MY EARLIEST recollection of Stewart Park in Marton on the outskirts of Middlesbrough is of passing its 120 grassy acres on the Number 63 bus as one of a gang of lads from Eston and Normanby, making their way to Ayresome Park to watch players like Dave Chadwick perform mazy dribbles on the wing for the Boro.

Years later I took my children to look at the wallabies in their spacious enclosures, animals which would have been familiar to the man who was born nearby, and who grew up to become one of the world's greatest explorers ever.

There were no wallabies when I returned recently to explore aspects of the 80-mile circular route between Marton and Whitby that is the Captain Cook Heritage Trail, but I did see children and parents feeding the deer as I made my way to the Captain Cook Birthplace Museum, one of four museums on the trail.

The award-winning museum, which was re-opened by Sir David Attenborough in 1998 after renovations costing £1.2m, marks the site of the cottage in which James Cook was born, and includes computers, film and special effects.

At the entrance to the museum is a Nootka Totem pole from Canada, and two special exhibits inside are the clubs reputed to have killed Captain Cook on Hawaii on February 14, 1779.

The last film I watched was moving for the fact that it presented modern South Sea islanders expressing their thoughts about Cook. Contrasting with the man from Tahiti who describes Cook as being like somebody coming from the heavens, a man from Hawaii is blunt when he says: "Many of us Hawaiians believe he got what he deserved."

There would appear to be at least one historical inaccuracy in the museum, for I read that Cook's parents were to remain in Great Ayton for the rest of their lives.

Captain Cook's father is buried in the grounds of Marske Parish Church, as the following verse testifies: "No monumental stone adorns the nook where rests the parent of the gallant Cook; Cook stands aloft upon a hill of fame, his father lies at Marske without a name!"

In total, there are 16 sites to visit on the Captain Cook trail; about half can be managed in a day.

It's possible to begin the trail at any point, but the place of Captain Cook's birth seems a logical beginning.

From Stewart's Park I crossed the busy A172 to visit the church where the infant James was christened. A sign on St Cuthbert's church door informs that when the door is locked the key can be obtained from the vicarage, an unprepossessing modern house hiding its ugliness behind the hedge at the back of the church.

I was told upon calling that the vicar was on extended leave, but I could collect the key from the nearby social centre. This turned out not to be the case as this building was also locked. Nothing left for it but to move on.

James Cook came to Great Ayton in 1736 when he was eight-years-old, and there are four sites in and around the village marked on the trail map. In Easby Lane an obelisk marks the spot where the Cook family house once stood. It was sold to Australia in 1933 for £32.

A building which hasn't been sold is the Captain Cook Schoolroom and Museum, which was re-opened after extensive renovations in May last year. With just three rooms, it's a small museum that appeals because of its excellent design.

There are speaking figures of James and his school chums sitting at their desks under the watchful eye of their teacher, William Rowland, maps of Cook's voyages and an opportunity for visitors to test their own navigational skills using a sextant.

Great Ayton is overlooked by Easby Hill and Captain Cook's Monument. Standing 51ft high, this landmark can be seen for miles around and is worth a visit, not only for its own sake, but also for the panoramic views of the Cleveland Ridge and the Vale of Mowbray. The monument is a short but fairly strenuous walk from the parking area at Gribdale Gate. My next port of call on the heritage trail was to a private museum which I'd never visited.

The Captain Cook and Staithes Heritage Centre is a little gem located down the hill in the old part of Staithes, and drivers are requested to park their cars at the top of the bank across the road from the war memorial. The museum is a replica of the street in 1745, and contains Sanderson's shop where James Cook worked for about 18 months from the age of 17. It isn't on the original site of the shop, but it is made largely of the original materials.

For owners, Reg and Anne Firth, the museum is a labour of love. Reg, a former mayor of Whitby, worked for the MOD clearing Fylingdales Moor of unexploded ordnance before turning his hand to fishing.

He gave that up seven years ago to work on his pride and joy, and what a collection he has accumulated, including bottles from the Endeavour found in the river of the same name in Australia.

Reg also has 62 prints penned by expedition artist John Webber, who returned to England aboard the Resolution, without its famous Captain.

When Reg found the prints in a bin liner in a London print shop he couldn't believe his good fortune. They are listed with such intriguing titles as A Night Dance by the Women of Hapaee and The Body of Tee, a Chief; As Preserved After Death, in Otaheite.

They make for an impressive display along with his collection of books, which includes copies of the original journals. Reg has 250 books about Captain Cook in his private collection.

The final museum on my itinerary was the Captain Cook Memorial Museum in Grape Lane, Whitby.