Harrison Close Trail

This is a short waymarked loop with one retraced spur, and the distance to plan around is the official 1.2 km / 0.75 miles, about 30 minutes at a steady pace. It starts and finishes at the Guisborough Forest & Walkway Visitor Centre, and it is a gentle history walk rather than any kind of hill route.

From the visitor centre, head first on the short westward railway walkway spur toward the two former Pinchinthorpe railway stations, then retrace that section back. Continue past the former coal depot, the Codhill Kibble and the preserved railway carriage, then pick up the purple waymarkers into the woodland. The surfaced path carries you past the documented Victorian, industrial and farming features and the ponds before returning to the centre.

Access needs vary, so treat the Easy Access grade as a general standard rather than a guarantee that every section suits every wheelchair or mobility aid.

• Graded Easy Access, with steady gradients and surfaced paths throughout the described route
• Benches and perches along the way for short breaks
• Elevation stays modest, roughly in the low hundreds of metres, so there is nothing steep, exposed or technical

The payoff here is interpretation, not panorama. Look for the railway carriage and Codhill Kibble, traces of a brick depot, a land drain, an animal creep, possible remains or a reconstruction of a Victorian dog kennel, and medieval ridge-and-furrow earthworks in the surrounding ground. The ponds are the quiet highlight for wildlife, with birds and amphibians to watch for, and they reward slow, patient looking in spring and early summer when pond life is most active. Mixed woodland frames most of the circuit.

Access is from the visitor centre and Pinchinthorpe car park, postcode TS14 8HD. Parking is council-managed pay-and-display, so arrive prepared to pay at the machine. Dogs are allowed in the forest and should be kept under control, especially near the ponds and other visitors.