Hart and High Throston

The route leads along a track onto farmland. The walls of Hart's graveyard are nearby where, in the far left-hand corner, a tombstone commemorates Thomas Warnaby, who "died aged 5 score years and six". Close by, a memorial recalls Mary Thompson, cousin of the missionary and explorer David Livingstone. The church of St Mary Magdalene has Anglo-Saxon stones embedded in the nave and chancel arch, though much of the present building is Norman.

Just south of the church, the walk passes a quaint cottage called Voltigeur, named after the 1850 Derby winner (the horse was born in the building, which was used as a stable). In nearby Front Street is the Blue Stone, a glacial hunk of Whin Sill dolerite that was once the hub of village celebrations.

You head out into the countryside again, following quiet roadsides and lanes to Hart Windmill. Built in the 18th century to replace a medieval mill, the building has a tall brick tower which tapers up to a massive cap. Last used in 1915, Hart Windmill is a precious survivor.

You return to the village, where the front of the White Hart Inn is graced by a beautiful lady in a flowing skirt. Believed to be a figurehead from the Sunderland barque Rising Sun, she was washed up on the Hartlepool shore after a violent storm in 1861 when 60 ships foundered.

Acknowledgment: Text derived from the Out and Out Series; Discovering the Countryside on Foot. Pictures courtesy of Wikipedia.