Rosedale Abbey, Thorgill, Dale Head and the Ironstone Kilns & Moorland Railway circular walk.

Saturday 24th September 2022

Rosedale and the old Ironstone workings. It's an area I've walked many times before, but I don't think I've ever documented it in the past, so time to put that right.

In the mid 19th century, large seams of ironstone were discovered in and around this area (but also in the Cleveland Hills and Eskdale). Mining of these seams and the subsequent transportation to Middlesbrough, accelerated an industry around my home town alongside the River Tees. Many new ironworks were built, and the industrial heartland of Teesside became a major industrial iron and steel processing centre to add to its chemical and ship building capabilities.

Visiting Rosedale today, it’s hard to imagine that it spent the seventy years between the 1850s and 1920s as a bustling, sooty and noisy hive of industrial activity, home to nearly 5,000 miners. But it's all gone now, with just a few reminders of its illustrious past.

A large section of the walk that I did today is along the old railway line that was used to transport this iron ore to Teesside and some of the remaining relics of this bygone era can be seen along the way.

The information contained in the material on this Website is for information purposes only and does not constitute advice.
Distance: 8 miles
Duration: 3:00 hours
Ascent: 1119 ft
Difficulty: Moderate
Accompanied By: On my Own
Weather: Heavy Rain Showers & Overcast

3D outline of route

Parking