THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2014 The Northern Echo 35 Walks what’son Walks Fine views from Eston Nab

moorland is littered with prehistoric 75 metres then, as the road bends Walk Information remains including several Bronze slightly right, cross the road and Age burial mounds, a ring cairn and take the footpath to the left (on the Distance: 5.6 km/3.5 miles ditch and bank field boundaries. This other side of the road) that leads into Time: Allow 2 hours ancient farming landscape dates woodland (signpost). Follow the clear back over 3,500 years and remains path bending slightly to the left up Maps: OS Explorer Sheet OL26 very much intact due to the fact that some steps through the woods for Start/Parking: Large car park at around 2,500 years ago the climate 125 metres to soon reach a clear track Flatts Lane Woodland Country Park began to warm up and so these early across your path. Turn left along Refreshments: Flatts Lane Woodland farmers moved down from the hills to this track to quickly reach a stile the more fertile valleys leaving behind Country Park Visitor Centre. None beside a gate to your right (signpost their cultivated uplands that gradually en route. ‘Footpath to Eston Nab’). became uncultivated moorland. The Terrain: Clear tracks and paths finest of these prehistoric monuments through woodland and across is the large hill-fort that encircles 2. Head through the gate and follow moorland, although rough and muddy Eston Beacon, the only surviving hill- the clear, eroded path straight on underfoot in places. fort in Cleveland that was occupied climbing steadily up across the How to get there: Flatts Lane from the early Bronze Age until hillside, with woodland on your Woodland Country Park lies along a the onset of the Iron Age. The deep right and open views across Teesside minor road signed off from the A171 defensive ditch and bank around this to your left, to reach a stile beside near its junction with the A1043 just hill-fort is still clearly visible. Eston a gate at the top of the climb after to the south east of Middlesbrough. Beacon is a stone-built tower that 575 metres. Head through the gate was built in around 1800 as a look-out and follow the clear path curving to Caution: There is a busy road to post and warning beacon during the the right (path levels out) to quickly cross at the start and end of this walk. Napoleonic Wars, later used during reach a junction of paths where you Eston Moor is a maze of paths and the Second World War. The views from follow the wide, clear left-hand path tracks, which may be confusing in the top of Eston Moor are superb with heading straight on across the moor poor visibility. Eston Nab is exposed the Cleveland Hills and Roseberry into birch woodland. Follow this clear, to the elements and there are steep Topping clearly visible, as well as wide path straight on across Eston drops to its north side. The descent the flat Cleveland Plain. Just beyond Moor through birch woodland then, from Eston Moor is steep. the Beacon is Eston Nab, a sheer where you emerge from this woodland escarpment of gritstone boulders from after 500 metres, you reach a large where there are superb views across pond on your right (Carr Pond). Just Points of Interest Middlesbrough and the vast and after the pond the track forks, follow fascinating industrial landscape of the right-hand clear track straight 4. Turn right along this clear track gate/stile you crossed earlier at the Flatts Lane Woodland Country Park Teesside with its flare stacks, cooling on gently rising up across Eston and re-trace your steps (keep to the ‘Footpath to Eston Nab’ signpost. covers a large area of woodland, towers and chimneys. The contrast Moor for 1 km (heading towards the clear main track) for 625 metres At this path junction, head to the grassland and wetland just to the is striking as you are stood amidst a transmitter masts) to reach a track back to reach Carr Pond, where you right along the clearer path for 50 south of Teesside and Middlesbrough, Bronze Age hill fort looking across across your path just before the group continue straight on along the track metres then re-trace your steps back and takes its name from the track the industrial landscape. To the east of transmitter masts at the top of through birch woodland for 500 down along the indistinct grassy known as Flatts Lane that crosses is the North Sea, with its off- shore Eston Moor, with the stone-built metres to reach the junction of path to the right down through this Country Park, which was an wind farm and dozens of large ships Eston Beacon just across to your paths again at the edge of Eston woodland (steps) back to join the important trade route between waiting out at sea to dock at Teesport. left. Head to the left to reach Eston Moor (fields ahead). Turn right road. Cross the road and turn right markets and ports in the Middle Beacon and the Trig Point (enjoy then immediately right again along alongside the road (take care) for Ages used by monks, farmers and the views!). the right fork in the grassy path 75 metres then take the path to the merchants. In the 1850s, ironstone (ignore path through the gate/stile left through the stile that leads The Walk you walked up earlier) and follow back into Flatts Lane Woodland was discovered in the area and the 3. From the Trig Point and Beacon, Cleveland Railway was built across this grassy path heading down Country Park. 1. From Flatts Lane Woodland walk ahead to quickly reach the towards the houses of Teesside. The the site which transported the Country Park car park, walk south- escarpment overlooking Teesside ironstone to furnaces and foundries path soon drops steeply down the wards across the open playing field where you follow the path to the escarpment, slanting down to the left alongside the River Tees. Later, up along a gravel path along the left- left along the top of the escarpment Mark Reid brickworks were built on the site then, where the gradient eases you hand (east) side of the playing field to passing gritstone outcrops (take reach a junction of paths (woodland Walking Weekends 2014 utilising the local clay to make house reach the top left-hand corner where, care - sheer drops) to soon reach Peak District, Yorkshire Dales, bricks for burgeoning Middlesbrough. ahead) where you turn left along a just before you enter the woodland, a fork in the path just beyond the clear path through bracken. Lake District & Snowdonia In the 1970s the brickworks were you take the narrow path to the left prominent outcrops. At this fork, walkingweekenders.co.uk demolished and the site cleared and (by a wooden bench) through the follow the clearer, wider grassy track developed for recreation into the undergrowth/trees to quickly emerge straight on heading back across 5. Follow this very clear path straight Unique corporate activity days, Country Park of today. onto a road beside a signpost. Turn Eston Moor (towards the Cleveland on with woodland on your right navigation skills and team building Rising up to the east of this Country right along the road (take extra care Hills in the distance) to re-join the heading along the foot of the steep experiences in the great outdoors. Park is Eston Moor, a swathe of – face oncoming traffic and walk in clear track you walked up on your bank for 500 metres to eventually teamwalking.co.uk moorland and birch woodland. This single file on the verge) for about way towards the transmitter masts. reach the junction of paths by the

Countrydiary By Phil GatesIBirdwatch an Kerr

heat and barley fields have been We have about 20 native species of hile many of us have still to take other areas offering rich muddy feeding. harvested and autumn is creeping harvestman but the most unusual is an our summer holidays, for some On the coast at the weekend, I several W a little closer, so it’s time for those W birds, particularly waders, the arrival from Morocco, which goes by times heard the musical trill of whimbrel strange animals known as harvestmen the tongue-twisting scientific name of breeding season is long over and as far passing overhead, already bound for spiders to appear. Dicranopalpus ramosus. It turned up in as they’re concerned it’s autumn. Large African wintering areas. Harvestmen are not true spiders because Bournemouth in 1957 and since then has flocks of lapwings and curlews have Continuing the wader theme, last week’s their globular bodies lack the two separate been quietly invading Britain, arriving already formed, particularly around stilt sandpiper, the best American mega- body sections of their cousins. They grow in Durham in the 1990s and reaching the wetland and coastal sites, and have rarity so far this summer, disappeared through a series of moults and in their Scottish border in 2000. It may well be been joined by other waders from more after two days at Cresswell Pond but early stages they are so small that they living in your garden, shed or greenhouse northerly breeding areas in Scandinavia, turned up again after a three-day absence escape notice, but now they have reached now. It’s by far the easiest of all the Iceland and Russia. just a mile up the road at Druridge Pools. full size they are easy to spot and repay harvestmen to identify because of the Over the past few days I’ve noticed an It then returned to Cresswell. time spent in taking a close look at their unique way in which it arranges its legs arrival of golden plovers of the northern This Sunday has been designated ‘Hen extraordinary bodies. Their legs are all when at rest. Take a piece of paper, draw a race, many still in black and gold summer Harrier Day’ to highlight the plight of our exceptionally long and the second, longest, small circle then draw four closely-spaced plumage along with advance parties of most illegally persecuted raptor, whose pair are the location of several of their parallel lines, each about dunlin still with their dark breeding belly breeding population in England was down most important senses, including touch, ten times the diameter of patches. Knot, bar-tailed and black-tailed to three pairs this year. A regional event taste and smell. Their single pair of eyes, the circle, emerging from godwits have also appeared, some still is planned at Langley Viaduct on the which provide rather poor vision, are two opposite sides of the resplendent in their brick red breeding South Tyne Trail, with campaigners being located in a little turret on the top of their circumference, and you’ll plumage which will now quickly fade. present between 9am-4pm. Organised by body which is slung between their eight have a fair representation Other northerners, including green and Birders Against Wildlife Crime, the aim is angular legs, giving the whole animal of its appearance – or you wood sandpipers, have been prominent to keep the issue high on the agenda just the appearance of an alien monster from can find photographs at with reports from Rainton Meadows, two days before the start of the grouse H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds. http://tinyurl.com/lhkhgsj Bishop Middleham, Hetton Lyons and shooting, the main target of campaigners.