A recently restored walled garden is the perfect prompt to explore the history and curious old buildings of Kirkleatham and Wilton.
1. Leave the walled garden car park the way you entered. Cross over the dual carriageway with care via crossing points to the east of the roundabout. Follow footway and, with care, verge beside B1269 to and past Yearby.
2. Turn right into woods on a permissive bridleway, immediately bearing right. After 70turn right, descend and pass between two ponds. Ignore left turn and instead, straight after, bear left onto track (unmarked on map) and follow edge of wood.
3. After 500m turn right (easy to miss) off path and down steps. Follow path as it bears left, becomes fenced on both sides and leads into Wilton at a gravelled patch with bench. To visit church and castle (private but you can view from the approach) turn left at road then fork right down 'private road'. Return to bench and turn left down a leafy lane, passing the old school.
4. At the end turn left onto road then right to pass under the dual carriageway. Turn right to follow the Sustrans route 1 back alongside the dual carriageaway to roundabout.
(Alternatively, take bus. See 'Accessibility', below). Cross sliproads to west of roundabout with care. Walk briefly beside the A1042 then cross road and turn right onto minor road into Kirkleatham.
Compass points
Start/finish: Postcode TS10 4AS, grid ref NZ 594217.
Time/distance: 2-3 hours/8 km.
Accessibility: The walk runs beside a road for the first and last mile. You can skip the latter
mile by taking bus no 63 from the chemicals plant which runs every 10 mins on weekdays, 15 mins on Saturdays and 20 mins on Sundays and takes three minutes to Kirkleatham.
Map: OS Landranger 93 Middlesbrough and OS Explorer 306 Middlesbrough & Hartlepool.
Parking: Kirkleatham Walled Garden. Free.
Map link: bit.ly/KirkleathamWalk
Points of interest
Kirkleatham is one of those places that people hasten by on their way to the seaside. Yet there are lots of reasons to pause as you head along the A174 towards Redcar, not least the walled garden.
Opened less than two years ago following restoration, the garden used to serve Kirkleatham Hall, the centrepiece of the estate developed from the mid-17th century by John Turner, his son and former Lord Mayor of London, William, and other descendents. The Hall was demolished in 1956. A school stands in its place but a pair of gate piers, the stable block and an ornamental 'toasting gate' gatehouse on the former driveway remain. Allow plenty of time to explore the other old buildings including the Hospital (private almshouses set around a courtyard), Kirkleatham Old Hall Museum housed in the early 18th century Free School, and St Cuthbert's Church with grand mausoleum.
A much more recent addition to the estate is the owl centre. A booklet about Kirkleatham Estate is available at the museum.
The Turner theme to the walk continues as you head north towards the estate village of Yearby passing the battlemented Turner Arms (now a private house) dating back to the mid-18th century.
A final highlight is the pretty village of Wilton. Stout, honey-coloured houses hide among the conifers along with another fine row of almshouses fronted by a green, the headmaster’s house and, next door, the school which mimics nearby Gisborough Priory. The village used to serve Wilton Castle, a castellated country house built 200 years ago and now converted into apartments.
Eat here
The Café at Kirkleatham Museum. Breakfasts and lunches including hot and cold sandwiches, fish and chips, loaded fries and waffles. Reopened after refurbishment in February. Open Tuesday to Saturday.
Kirkleatham Walled Garden Tea Rooms. Hearty head gardener's and veggie patch gardener's breakfasts available until 11.30am along with scones and cakes. Plenty of room both inside and on the patio.
