A Walk on Roseberry Topping

Roseberry Topping is our own distinctive "mountain" in these parts of North Yorkshire.

And we reckon that the summit, with its jagged cliff makes it look like a miniture version of the Matterhorn!

But at just 1,049 feet you won't be needing oxygen to climb good old Roseberry Topping!  Just a good pair of lungs and some stout shoes.

What an inspirational view! Roseberry Topping.

Geology speaking, Roseberry Topping is an outlier of harder Jurassic sandstone deposited some 208 to 165 million years ago.

The harder sandstone cap has protected the softer shales and clays which lie below from erosion by the forces of mother nature.

It's amazing to think that every step you take upwards to the summit represents some 5,000 years of geological time!

The hill got its distictive outline only in 1912, when a geological fault and underground iron stone mining caused half of the top of the summit to collapse.

You'll see from the top that the area below the summit is extensively pitted and scarred from the former mineworks.

Once you reach the top, you'll be rewarded by magnificent views across urban Teeside to the East and as far as the Pennines to the West.

Historically, the area around Roseberry Topping has been inhabited for thousands of years.

A Bronze Age hoard was discovered on the lower slopes and is now in the Sheffield City Museum.  And Iron Age walled enclosures and the remains of huts have also been discovered.  You'll also see a Victorian-era "folly".

The Vikings who settled in Cleveland during the early medieval period gave Roseberry Topping its present name.  They called it Othenesberg ("Odins Rock") which changed successively to Othensberg, Ohenseberg, Ounsberry and Ouesberry before finally settling on Roseberry.

The word "Topping" is Yorkshire dialect for 'top of a hill'.

The area's most famous resident is our own Captain James Cook. From 1736, Cook's family lived at Airey Holme Farm below Roseberry Topping at Great Ayton. And you'll be able to visit the Captain Cook Memorial on near-by Newton Moor.

Today, Roseberry Topping is managed by the National Trust and is open to the public every day from dawn til dusk.

To access the walk to the top of Roseberry Topping, drive to Newton-under-Roseberry (sat nav postcode = TS9 6QR) from Rosella Cottage.  This is a pleasent drive by car across the North Yorkshire Moors and you'll have a good view of the "mountain" when you're near Ralph's Cross up high on Blakey Ridge.

You could also take the Train from Castleton Moor station and get off at Great Ayton station which is about 1  _^1/2-miles from Newton-under-Roseberry.

The OS Explorer Maper OL26 is recommended for use by walkers for this walk.

Allow about an hour for the 2-mile walk up the hill.  It is a reasonably challenging walk with steep sections and uneven rocky terrain. 

From the carpark toilet block in Newton-under-Roseberry, turn right into Roseberry Lane.

Climb the steps at the end of the lane and enter Newton Wood.

Turn immediately left along the bottom edge of the woods.  Keep a good eye open for abundent wildlife (or bluebells in springtime) as you pass through these Woods.

Turn right and follow the stone path along the edge of the woodland.

Go through the gate and onto Roseberry Common.

Keep going upwards until you reach the summit.  Have a sit down and enyoy the view!

Descend from the top on the stone path on the opposite side from where you came up.

Turn right at the fence and through the gate towards the Folly ("summer house").

Walk along the grassy path and back into Newton Wood.

Turn left and then immediately right and down the steep path through the woods.

At the clearing in the woods, continue straight on to the path at the bottom of the wood.

Return back to the gate at Roseberry Lane and retrace your steps back to the car park.

Rosella Luxury Holiday Cottage

Rosella Cottage is a luxury get-away-from-it-all holiday home in Rosedale Abbey; focussed on the holiday needs of active couples.  We have a cosy lounge, kitchen, a king-size bed in a big bedroom with vaulted-ceiling, and a lovely en-suite.

We're in the village-centre and we're easy walking distance to the village shop, cafes, and pubs with great restaurants.  Built in 1850 but now completely refurbished, Rosella offers luxury in the heart of the North York Moors.  To view availability and for bookings, just click here.