Balk and Bagby from Sutton Village

7 miles                   Grey, dry and cool

We drove into Sutton-under-Whitestoneclife on the A170 from the A19.  Tom Scott Burns suggests that Whitestone Cliffe Inn in the village is a good parking place, but as his book was written 25 years ago Clive checked with the present innkeeper who said hikers were still always welcome to use his car park.  We walked from the pub car park and turned right into the A170 and followed it through the village until we turned at a wooden footpath with a sign pointing us south across the fields.

Today's walk from The Walker's Guide to the Hambleton Hills

We parked in the Whitestone Cliffe Inn Car Park

Walking out of the village along the A170

We leave the road and turn into fields

As is often the case with TSB's walks the footpaths today were hardly used and as neither of us had walked in this part of the Hambleton Hills before we had to pay close attention to our maps.  The vehicle track quickly turned into a field path alongside the town's sewage works, then on through more fields adjacent to Sutton Beck until it emerged beyond a static caravan park at the tiny hamlet of Balk.  TSB tells us that Balk originates in the Old English 'balca' or 'bank' and would have applied to the ridge of land between Balk Beck and Hood Beck.

Strolling past the sewage works

Crossing Sutton Beck

Entering Balk

We walked into Balk and were impressed by the renovated three-storey mill and opposite it, a furniture manufacturer occupying the old mill buildings.

The old mill

Old mill buildings now used for furniture manufacture

We joined the road at Balk and remained on it, heading west until we reached the larger village of Bagby.  Although our route turned off just before the village we couldn't resist a look around and continued to walk along the high street.   There is an interesting mixture of very old and very new housing but the new building gives an impression of the houses being crowded, we thought.   We retraced our steps to the field path just before Bagby and headed south once more, towards Thirkleby.  We passed by another caravan park and the grounds of  Thirkleby Hall before emerging on to the road at Thirkleby, by the old school whose clock was accurate to the minute.

We pass our track to look around Bagby

Leaving Bagby

Most paths today were well signed

The old schoolhouse at Thirkleby, whose clock tells us it's coffee time!

We walked through Thirkleby to the isolated church of All Saints where we settled down to enjoy our coffee and scones before looking round the church, which was unlocked.  The church was bigger than one would expect for the size of the village, with fine stained glass windows picturing St George and St Martin, and had interesting 17th century inscriptions on the walls.

All Saints Church at Thirkleby

The altar at All Saints Church

Leaving the church we walked back to the road then crossed straight over to join a field path leading to a footbridge then quickly to the Little Thirkleby Road where we turned left to walk parallel with the route we had followed into Thirkleby, this time to the right of Thirkleby Beck.  

Leaving Thirkleby

Walking north, parallel with Thirkleby village, through which we had just walked southwards

Double stile and bridge

We catch a glimpse of the White Horse at Kilburn

The next bit of the walk became rather tricky.  We could find no way-mark signs (most unusual!) and field enlargement appeared to have swallowed up the footpath as described by TSB.  Using the GPS to keep exactly on the track we marched across the arable field through which shoots were just starting to appear.  Perhaps a problem to be expected with Tom Scott Burns's walks is that paths are so little used that farmers feel entitled to plough them up.  Continuing across these fields we found that the farmer had ploughed right up to the edge of the field removing the footpath completely and making walking difficult.  At this point we were surprised to come across an old vehicle in the ditch, how had it got to this point and when?  Clive climbed down to examine it and checking the engine plate found it to be a Standard 10 from the 1950s.  We continued across fields relying on the GPS to show we were on official rights of way until we reached the large farm of Low Osgoodby Grange.

What's happened to the footpath?

How did that get there??

The engine plate shows Standard 10

Low Osgoodby Grange

Some residents of Low Osgoodby Grange

Field paths were muddy at times

Following the old field boundary.  This is a footpath according to the map!

Funny place for a gate.  We wonder what is planned for this field

From Osgoodby Grange we followed the farm's track to the tarmac road where we turned left, heading back towards Balk.   In the distance we could now see Whitestone Cliff.

Whitestone Cliff

Just before reaching the tiny village we turned right and followed our track, now clearly way-marked, across fields until we reached the road at Sutton-under-Whitestonecliffe, which we followed back to the inn and our car.  It seemed only proper to reward the landlord for his hospitality by giving him our custom and we discussed the walk over a pint of Black Sheep bitter.  Today's walk was very level, easy walking but mainly across fields, which would have been difficult to cross if the ground was any wetter.  

Approaching Sutton-under-Whitestonecliffe

Clive feeding an apple to the sheep

Portrait of the hiker enjoying his reward, the artist reflected in the mirror