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8. A walk around Rosedale and the old mines These pictures illustrate Route 3 "Rosedale's Mineral Railway" from "Ten Scenic Walks around Rosedale, Farndale and Hutton-le-Hole" by J. Brian Beadle or the "Upper Rosedale" walk from "Walking on the North York Moors" compiled by the Ramblers Association but starting from the car park near Blakey Ridge (12 miles). The first two pictures were taken on a glorious winter day, the rest on a very grey winter day!
The walk start car park is on the right of the picture, on the left of the road just beyond the Lion Inn at Blakey Ridge in the Hutton-le-Hole direction. Rosedale is on the left.
I usually set off on the western side of Rosedale to go round in an anti-clockwise direction and on the way you can see across to the iron-ore kilns (more on these further down the page).
There are several old mine shafts close to the paths ...
... and the ruins of old mining buildings stand lonely and forlorn like the remains of a devastated medieval castle.
There is a 'memorial' to the miners of Rosedale.
The inscriptions on either side of the bench are ...
In the dark, working hard, loading up the wooden cart,
Work-shift over, in the sun, on the hill, having fun.
Near Rosedale Bank Top are the remains of the kilns (picture below) that roasted iron ore to drive off water and carbon dioxide gas to concentrate the iron-ore before transportation to the Teesside-Middlesbrough blast furnaces. The remains of the kilns are near the top of the 'Rosedale Chimney', a very steep road up from Rosedale Abbey. You descend down the road to Rosedale Abbey.
Don't forget to call in at St Lawrence's Church, Rosedale Abbey with traces of its medieval origins still visible. PLEASE leave a donation, even if its just buying the excellent little guide sheet to the church and help maintain this ancient and still working church. This was built as the Parish Church St Mary and St Laurence on the foundations of the priory chapel. However, the medieval church or priory chapel, was pulled down in 1839 and a larger church built on the same site.
An old stone seat from the medieval abbey (the 'bishop's chair') and the east stained glass window.
On the right, in front of the county primary school is the remains of a turret staircase from the old Abbey (actually a Nun's Priory), the school is built of stone from the abbey. The turret staircase is all that is left of the great medieval abbey-priory!
? on the side of the church.
The kilns or loading bays? above Hill Cottages on the south-east side of Rosedale.
As you head north along the bed of the old mineral railway line you can climb up above the great iron-ore roasting kilns ....
... and look down into them - with great care!
The sought after ironstone!
The stones of the kiln walls are red from the furnace chemistry. You can see the bed of the lower railway track at their foot.
From the top of the south-east kilns you can see the upper and lower railway embankments on the east side of Rosedale.
The ghostly remains of the mining buildings, before heading along on the old railway 'path' round to Blakey Ridge and perhaps call in at the Lion Inn on Blakey Ridge, a pub that goes back to the 16th century.
The Lion Inn, Blakey Ridge.
* Lastingham, Hutton-le-Hole, Appleton-le-Moors and nearby Rosedale in the North York Moors National park, are both lovely attractive villages and therefore significant tourist attractions but there are many lovely quiet walks in the surrounding countryside for the visitor to the North Yorkshire region to enjoy * page updated Jan 10th 2008, EMAIL Phil Brown, images-photographs-pictures-photos-webshots © Dr W P Brown * |
