Scenic Point in Cleveland

Roseberry Topping is the most distinctive summit in the North York Moors National Park, a conical hill of 320 metres with a characteristic asymmetric profile caused by the partial collapse of one face due to mining subsidence that gives it one of the most immediately recognisable silhouettes of any hill in northern England. Visible from a wide area of Teesside and the Cleveland Plain below, the hill has been a landmark and a destination for walkers since the Victorian period and retains a particular hold on the affections of people who grew up within sight of it. The collapsed east face of the hill, which gives Roseberry Topping its jagged, asymmetric profile, was caused by the undermining of the ironstone beneath the hill during the extensive extraction that took place in the Cleveland Hills during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A major collapse in 1912 removed a substantial section of the eastern face, creating the dramatic profile that distinguishes the hill from all others on the North York Moors escarpment. The instability of the remaining rock means that the summit ridge itself requires care, and the rock faces below the summit are unstable enough to require care. The hill is strongly associated with Captain James Cook, who grew up in the nearby village of Great Ayton and climbed Roseberry Topping as a child. The Captain Cook monument on the hill at Easby Moor nearby provides a further connection to the great navigator who explored the Pacific from beginnings in these Yorkshire hills. The walk from Great Ayton, combining Roseberry Topping with the Cook monument on the ridge above, is one of the most popular short walks in the North York Moors and the views from the summit over Teesside, the Cleveland Plain and on clear days to the Durham coast are excellent.

Staithes on the Yorkshire coast is one of the most atmospheric fishing villages in northern England, a settlement of red-roofed cottages packed into a ravine descending to a narrow harbour between the spectacular headlands of Cowbar Nab and Penny Nab. The village was the birthplace of the young James Cook's mercantile career, the future circumnavigator arriving to serve as a shopkeeper's apprentice before the sea drew him first to Whitby and then to the Royal Navy. The village descends steeply from the clifftop through a series of steps and narrow lanes to the harbour below, still used by a small fleet of fishing boats. Staithes has been a centre for artists since the late nineteenth century when a colony of painters formed the Staithes Group, recognising the quality of the light and the dramatic character of the village. The tradition of artists working here continues and several galleries and studios in the village reflect the ongoing creative response to this exceptional setting. The Cleveland Way coastal path traversing the headlands connects Staithes with Runswick Bay to the south, providing some of the finest cliff walking in Yorkshire. The combination of the village character, the fishing heritage, the Cook connection and the coastal scenery makes Staithes one of the most rewarding destinations on the northeast coast.