The Drove Road and Windygill Ridge from Boltby
7 miles Cool and fair with good visibilty
We parked in Boltby for today's walk, approaching the village from the A19 and the Knayton turn-off and parking 200 yards east of the village where there is a hard standing. We continued walking east along the road until we reached the lane to Lunshaw House Farm. We turned into that lane and left it immediately to cross sloping fields to woodland which leads to a stone crossing of Lunshaw Beck.
Today's walk from A Walker's Guide to the Hambleton Hills by Tom Scott Burns
Leaving the lane to Lunshaw House Farm
Across meadows to woodland
Above Lunshaw Beck
Crossing Lunshaw Beck
After the beck there was a steep winding path that led us to Low Paradise Farm where we chatted to the farmer's wife about the weather. As we walked away she shouted, "Watch out for the hounds, my husband's exercising them." I told Clive that she was obviously uncertain about us and saying this was a way of letting us know her husband was about.
Low Paradise Farm
We continued to climb, admiring the views of the Vale of Mowbray when we heard a man shouting "Come back!" and looking into a field saw three large hounds running towards us. The farmer's wife had been telling the truth. They cleared the gate in a bound and ran straight to us, jumping up as we tried to fend them off. The man continued his distant shouting to no avail but fortunately the dogs were not vicious, just very dirty! Eventually we broke free and the dogs ran back to their owner and we continued our climb to High Paradise Farm, which we had walked through a few weeks ago. The piglets that we had admired and photographed then were now growing fat and sleek and had been separated from the old sow, who was observing proceedings from the other side of a fence. We watched them happily rooting through the leaves before walking on to join the old Drove Road.
Truffle piglets
As we walked towards the Drove Road we came upon two calves wandering freely on the path, whether by design or accident we didn't know, but they seemed happy enough. We passed them and walked along the old Hambleton Drove Road to Steeple Cross where we sat down under the Cleveland Way sign to enjoy our coffee and scones, looking out over the bleak and empty moorland. Although is was definitely bleak it was not completely empty, however. There was the wooden Cleveland Way sign under which I was sitting and which, as I jumped to my feet, knocked me brainlessly back into my sitting position again. When Clive had finished laughing we set off, turning immediately left into a forestry track that runs alongside a conifer plantation.
Hambleton Drove Road
We emerged from the forestry plantation at Gallow Hill where one can stand on an ancient tumulus and look down onto Cowesby. We turned left here into Windygill Ridge and walked with trees on one side and a good view of the Vale of Mowbray on the other.
Immediately below is hidden Kepwick and to the left, Cowesby
As our trail passed Seta Pike, a small hummock, it started to descend through the trees. We crossed wide forestry trails as we took a direct route downwards towards Boltby, and at the side of the track we saw a dead mole, still fresh, and wondered what had happened to it. There was no sign of injury, had it felt unwell and emerged from its tunnels to die?
What happened to the mole?
We emerged from the trees and crossed meadow after meadow, until we saw the pantile roofs of Boltby below. We emerged into the village at the west end and walked along the main street admiring the old cottages before climbing steeply back up the hill to our car. As usual a fine walk. Tom Scott Burns never lets us down!
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