RAMBLERS CLEVELAND GROUP NEWSLETTER, AUGUST 2026
Our new website launched in May, thanks to the efforts of our webmaster Dave Aspin.
https://www.clevelandramblers.org.uk/
The walks programme features prominently on the home page. Instead of publishing 6 months ahead we now produce a 3 month programme so that leaders do not have to commit as far in advance. The numbers attending group walks have continued to increase, with an average of 16 on Sundays and 13 on evening walks in the quarter from April to July. Our Meetup Group now has 474 members and has brought some younger walkers into the group. We also use Facebook and Instagram, with photos taken on walks posted each week to encourage others to attend.
On 26th March Bill Dell attended the official opening of the Coast to Coast route as a National Trail. The route runs from St Bees on the Cumbria coast to Robin Hood’s Bay, where the event was held. The section from Ingleby Arncliffe to the end is in Cleveland Group territory, and would typically take a walker four days to complete. Many improvements have been made to the route in order for it to gain National Trail status and these will benefit everyone who walks in the area.
A section of the Teesdale Way at Eston is closed due to damage to a water pipe. An alternative route is in place while Northumbria Water complete repairs.
Construction began in April on the Redcar & Cleveland (R&C) section of the Active Travel Route which will connect Guisborough to Nunthorpe Railway Station. This extends as far as the western end of the Branch Walkway. The remainder of the route is the responsibility of Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) and involves creating a new section of route alongside the railway line. It will include a Pegasus controlled crossing over the A1043 Nunthorpe Bypass to provide safer passage for users. Construction work is expected to begin in Spring 2027 and last for approximately 12 months. It is proposed that all works will be completed by 31 March 2028. The Redcar & Cleveland section is due to be completed in late winter 2027.
The Visitor Centre at Guisborough Forest and Walkway reopened in May after major reconstruction. The size of the café has been doubled and sustainability features such as air‑source heat pumps and solar panels have been added.
Some of you may be familiar with the steps near Guisborough Rugby Club, at the top of the public right of way from Rectory Lane to the walkway. In 2024 the council agreed that these needed to be replaced. Plans for a steel staircase and handrail were passed in September. When the steps arrived it was found that they were not long enough, and photos showing a significant gap at the lower end appeared, first on a local Facebook page and then in the national press. In March 2025 work was halted and the steps removed. A different design was approved in September 2025 and the new steps were finally completed at the end of July.
We still need a few more members to join the committee and assist our footpath officers. Please get in touch via the contacts tab on the website if you think you may be able to help. We would love to hear from you!