• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Geographical

Geographical

Official magazine of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)

  • Home
  • Briefing
  • Science & Environment
  • Climate
    • Climatewatch
  • Wildlife
  • Culture
  • Geopolitics
    • Geopolitical hotspots
  • Study Geography
    • University directory
    • Masters courses
    • Course guides
      • Climate change
      • Environmental science
      • Human geography
      • Physical geography
    • University pages
      • University of Aberdeen
      • Aberystwyth University
      • Cardiff University
      • University of Chester
      • Edge Hill University
      • University of Edinburgh
      • Newcastle University
      • Nottingham Trent University
      • Queen Mary University of London
    • Geography careers
      • Charity/non-profit
      • Education & research
      • Environment
      • Finance & consulting
      • Government
    • Applications and advice
  • Magazine
    • Issue previews
    • Subscribe
    • Manage My Subscription
    • Podcasts
    • Discovering Britain
    • Book reviews
    • Crosswords
    • Quizzes
    • Advertise with us
  • Subscribe

Roseberry Topping: the Yorkshire Matterhorn

18 May 2022
2 minutes

Roseberry Topping, visible for miles around. Image: Lortek/Shutterstock

Rory Walsh follows a famous explorer uphill for an adventure-inspiring climb


Discovering Britain

View • Rural • Yorkshire and the Humber • Web guide

Captain James Cook, the first European to land in Australia, was born near Middlesbrough in 1728. When Cook was a boy, his family moved to Great Ayton to work at Airey Holme Farm. Nestled in the North York Moors, it’s still a working farm today. Looming above the cluster of brown buildings is a landmark that apparently inspired Cook’s thirst for travel – Roseberry Topping.

Roseberry Topping isn’t especially tall compared with other English hills. At 1,049 feet, it’s under a third the height of Scafell Pike. There are 15 higher peaks in the North York Moors alone. Yet Roseberry Topping’s crooked conical shape is visible for miles. Teesside sailors used it to navigate. Locals affectionately call the hill the ‘Yorkshire Matterhorn’.

During his youth, Cook climbed Roseberry Topping often. There are several routes to the summit of varying length and difficulty. They all share the same reward. The views are spectacular. The Cleveland plain unfurls below in a patchwork of greens, browns, purples and yellows. On clear days, the vista east extends to the Pennines. To the south, the Captain Cook Monument stands proud on Easby Moor.

It’s tempting to imagine how the landscape appealed to the young Cook. The undulating moorland recalls a rolling ocean. The trees could be forests of kelp, the Pennine humps a pod of distant whales. In May and early June, the woodland paths towards Roseberry Topping pass through seas of bluebells. On the horizon, the hill’s outline rises like a giant fin or the crest of a wave.


DISCOVER MORE OF BRITAIN

The iconic cranes outside the former warehouse in Bristol Harbour

Discovering Britain: exploring historic Bristol Harbour

The Parallel Roads of Glen Roy

Glen Roy: the high road and the low road

The view of Robin Hood’s Bay from Ravenscar

Discovering Britain: Ravenscar, the holiday resort that never got built

The radar mast dominates the Lincolnshire flatlands

Lincolnshire’s silent sentry near RAF Stenigot

Sunset at Bedruthan Steps, Carnewas

Discovering Britain: Fistral Beach

Wye crown on the side of the hill in Wye, Kent

King of the hill: the Wye crown


Roseberry Topping’s appearance is partly due to geology. The hill is sedimentary, containing layers of different rock. The middle comprises soft shales and clays. The top and base are hard Jurassic sandstone, formed around 165 million years ago. For millennia the sandstone acted like a helmet, shielding the softer rocks underneath from erosion by the elements. The result was a smooth-sided mound, shaped like a sugar loaf.


Stay connected with the Geographical newsletter!

In these turbulent times, we’re committed to telling expansive stories from across the globe, highlighting the everyday lives of normal but extraordinary people. Stay informed and engaged with Geographical.

Get Geographical’s latest news delivered straight to your inbox every Friday!


Then in 1912 Roseberry Topping was transformed forever. A huge rockfall removed a chunk of the hill, leaving behind a jagged cliff face. There are suggestions that a geological fault nearby makes the rock unstable. From the 19th century, however, Roseberry Topping was extensively mined for jet and ironstone. Deep mining tunnels undercut the summit, causing its partial collapse. In the Alps, the Matterhorn straddles two countries. Its Yorkshire counterpart meanwhile reveals two influences: natural forces and human endeavour.


Discovering Britian logo

Go to the Discovering Britain website to find more hikes, short walks, or viewing points. Every landscape has a story to tell!

Filed Under: Culture Tagged With: Discovering Britain, May 22

Protected by Copyscape

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to Geographical Magazine from just £4.99

Geographical subscriptions

Popular Now

Geographical December 2023

Geographical December 2023

December 2023 Geographical crossword

December 2023 Geographical crossword

‘Darwin’s Oak’ to be felled to make way for Shrewsbury Bypass

‘Darwin’s Oak’ to be felled to make way for Shrewsbury Bypass

QUIZ: City Spotlight – Barcelona

QUIZ: City Spotlight – Barcelona

Macro, runner up: Blue by Mary Gudgeon. Starfish shrimp are always found in association with a starfish, in this case a species of Echinaster

Antipodean delights from the Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year competition

Footer

Geographical print magazine cover

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Published in the UK since 1935, Geographical is the official magazine of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG).

Informative, authoritative and educational, this site’s content covers a wide range of subject areas, including geography, culture, wildlife and exploration, illustrated with superb photography.

Click Here for SUBSCRIPTION details

Want to access Geographical on your tablet or smartphone? Press the Apple, Android or PC/Mac image below to download the app for your device

Footer Apple Footer Android Footer Mac-PC

More from Geographical

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise with us
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Subscriptions

Copyright © 2023 · Site by Syon Media