Caydale and Noddle End from Murton
7.5 miles Fine and breezy
Clive is away and Carole agreed to join me for this enjoyable Tom Scott Burns route which we haven't walked for a couple of years.
We turned off the B1257 Stokesley to Helmsley road at Laskill. Parking, shown by the 'P' next to the Grange in TSB's map below, is no longer available to the public, so we parked on the grass verge near to the buildings of Murton Grange at the top of Murton Bank.
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Today's walk from The Walker's Guide to the Hambleton Hills |
Tom Scott Burns explains that a 'grange' was a farmhouse attached to a religious order and Murton Grange once belonged to the monks of nearby Byland Abbey.
From Murton Bank we turned into the Grange's farm track and walked past the Grange, continuing straight ahead until arriving at a fork. This is the main lane going on to Caydale Mill but here we took the right fork down into the hidden valley of Caydale. Tom Scott Burns tells us that the last wild cat in England was shot at this spot in 1840, by a Charles Harrison.
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From our car at the top of Murton Bank |
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Murton Grange |
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Straight past the Grange.. |
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.. until the fork. Bear right. |
After crossing a couple of fields our path dropped down into the trees of the charming valley of Caydale. We stayed on the farm track, ignoring a couple of footpath signs, until we saw a sign with a gate on our left, and here we turned through the gate.
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Stay on the main track.. |
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.. until you see the gate on your left |
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Caydale |
We reached the bottom of the valley and crossed several streams of crystal clear water, known as 'rills'. These are shown on the map above as Old Byland's Water Race and Limperdale Gill. In the 1740s a Joseph Ford of Kirbymoorside perfected a system of tapping into springs and channeling water in open 'rills' some 12 inches wide. Water was diverted by this method through Caydale from King Spring to the village of Old Byland and the straight rills remain.
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Bridge over a 'rill' in Caydale |
We crossed the valley floor and started up the other side. Until a couple of years ago this climb passed through trees but now the trees have been felled and the area converted to rough grazing.
A consequence of this clearing has been the removal of the old 'Captain's Seat' which is shown on the map above, and which we used to pass by, although even then it was in a dilapidated state. We would like to know who the Captain was and why he would sit at such a remote spot.
Leaving the climb and Caydale we crossed several fields to reach High Leir Lane where we turned right and walked on tarmac to pass Weathercote Farm with its novel 'cat and rat' weather vane.
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Climbing out of Caydale |
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Looking across Caydale the buildings of Murton Grange can just be seen |
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Field paths.. |
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.. to reach High Leir Lane |
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Weathercote Farm |
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Cat and rat weather vane |
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Tractor... |
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.. and harvester, the gate is open which spoils the effect |
After a mile we reached the junction with Cleveland Road which we crossed to follow field paths again, until reaching the high ridge of Boltby Scar.
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Straight across Cleveland Road into a narrow path |
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.. which opens out |
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.. to reach the gate above Boltby Scar |
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We now join the Cleveland Way |
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Boltby below |
We turned right onto the Cleveland Way and followed the path along the ridge to pass the ruined High Barn. We passed old quarry workings and then crossed Sneck Yate Bank Road and continued along a forest path to reach High Paradise Farm.
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On the Cleveland Way and approaching.. |
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.. High Barn |
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Continue past the barn |
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.. and into Boltby Forest |
High Paradise Farm has a nice little cafe which is open during the summer months so we decided to stop for a coffee.
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A scone at High Paradise |
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Bijou cafe at High Paradise Farm |
Refreshed, we left the cafe and rejoined our path, following it to reach the old drove road, Hambleton Road. We crossed straight over the road to enter Daletown Common where we followed a path all the way to a ruined barn at Noddle End.
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Cross straight over Hambleton Road and go through the gate |
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.. onto Daletown Common |
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Daletown Common |
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Barley seems to be doing well, even exposed and at a height |
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Approaching Noddle End |
Reaching the barn at Noddle End we had a fine view down into Gowerdale, before making the steep descent to reach lonely Gowerdale House.
We passed the front of the house which has the bleak message, "Look around and get out!" painted on the front door, and then followed a rising path to reach Dale Town Farm.
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Dale Town Farm |
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The footpath passes between the farm buildings |
We turned right into a cow field just after passing the farm buildings and followed the faint path steeply uphill to the top of Peak Scar Top where we turned left to reach Murton Bank Road and the car.
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This walk ends with a steep climb to the skyline |
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Looking back to Dale Town Farm |
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Tree-hugger. We make it to the top
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Come on slowcoach! The end of the walk |
Reaching the car we looked down to the village of Hawnby and its pub, The Owl, where we were soon to be found enjoying a pint and discussing today's walk.
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The real end of the walk |
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To Dale Town |