A Run Round Rosedale Railway | The Yorkshire Dad of 4

A Run Round Rosedale Railway

The remote hillsides of the valley of Rosedale in North Yorkshire once rang to the sounds of clangs and clatter of the ironstone industry. Nowadays all that remains are some stunning ruins of the kilns and the old railway trackbed. But that trackbed is a fantastic path for a run.

Rather than go to parkrun yesterday morning I opted for a long run. But where? When you live on the southern edge of the North York Moors National Park the world (or at least square miles of it) is my oyster.

Rosedale valley | The Yorkshire Dad of 4
The vista views up here are awesome

After browsing my OS maps on Friday evening I decided to go back somewhere I had said I always would since running there for the first time back in March 2017. Back then I was training for the Blackpool Marathon, and this time I am training for the…Blackpool marathon.

So, after dropping Delilah off at dance class I set off to park at the small car park that site at the top of Chimney Bank in Rosedale. I stepped out of the car and was almost blown away! Crikey it was windy.

Wind on Rosedale Railway | The Yorkshire Dad of 4
All smiles on the trail – I was loving it

Duke wasn’t with me today as he had a slight limp after our impromptu run on Thursday. The limp was gone but I didn’t want to risk it. He was not impressed to be left behind after seeing me in my running gear.

He would have spent the whole run on his lead. The whole route is a permissive path. The North York Moors National Park has a deal with the estate that owns the land. It looked like they had been busy since I last here as the gravel path is now almost the whole way around.

The trouble with running somewhere so outstandingly beautiful as well as having some really interesting history is that I kept stopping to take photos.

There are leftover reminders of a bye-gone industry all around the valley

The path from the top of Chimney bank runs parallel with the Blakey road for a period. Before reaching the head of the valley. You actually come very close the to Lion in at Blakey but I was a bit early for a pint.

On reaching the head of the valley I was greeted with the most fantastic view right back down. On the one hand it was great to see how far I’d run. On the other, I knew how far I still had to go.

A view down Rosedale valley | The Yorkshire Dad of 4
The view back down the valley from the head is just stunning

Not long after the head of the valley, I passed two sets of iron ore kilns. The first is a huge structure that is partly destroyed now. It would have had three huge iron gates on the front. The ironstone would have been tipped in from above the train wagons and burnt with coal. It would then be raked out and load into waiting wagons on a lowe rail track.

Ironstone kilns in Rosedale | The Yorkshire Dad of 4
The huge structure that was one an ironstone kiln

It turns out these kilns were an experimental design and not as efficient as the more tried and tested kilns – of the type you arrive at next.

The more usual calcining kiln design with distinctive arches

You can see these distinctive arches from across the valley, I had some 45 minutes earlier in my run. They always look so far away, but I couldn’t tell you how far but it’s probably not as far as it looks.

Disused farm building | The Yorkshire Dad of 4
A bit of a fixer-upper!

The permissive path end soon after the arched kilns. To reach the road you pass through a small farmstead that has a ramshackle old building that even Kevin McC;oud and the most passionate person on Grand Designs could do anything with.

Disused truck | The Yorkshire Dad of 4
The truck that never moves

The last time I ran this route this truck was where it still stands. I wonder how long it has been there? To be honest it doesn’t look any worse for wear than it did three years previous.

Terraced houses in Rosedale | The Yorkshire Dad of 4
Suddenly you arrive at houses and civilisation

There is then a brief encounter with civilisation when you encounter, what I presume are, old mine workers houses. But it was straight on to the footpaths across some rather muddy fields.

Because I am an idiot I decided to give myself the challenge of running up Rosedale Chimney Bank.

Rosedale Chimney Bank | The Yorkshire Dad of 4
Rosedale Chimney Bank – it’s rather steep!

Holy mother of all that is the Gods of running! Rosedale Chimney Bank is one steep chuffing hill! I don’t think I have ever been so pleased to see my own car before.

And that was the end of my run, I was back at the small car park at the top of Chimney Bank.

It a fabulous route to run and I will not be waiting 3 years to do it again this time.

Thanks for reading

Dave


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