they must centre for smuggling. have been responsible for the piles of sand mason worms that we found Mile upon mile of sands stretch to WALKFACTS along the shore. These marine worms the north-west whilst to the east Distance: 8 km (5 miles) construct a tube of sand grains that’s rise the high sea-cliffs of North Time: Allow 2 – 3 hours up to ten inches long. Normally about Yorkshire’s Heritage Coastline – Map: OS Explorer Sheet 306 half of this is buried in the sand just with the highest cliffs in the Based on Ordnance Middlesbrough & Hartlepool below low water level, with the country at Boulby. Surfers have Survey mapping © Parking: Car parks along Saltburn’s sea- animal’s tentacles protruding from the replaced the Victorian bathers as Crown copyright: front top, but strong currents and pounding the rolling breakers make this one AM26/09 Refreshments: Pubs, cafes and shops at waves at low tide can dislodge large of the best surfing spots in the Saltburn. numbers of these filter-feeding worms. country. Terrain: From Saltburn, a grassy path Phil Gates leads across the top of high cliffs From Saltburn, our route rises skirting around Warsett Hill before BIRDWATCH steeply up onto Hunt Cliff cutting inland across fields then quite following the Cleveland Way path – sheer cliffs) heading along fence across your path. Turn right steeply up onto the top of Warsett Hill, eastwards along an exhilarating from where there are wonderful views ECENTLYIwrote about how the top of the impressive Hunt here to soon reach the Trig Point on cliff-top path with the crashing (exposed to the elements). After a short once an exotic vagrant makes Cliff(with Warsett Hill ahead of the top of Warsett Hill, and a waves of the North Sea over 100 but quite steep descent, clear Ran historic appearance at a you) all the way to reach a railway wonderful view ahead of you. metres below. The views back grassy/stony tracks lead back to migration hotspot there can be a line on your right. towards Saltburn are superb with As you reach the Trig Point on Saltburn. pattern of follow-up arrivals at the How to get there: Saltburn is served by industrial Teesside clearly visible 4the top of Warsett Hill (with the same location or nearby. This week Carry straight on along the a railway station. By car, follow the A174 on the horizon. Just to the north steep slope in front in you) turn left has seen another such example. 2cliff-top path alongside the from Middlesbrough eastwards to reach of Warsett Hill, our route joins railway (take extra care along this to quickly reach a stile over a fence, In this case the excitement was part of what was once the coastal Saltburn. focused on a brown flycatcher section) – the path soon heads immediately after which turn right Caution: This walk involves a long Whitby to Middlesbrough line, along a particularly narrow steeply down the hillside (gorse discovered near Buckton on the built in 1883. One of England’s stretch along the top of very high sea section, with the cliff-edge on your bushes) alongside the fence on your Yorkshire coast on Sunday. This tiny most scenic railway journeys, the cliffs, with sheer drops in places. Take left (protected by fencing) and right. As you reach the bottom of Asian delight, which remained until line was difficult to maintain due care along this section, especially in bad railway to your right below the the steep bank you soon reach a gate Monday morning, is only the second to coastal erosion and was closed weather – keep to the path at all times slopes of Warsett Hill, to reach a in the fence on your right – turn left of this species for England. The first in 1958, although the section from and keep well away from the edge; take circular iron sculpture with here across the bottom of the field extra care if accompanied by children or was no further away than Middlesbrough to Saltburn hanging figures and adjacent (heading towards Saltburn in the dogs. Flamborough Head, just four miles remains open to passengers with bench (just beyond a W railway distance) to reach a stile towards the along the coast, in October, 2007. a freight line continuing to Nesting from southern Siberia and sign). As you reach the sculpture, bottom corner of the field, just ■ While every effort is made to ensure that Boulby to service its Potash Mine. above the railway line. Cross this northern Mongolia south to north-east Beside this railway line are the carry straight on along the cliff-top walks are accessible and are rights of way, stile then carry on to quickly reach China and northern Japan and with a crumbling concrete remains of path to quickly join a fence corner The Northern Echo cannot guarantee that another stile that leads across winter range extending from the the Guibal Fanhouse. This formed on your right (National Trust sign fields, paths or pubs will be open. If you are railway line (take care). walking in the countryside, please eastern Himalayas and southern part of the HuntcliffIronstone Warsett Hill), leaving the railway remember the Country Code. China south to the Philippines and Mine, which was operational from to curve slightly away to the right After crossing the railway line, Borneo, the species already had a 1872 until 1906. This Fanhouse (ignore the stile over this fence by 5you join a clear track. Follow this deja vu history. There are only two was built to ventilate the mines, the fence corner). Carry straight other British records – both on which extended as a maze of on along the clear cliff-top path track straight on across fields Scotland's Fair Isle, the first in July, tunnels far underground. alongside the fence on your right alongside the hedge on your left for 1992 and the second in September, for 500 metres passing a stile 0.5 km to reach a house on your left 2008. From this Fanhouse, it is a short (information sign) then continue and a crossroads of tracks. At the Flamborough's flycatcher was in the walk to the top of Warsett Hill, on to reach a second stile to the crossroads, carry straight on along Old Fall Plantation, the site of the past from where there are magnificent right over the fence (Skinningrove the stony track (signpost Saltburn) week’s other North-East sensation – views across Saltburn towards bay and jetty come into view and follow this for 400 metres to an eastern olivaceous warbler found Tees Mouth. It is now downhill all ahead). After the stile, head reach Ladgates Farm. Carry straight straight across the field and over a on along the track passing the farm on September 01. Over 500 birders the way along a pleasant track Clothing and Equipment travelled to see this Yorkshire “first” up back to Saltburn. ladder stile that leads across the buildings on your right just after to its Friday night disappearance; railway line (about 250 metres to which, where the clear track swings £640 went into a charity bucket, to be THE WA LK the left down from the ruinous sharp left, head straight on along split between St Catherine’s Hospice, From Saltburn Pier (facing the concrete Fanhouse building). the enclosed rutted/grassy track Scarborough, and Flamborough 1pier), turn right along the sea- ahead. Follow this enclosed track conservation projects. front (with the sea to your left) to Take care crossing the railway, straight on for 200 metres down to This species’ breeding range is soon reach the road at the foot of 3after which bear slightly to the join a metalled road on a bend. Head much nearer to Britain than the brown the steep bends where you carry right up across the field to reach a straight on (to the right) along this flycatcher’s – from the Balkans east to straight on along the road (sea stile in the fence/hedge along the road then, as you approach a row of southern Kazakhstan and south to and beach on your left) to reach top of the field (to the right of the cottages and the road bends slightly Iraq, Iran and northern. Afghanistan. the Ship Inn where you follow the gateway), with Warsett Hill in to the right, branch offto the left From there they migrate through the road bending sharp right then, front of you. After the stile, bear to along a gravel footpath (signpost). Middle East in the autumn to immediately after the pub car the right across the middle of the Follow this gravel path straight on overwinter in East Africa. There have park, turn left up along a clear field, skirting along the foot of the passing in front of the cottages (and been just 13 previous British records, footpath. Follow the left-hand steep slope with its scattering of their gardens) then quite steeply eight in southern England and five in path (sign Hunt CliffNature gorse bushes (Warsett Hill) to soon down to join the road on the Scotland, all between 1967 and 2008. Reserve, Cleveland Way) climbing pick up a clear path which leads to outskirts of Saltburn beside the The recent south-east winds blew steeply up a flight of steps up a stile over a fence at the foot of Ship Inn. Re-trace your steps back many not-so-rare visitors on to the onto the cliff-top path. Follow the the steep bank (Warsett Hill). After along the seafront into Saltburn. region's coast. I hope to give a full clear wide grassy path straight on the stile, turn immediately left round-up next week. along the top of the cliffs (Hunt climbing quite steeply up the bank Mark Reid Brian Unwin CliffNature Reserve) gently alongside the fence on your left to Author of The Inn Way series rising up for 2.5 km (keep to the reach the top of the hill and a innway. co.uk