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Middlesborough Unitary AuthorityWalk Details:
The Walk: |
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We had a bit of confusion over where to park for this top. The layby we required is shown on the OS map, but there was another similar layby nearby not shown on the map which we briefly lapped before finding the correct one. Unfortunately we parked at the wrong end of it and had to walk back down the length of it before doubling back on ourselves up a campsite road. It soon became clear that we could have parked even closer to the hill in the campsite car park. It wasn’t clear from the OS 1:50,000 map where the path to the hill left the campsite, but we found a signed turning on the left a few dozen metres before the campsite central buildings. This took us over a tiny stream and along the outer edge of the campsite before reaching a junction. We knew from the OS map that we had to turn left at some point to ascend the hill, and without a map which showed field boundaries assumed that this was the correct turning. The path did take us upwards near a field edge, but it soon became clear that it was going to run across the flank of the hill and not reach the top. We were on a path not shown on our map. We walked up to the barbed-wire fence and looked over. There, on the other side, was the path we should have been on. The fence was well made, and it took us a while to find a gap between the barbed wire strands where we could squeeze through without damaging the fence or ourselves.
We spent some time just taking in the vibrant beauty of the place – surely this could convince even the most zealous city-dweller of how wonderful the British countryside can be. It was even more impressive when set against the backdrop of Roseberry Topping. From this angle the pointed summit was astonishing, like a mini version of the Matterhorn. We resolved that we would – if we had time – return to climb it on our way home, once we had got all necessary bagging out of the way. The sight of another hill reminded us that we were on a bagging trip, rather than a nature study. The top of Quarry Hill was a level ridge, with no discernible summit. Wandering up and down the path with the GPS gave the above grid reference as being slightly higher than anywhere else we walked. We decided to stick to return to the campsite via the path we were on, rather than climbing back through the barbed wire. The path quickly became indistinct though, and we ended up fighting our way through low branches, brambles and nettles, leading us to wonder weather it was actually a path after all. However, at the bottom a signed gate led us out of the might-be-a-nature-reserve and onto the path back to the campsite and, soon after, the car. We both felt this was one of the most beautiful county tops we’d
visited, despite the slight difficulty we’d had getting in and out.
Admittedly we’d probably caught it at exactly the right time of
year, and in the right weather, but it shows once again that you can’t
judge a hill by its height!
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On the other side was a little piece of heaven;
a large area which in the warm sunshine was awash with colour and buzzing
with life. It must have been a nature reserve, although we saw no signs
to indicate this. Our Dad always counts the number of different flower
species when he goes out for a walk, and he’d have had a field (haha)
day here. The ardent insect-bagger could also put a fair few ticks (hoho)
in their book here too. Flashes of scarlet in the air indicated the presence
of one of the more striking beasties in the insect world, and one of the
few I could name – the red burnet moth. We had first encountered
these on the LOOP, where a nature reserve sign had informed us that they
were rare. Quarry Hill seemed to counter this argument – there were
hundreds of them here! Every thistle head seemed to have three or four
of them, the vivid red spots on their wings contrasting sharply with their
jet-black undercoats.