Walking in North Yorkshire

Ladhill Gill and Bumper Castle from

Fangdale Beck

7.5 miles Cool with April showers

We turned off the B1257 Bilsdale Road and drove past an old green telephone kiosk to the village of Fangdale Beck where we parked at the roadside. Tom Scott Burns tells us that Fangdale comes from the personal Scandinavian name Fangi or Fangulf, giving 'Fangi's Valley'. Leaving the car we crossed the beck by the little bridge and walked past the old Wesleyan Chapel, now converted into a private house.

Today's walk from the Walker's Guide to the Cleveland Hills

Converted chapel

Looking back at Fangdale from Malkin Bower

A walk along a farm track brought us to a farm called Malkin Bower, which apparently means Matilda's or Maud's Dwelling. Opposite the farmhouse was a barn containing sheep and newly born lambs, all looking very comfortable.

Malkin Bower

Dog weathervane at Malkin Bower

New lambs

"I'll just have that bit on the very top.."

Once past the farm the tarmac vanished and we followed the path along the valley of Bilsdale, parallel to the road below us. The track dropped down to the River Seph before climbing gently up to Helm House where we admired a couple of very old tractors and a road roller, all gently decaying but ripe for renovation.

Today's walk is little used and we relied on way-marks rather than paths

Old tractor...

and roller at Helm Farm

Leaving the farm we crossed several sheep fields until we approached a gate just before a forest plantation. We could see a sheep and lambs at the gate but as we approached it became apparent that a tragedy had occurred and the lambs were now orphans. We looked round but there was no sign of anyone to tell, and we watched as the lambs ran to other sheep who gently butted them away. There was nothing for it but to return to Helm Farm which, including a return to this spot, would add another 1.5 miles to our walk. At Helm House we reported the fallen sheep to the farmer who said he would sort it out straight away.

Leaving Helm House

Fine Hawthorn Blossom

Hmm, this looks like trouble!

A sad sight

Hungry orphans

Back to Helm House!

Passing by the orphans once more and reassured to think that help was on the way, we started the half mile climb of Benhill Bank at the top of which we turned sharp right onto tarmac. After a couple of hundred yards our track bore left off the tarmac across fields and we continued to climb onto the moor.

Benhill Bank

This guy watched us walk by just two feet away but couldn't be bothered to fly off

Clive (and lamb) watch in amazement as fearless pheasant struts away

Our first sight of Easterside Hill from Benhill Bank

We reach the moor gate

The last gate took us to the moor edge where the path became more distinct. Looking down to our right we saw the ruins of Bumper Castle behind a grove of trees and difficult to get to from our position. TSB tells us that the castle was at one time part of the estate of the Duke of Buckingham and also that the monks of Rievaulx once wrought iron on Bumper Moor. We met another track leading straight down to the valley bottom and Ladhill Gill. Reaching the stream we sat on some convenient rocks for our usual coffee and scones, sitting for a few minutes in sunshine before black clouds approached and hail bounced off us, splashing in our coffee.

There was no obvious path across the moor

The remains of Bumper Castle

Looking across at Sportsmans Hall

Heading down to the river, Sportsmans Hall opposite

Gated bridge over Ladhill Gill

Ladhill Gill from our coffee stop

A stiff climb took us up to Sportsmans Hall which TSB suspects is so called because of a past link to the sporting activities of Bumper Castle, but the Hall now appears to be a working farm. Our path skirted above the Hall and we reached a tarmac road, turning right at the Moor Gate to walk to the information board and car park at Arden Moor.

Stiff climb from Ladhill Gill

Looking across at Shaw Side, boulders on the slope glistening in the sun

Entering Arden Moor

We turned right at the information board and walked along the vehicle track for a mile or so until we took a right fork to walk back down towards Wetherhouse Beck. At this point we met a couple of hikers and stopped for ten minutes to chat about our respective walks. Walking on, we left all signs of designated footpath behind and crossed a large boggy area always looking out for the occasional yellow way-mark until we crossed Wetherhouse Beck and climbed across rough ground. We reached a drystone wall which we followed until we gained the moor top.

Loking back to Easterside Hill and Hawnby Hill

Bear right at the fork

We meet a couple of hikers, a spinone and a border terrier

The shepherd passes, his crook in a neat holster attachment

As we crossed this moor we saw the remains of a pigeon, both legs ringed, which had obviously been struck by a hawk. Clive, a pigeon fancier, explained that the code on the red ring showed the bird was from the North West and the blue ring contained a chip that would activate a timer when the bird returned, showing its race time. The red ring showed 2015 and the season only started a couple of weeks ago so Clive took the rings to inform the owner of the bird's fate.

Our path turns onto open moor

Once a racing pigeon

From the moor top we looked down into Bilsdale and the village of Fangdale. Our path passed through a gate and then went steeply downhill by some old quarry workings, eventually emerging at Malkin Bower Farm where we turned left to walk back to our start point in Fangdale.