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Enter place of feature: village, town, city, castle, walk, feature,
church, historic building, museum, anything of interest! |
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Hob on the Hill Circular Walk
Scenes
around the Upper Esk
Valley, North Yorkshire, England *
One of the best things in Commondale are the well attended coffee mornings! The cakes are absolutely delicious and several interesting craft stalls too.
The moorland WWI war memorial above Commondale, North Yorkshire, winter sunshine December 2018 It commemorates two estate workers who were killed in the First World War.
The prehistoric stone alignment on 'Hob on the Hill' highlighted by the December winter sunshine (2018) Bronze age? Neolithic? but one stone has a 'ancient' Christian cross on it - under new management?!
The small village-hamlet of Commondale viewed from the Commondale-Castleton road.
Sheep on the moors above Commondale.
Looking down on Commondale - ex cottages for miners or brick workers in the centre of the picture.
The War Memorial.
The old school of Commondale, now converted into a private house, built of Commondale bricks, the brickworks was just across the road. Note St Peter's Church up on the right on the road up from Commondale to White Cross.
A stone trod (or pannier way, packhorse track) enters the village above the war memorial and comes from high above on the moor from the White Cross direction. This would be an ancient medieval trackway.
1 Coronation Cottage? As you walk out up the Kildale/Stokesley road you pass one of the fine houses built of the characteristic Commondale red brick, once made a few hundred metres behind the house at the Cleveland Fire Brick and Pottery Company between 1860 and 1950. Little trace of the great brickworks survives. Its hard to imagine there was a large brickworks operating in Commondale producing the very hard characteristic red bricks but at least some of the houses preserve the output of the brick factory.
More Commondale bricks! The playground of the old schoolhouse is now a well tended and attractive garden and the Crossley Memorial Institute of 1923 is now the village hall.
Ness Terrace, made of Commondale bricks, (also known as Brick Row)?
St Peter's Church Commondale, worth a call in.
The modest but pleasing interior of this modest rural church of St Peter, Commondale. PLEASE leave a donation for the upkeep of this church.
The east stained glass window (left) of St Peter's Church Commondale. The north window (right), recalls the tradition of St Colman resting in this Commondale at the time of the Synod of Whitby. St Colman was a Bishop of Lindisfarne and died in AD 676. This window is a thank-offering given in celebration of the lives of Harold and Doris Artley.
Commondale Station is still open on the Esk Valley Railway.
Old Post Office Tea Rooms (NOT open!) or The Cleveland Inn (which is still open!).
An Esk Valley Railway train near Commondale Village.
The holiday cottages and farm at Foul Green.
The buttresses of the disused railway
bridge at Commondale, in the left picture, the very much used
railway bridge of the Middlesbrough-Whitby Esk valley Line lies
beyond the disused bridge.
Stone mason marks on the remains of the brickworks bridge.
Its hard for trees to grown on the wild moorland above Commondale village - sheep and the wind blown weather usually prevail!
Looking down onto Commondale from above the row of ex old miners cottages- the road to Kildale is on the left.
Looking north over Commondale from Commondale Moor, a gentle rolling rural setting where you would have once seen a large brickworks! (now almost all trace of this industry in Commondale has gone!)
A Commondale Coffee Morning and Craft Fair, a warm welcome guaranteed!
A bit of street art at White Cross 'bus shelter at the top of the road down to Commondale
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18. Commondale (2) A circular walk via Hob on the Hill The pictures illustrate the 1st part of Walk 58 "Hob on the Hill" from "Walks on the North York Moors" Book 2 by Jack Keighley You can start the walk in the centre of Commondale Village.
Commondale Walk to Hob on the Hill, war memorial, Bronze Age stone alignment Hob Cross North Yorkshire images photos pictures photographs
As you walk out up the Kildale/Stokesley road you pass one of the fine houses built of the characteristic Commondale red brick.
Having turned right of the road you head for the first stone trod or causeway near Whiteley Beck.
The first paved trod and heading up towards the war memorial after crossing the beck.
The First World War Memorial. Remembrance to Guardsmen Robbie Leggott killed in action 1916 and Alf Cockerill died of wounds on duty in 1914.
Looking down passed the war memorial back towards Commondale, Castleton and Westerdale. Finding the faint track up to Hob on the Hill isn't easy, but if you go to far along the track after the 1st WW1 memorial stone, don't worry, you can find a prehistoric stone alignment (see below) that takes you up to a bit to the left of the Hob on the Hill stone. This is worth looking out for on its own merit.
The boundary stone engraved 'S Hob on the Hill' stands in the middle of an excavated tumulus (bronze age burial mound). 'Hob' or 'Hobs' is frequently used in names and is derived from folklore witchcraft. A 'hob' was often described as a hairy ugly dwarf inhabiting moorland farms. OS grid ref. 646 124
The stone at Hob-on-the-Hill
On the reverse of the stone it is inscribed with RC 1798. The RC refers to Robert Chaloner Esq. Lord of the Manor.
The Hob on the Hill stone alignment
The late Bronze Age stone alignment below Hob on the Hill. You need to deviate ~ south-west from Hob on the Hill i.e. from the walk instructions, to view this marvellous stone and earthen bank boundary which is much more impressive than the orthostats above Westerdale.
The stones of the 'boundary wall, which are set in a low embankment, and one of the lower stones is engraved with a cross (detail below) - presumably to indicate 'now under new spiritual ownership' in medieval times!
Hob on the Hill is a fine picnic spot with wonderful 360o views. Looking south from Hob on the Hill towards Castleton Village, with Danby Dale beyond and Westerdale on the right.
Looking north from Hob on the Hill down to the sea.
Looking west from Hob on the Hill towards the Cleveland Hills.
From Hob on the Hill (OS grid ref. 646124) you initially head in the direction of the coast in a north-east direction to find a track which leads to a line of boundary stones that goes almost due north to Hob Cross.
... and at the bottom of the line of boundary stones (like the one above-right), on the left, just before the corner of a walled field, is Hob Cross.
En route you pass a boundary stone inscribed SK AWD 1844 and TC 1856/1866? before reaching Hob Cross.
Hob Cross has the initials RC (Robert Chaloner) and a date of 1798 (same as Hob on the Hill). OS grid ref. 646 134
Hob Cross cuts an imposing figure on the landscape towards the North Sea coast and is about half way round the walk. OS grid ref. 646134
A recent offering below Hob Cross!
Redcar Steelworks and Teesmouth can be 'faintly' seen just right of centre.
Looking down the power lines towards the sea at Redcar. On the left is the plantation forest above Guisborough.
The paved stone trod of the Quakers Causeway cutting its away across the moors towards Guisborough. Packhorse trains carried goods along these 'pannier ways', so called because dozens of ponies at a time carried pairs of pannier packs balanced across each pony's back. This is one of the most impressive stone flagged ways on the North York Moors and the purple heather is on its way too!
Looking down from the stone trod onto Lockwood Beck Reservoir and the coastal scene beyond.
The green and striking Freebrough Hill (not man-made!) viewed from the stone trod near the road from Castleton to Lockwood Beck reservoir on the A171 road at OS grid ref. 671 117
Down the clear track from the Castleton road (at OS grid ref. 671117) the village of Commondale comes into sight nestling in the surrounding green fields of Commondale.
Finally, on the way back down to the centre of Commondale, you pass St Peter's Church, worth a call in.
Finally finish up in the Commondale Old Post Office Tea Rooms or The Cleveland Inn.
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Commondale (3) A circular walk from Castleton An anti-clockwise Castleton - Commondale Bridleway Walk Commondale (3) A circular walk from Castleton, Box Hall, Foul Green North Yorkshire
Looking towards Commondale from the ridge at the top of Castleton village.
Walking along the bridle path from Castleton to Commondale.
Sheep above Box Hall on the Castleton-Commondale bridleway, sorry 'girls' we had no food for you!
Wild autumn walking on the Castleton-Commondale bridle path.
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The Esk Valley Railway sweeps by near Commondale.
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Managed woodland and picnic area - these can be accessed by disabled people using wheel chairs.
The Esk Valley Railway runs below the bridle path from Castleton to Commondale.
Highland cattle and sheep - both seeking food in the raw winter weather.
Approaching Foul Green.
Commondale Station.
Foul Green.
Climbing out of Commondale on the road to Castleton.
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Winter view of Westerdale from the road Commondale to Castleton road.
Autumn view of Castleton (right) on the road from Commondale.
Evening view of Castleton on the road from Commondale.
* Take a great scenic railway trip on the Esk Valley Railway Line from Whitby to Middlesbrough * North York Moors National Park, North Yorkshire, Northern England * docspics images pictures © Phil Brown * Tourism information, top tourist attractions, guided walks, accommodation, luxury hotels, self-catering holiday cottages flats properties, B&B, friendly pubs inns, dining out restaurants, good places to eat local food, walking holidays, interesting towns, pretty villages, historic buildings, churches, abbeys *
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Commondale and Environs (4) bits of history and archaeology Commondale and Environs, incorporating an old railway bridge, stonemason marks, Commondale bricks brickworks, a war memorial, prehistoric stone alignment boundary, Hob on the Hill, Hob Cross, stone trods - pannier ways (a) Mason marks on the old railway bridge
The buttresses of the disused railway
bridge at Commondale, in the left picture, the very much used
railway bridge of the Middlesbrough-Whitby Esk valley Line lies
beyond the disused bridge.
All of these mason marks ('Masonic motifs' of stonemasons) have been carved into the walls of the bridge supports of the disused railway bridge, whose track once ran into Commondale Brickworks. (b) Commondale Bricks
Its hard to imagine there was a large brickworks operating in Commondale producing the very hard characteristic red bricks.
- (c) A lonely War Memorial
The stone in Remembrance to Guardsmen Robbie Leggott killed in action 1916 and Alf Cockerill died of wounds 1914 stands above Commondale Village on the south-west of Skeldersceugh Moor - North Ings Moor - Commondale Moor
(d) prehistoric stone alignment near Hob on the Hill This line of earthen bank and standing stones is found between OS grid 645121 to 645124 and runs just east, and parallel to, the Commondale - Guisborough bridleway.
This is a very impressive stone alignment leading up to Hob on the Hill.
The bank is not defensive and is presumably a Bronze Age territorial boundary marker.
One of the lower stones has a cross inscribed on it. (e) Boundary Stones and Hob Cross
Hob-on-the-Hill OS grid ref. NZ 646125 Carved on it is RC 1798, the RC refers to Robert Chaloner Esq. Lord of the Manor and member of Parliament for York.
Between Hob on the Hill and Hob Cross is another boundary stone marked one side with SK AWD 1814 and TC 1856/1866? (I think?)
The track running north from Hob-on-the-Hill down to Hob Cross
The quite large stone of Hob Cross at NZ 646134, also marked with RC 1798.
Hob Cross is not a medieval cross, but an estate boundary marker from, at the earliest, the late 16th century, but probably dates from the 18th century. (f) Stone Trods - Pannier Ways
This stone trod - pannier way - packhorse route ... runs from north of Castleton to Guisborough and dates back to the monastic period after the Norman conquest. This is part of what is known as the 'Monks Trod'.
When it reaches the Lockwood Beck - Castleton Road you look down on the completely natural Freeborough Hill.
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