Ingleby Incline Walk

• Leave Battersby Station through the village to the main road and take the turn for Bank Foot.
• Follow the public bridleway, which becomes a forestry road, to the foot of the incline.
• Climb the long Ingleby Incline, the main effort of the day.
• Continue along the old railway for nearly 1 mile (1.6 km) to Bloworth Crossing.
• Turn onto the Cleveland Way for about 2.25 miles (3.7 km) across open moorland.
• Leave the Cleveland Way at the fork onto a stone track, descend across the escarpment through forest and past a farm, then rejoin the road and retrace to Battersby.

The incline was built to work ironstone traffic down off the moor, and the park authority notes gradients reaching up to 1 in 5, with interpretation on site about how the line once operated. Look out for the workers' rock carvings along the way, including the Stovepipe Hat and the Bird Man. The graded trackbed above the incline is a reminder of how much engineering was needed to move stone off this escarpment.

Surfaces change constantly: tarmac road at the start and finish, bridleway and forestry road, a steep gravel incline, level old railway track, moorland path on the Cleveland Way, then a rough, rocky stone track and forest track on the descent. There are no steps or stiles on the official route. The climb is the main test; the descent is where tired legs and loose rock demand care, so sturdy footwear is worth having.

The reward for the climb is wide, open ground: long views over the Cleveland plain towards Teesside and the coast, then moorland walking with heather, and woodland on the return leg. The moorland section is exposed and can be windy, with little shelter between Bloworth Crossing and the descent. For the views over the plain, pick a day with clear light, when the coast and industry on the horizon read best.

• There is no parking at the start. Battersby's roads are narrow with few opportunities to leave a car, and the small station car park is for rail users only. Taking the train to Battersby is the recommended way to reach the route.
• There is nowhere on the route to buy food or drink, so carry all your water and refreshments.
• Dog friendly, but the moorland is grazed by sheep and holds ground nesting birds, so keep dogs on a short fixed lead throughout that section.

Shorter circular walks exist from Bank Foot and Ingleby Greenhow, but they are separate, easier outings with their own access arrangements. This loop is the longer Battersby Station version, and its character comes from walking the full incline and the moorland crossing in one go.