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buggyexplorer-blog · 8 years ago

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Where the Buggy Adventures began. Captain Cook's Monument.

Welcome back to Buggy Adventures. This is a special one, as it’s the first adventure. Read on to see how we get on with a circular hike from Guisborough taking in Captain Cook’s Monument.

After purchasing the Nipper Sport buggy just the day before and squeezing it into Leela’s little Daihatsu Charade, aka the golf buggy, to get it home, we were excited to use it and go out on a hike. As this was the first serious walk we had attempted since Thomas was born, Leela was keen for it not to be over strenuous. “Oh it’s about 6 miles and not too hard going” I told Leela. Well in my excitement, perhaps I forgot to inform Leela of the hills it involved! Oops!

Anyway, we parked our car, my slightly larger Kia Sorento, aka The Beast, on Hutton Village Road leading up to the very picturesque and Alpine-esque settlement of Hutton Village in Guisborough. We walked through the Village to the gate leading into Guisborough woods up a steep tarmac track commonly referred to as the Christmas Tree Bank. It’s called this as you were once able to drive up this bank at Christmas time where the Forestry Commission sold real Christmas trees. Due to mindless idiots who burnt down the hut where the staff operated from, a tree hasn’t been sold from here in about 20 years but the name of the bank has stuck.

Once at the top of the bank we turned right and left the tarmac of the bank onto fire track roads, which twist and meander their way through the Guisborough Woods. Shortly after we took a left turn onto the second half of another path with a name that once described it but it’s still known as, the Unsuitable. The Unsuitable was given its name as it was once a public road, there was nothing stopping you taking your Nova SR up here, not that you’d get very far. There were signs warning people that it was indeed unsuitable for motors. The path had deep ruts and after rain they formed mini raging rivers. This was mainly caused by the 4X4’s that would use the track to get up to the Percy Cross Rigg road on the moor. Now no traffic is allowed and the path is well maintained but still carries its common name of the Unsuitable.

Once up the Unsuitable we stopped for a break and delved into our bag of food for much needed sustenance. A small group of mountain bikers passed us and one made a comment about doing well pushing the buggy up the steep track. My stock answer to this has since become, “I wish Thomas would help me out by peddling faster!” The mountain bikers headed off through the gate onto Percy Cross Rigg, where the chatty lad at the back tried to bunny hop a low gate on his bike. It didn’t end well with him not clearing the gate and him being thrown off his bike! Thankfully it was only his pride that was hurt!

So after a break and a quick food stop at the top of the Unsuitable we took a right turn and followed a path that skirts the moor to the left and what was, until a few years ago, the tree line of Guisborough Woods to the right. There is a scheme designed to take Guisborough Hills back to its more natural deciduous wood rather that the pine trees as managed by the Forestry Commission. In the 1950’s the Government introduced managed forests all across the country to help get the country back on its feet after the Second World War, hence the Guisborough Forest. This section of the forest has now been cleared and is just tree stumps and the odd trunk of a tree which were left for the birds of prey to perch themselves on. It looks a bit like how I imagine the countryside of Europe which hosted the epic battles of the First World War!

Anyway, after a few minutes we left the Guisborough Woods and went through a gate onto the moorland. Here you can enjoy uninterrupted views for miles and also catch a view of Roseberry Topping. Standing at 1050 feet above sea level we can actually refer to the Topping as a mountain. Granted, not exactly in the same league as Mont Blanc but a mountain nevertheless. This being the first outing with the buggy, I thought we could save Roseberry Topping for another adventure. After all, I still feel as though I need the “L” plates at this stage. We hung a left turn and carried on over the moor towards Gribdale. We passed those same mountain bikers at this point, who we met on the Unsuitable, on their return loop and we exchanged the usual pleasantries as each passed us. To reach the foot of Gribdale there are two choices. One is to go down the steps to reach the road at the bottom, or the other to take a rutted path which bends its way down to the same point. Not wanting to attempt the long steps and risk bouncing Thomas around too much, we opted for the path. I once came a cropper on this path on my mountain bike going totally over the handlebars, doing a great somersault and landing with a very satisfyingly sounding splat in a load of mud! Again, like the mountain biker who tried to bunny hop the gate earlier in our walk, only my pride was hurt but turning up at my mum’s house after my ride there was no way I was allowed to cross the threshold caked in all the mud. This was a common occurrence when I still lived at home on the weekend. I’ve even been hosed down on the drive before even being considered entry!

As we reached the bottom we found the car park at Gribdale was chockablock. I’m all for encouraging people to get out into the countryside but I couldn’t help but feel a bit sad. I had been walking and cycling here getting on for 30 years and this was always a very pleasant spot. While cars have often parked here so that people can climb the path up to Easby Moor, aka Captain Cook’s Monument, I had never experienced it being so busy, noisy and unfortunately, dirty. I was always brought up to respect the countryside and everywhere else for that matter. I would never dream of leaving litter. Is it so hard to take home your empty drink bottle, or sweet wrappers! But that wasn’t the worst of it. As we walked through the gate to start the long climb the path was lined with little black plastic bags, all tied up and some tied to trees. I can’t work out what’s worse, allow your dog to leave a deposit,or pick it up with a plastic bag, tie it up and leave it! It’s hardly going to biodegrade like that, is it?! Better still, be a responsible dog owner, pick it up with the bag and carry it tied up until you come across a bin!

Ok, rant over now, back to our walk.

We pushed on for the summit and near the top we met a young family with twin boys about 3 years old. It’s so nice to see other parents introducing their young children to hiking. Both mum and dad had backpacks on to carry the boys for when their little legs couldn’t take them any further but at this point they seemed full of energy and were doing really well. The last couple of hundred yards or so to the summit turns stoney and steep. Traffic was busy here too with people walking up and down and it’s much narrower at this point. I really didn’t want to admit failure and ask Leela to help me get the buggy up that last few yards. So I dug deep and with some brute force I forged a way up the steep, rocky section to the top where the path levelled off. A quick check inside the buggy to make sure I hadn’t scared poor Thomas senseless but as he was sound asleep it was the final 50 yards of flat pushing to the monument.

The monument to Captain James Cook can be seen for miles around. Captain Cook was born in 1728 in nearby Marton, now part of Middlesbrough and went on to become one of the world’s most famous explorers. He was killed in Hawaii in 1779 and 48 years later in 1827 a banker from Whitby, named Robert Campion, erected the 60 feet high monument in memory of our region’s most famous son.

After walking around the monument a number of times, Leela eventually settled on the most sheltered side to sit and enjoy our lunch. It’s worth noting that it was particularly blustery at the top of Easby Moor. We made sure Thomas was well sheltered and then we tucked into our cheese and salami ciabatta buns and then we wasted no time in setting off due to the chilly wind.

We followed the Cleveland Way path and descended off the moor via a very rocky and steep path. I often lost my nerve on my mountain bike here but the buggy made easy work of the terrain. Lifting both back wheels off the ground and using the fixed single front wheel to steer we were down with minimal effort. This time Thomas was wide awake but seemed undeterred by the bumps and steepness. He’s going to love his adrenaline sports this boy! Once onto more easy wheeling paths we carried on the Cleveland Way walking through some lovely woodland until we came to a tarmac road named Dikes Lane.

We turned left onto Dikes Lane, which if we remained on for long enough would bring us back to the bottom of the climb to Captain Cook’s Monument at Gribdale. We wouldn’t be going that far today though. We followed the road downhill through a small but dense wood which then opens into a very pretty small dale with one or two farm buildings and holiday cottages dotted among the fields. We stopped by the first farm house and perched ourselves on a wall to feed Thomas. We had been out a little longer than anticipated by this point but as ever we were well prepared with food and water for us and milk and bottles for Thomas. Once the little man was fed it was onwards for the final climb of the walk and what a climb it is too!

It was at this point that Leela recognised this particular path from a walk we did a few years ago and she wasn’t overly impressed that we needed to go up it today! I could feel the daggers burrowing into the back of my head as I enthusiastically insisted it’ll be ok and we’ll be at the top in no time when I set off pushing the buggy up the hill. To be honest, I was also trying to convince myself as I was starting to feel the strain somewhat but please bear in mind that just a few months ago Leela had given birth and this was our first proper hike since April last year and it’s now May! I knew that she was doing really well and I was impressed by her determination but I was mindful to keep the mood positive and kept trying to motivate. I had also earlier told Leela that we would be back at the car by now!

The path quickly gets steep and is very rutted. Now at five feet six tall, I realise I am no giant but I found myself in a rut deeper than me and it was getting narrower and more difficult to navigate the buggy. This climb was taking its toll but I picked my way through the ruts and Thomas and I made it to the top. Leela wasn’t far behind and we rested a while and took on some water. It was quite warm now and the climb was tough but that was the last climb which I enthusiastically told Leela. However I just got a look and I knew she would be thinking “You also told me we’d be finished now, so I don’t believe you!”

We were now on Percy Cross Rig, which takes its name from a 13th Century cross marking an ancient road from Guisborough to Westerdale. We set off in the direction of Guisborough passing an old air raid shelter used by people during the Second World War who lit fires over the moors to confuse the German Luftwaffe so that they would drop their bombs over the sparsely populated moorlands, rather than the steel works and towns on Teesside, their actual target. From there on we could see the tree line of Guisborough Woods and we were soon at the gate at the top of the Unsuitable. We carried on down both sections of the Unsuitable, the bottom section running along the back of the huge gardens of the houses in Hutton Village. I always think how nice it would be to live there when walking through Hutton Village. Once at the bottom of the Unsuitable it was job done! Just a few hundred yards of tarmac road to the car.

It was such a good feeling that Leela and I had been able to do a proper walk and that we could take Thomas and introduce him to a part of our life that we want to form a big part of our family’s activity moving forward. Seven and a half miles in the bag with almost 1,300 feet of elevation gain and a maiden voyage for the buggy.

Join me again soon in my next “Buggy Adventures” blog to see how we fared on our next walk.

Boldly going where no buggy has gone before……..

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