Hazel Head to Arnsgill and Cow Ridge

          7 miles                       Misty and still

We approached Hazel Head Car Park via a 6 mile drive along the unclassified road from Osmotherley and after driving past the ford at Blow Gill ('ravine with the dark ford') we parked at Hazel Head car park.

After donning our boots we returned along the road, back to Blow Gill where we admired an old lime kiln at the side of the road before climbing back uphill to Street Gate Farm.

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

Sheep at Hazel Head Car Park

Looking upstream at Blow Gill

Roadside Lime Kiln

Blow Gill

We thought it was unusual to see fully grown trees of different species so close to each other

Turning off the road at Street Gate Farm

Tom Scott Burns explains that a number of farmers in the region had their own lime kilns for burning lime, which was used for lime washing walls and dressing the land, a custom going back to Roman times. The lime neutralises the acid in the moorland soil allowing more varied crops to be grown.

The farm track led past Street Gate Farm and into South Wood.  Although now very overgrown and wet, this is an old lane and TSB tells how these lanes were used by tinkers and pedlars who became very numerous in the Middle Ages.   As well as selling goods these travelling salesmen were responsible for circulating news and delivering letters between settlements.

We surprised a large hedgehog in South Wood, plump and healthy looking, but we reflected how rarely we come across them on our walks.

Approaching Street Gate Farm

Hedgehog freezes as we approach

He looks fit and well

Overgrown path through South Wood

The track led us past another farm, Hagg House, where our arrival was heralded by a deafening cacophony of barking from a pen of spaniels.  We were impressed by an army all-terrain vehicle, ideal for these so called lanes.

Unusual farm vehicle at Hagg House

We continued along the wet lane until we reached Birk Wood Farm where we turned right and climbed steeply to reach a tarmac lane.  We turned right passing by another lime kiln and reached the moor gate.

Wet lane near Hagg House, note tree house.

Progress was slow as we picked our way through the mud

The lane improves as we approach Birk Wood Farm

 Letter box on the moor gate

As we entered the moor we passed a batch of bee hives, the first of several such batches that we saw today.  Opposite the hives was the reason for their presence, masses of flowering heather and as we walked along the scent became very strong and intoxicating.

Bee Hives....

... opposite the heather

The heather was in full bloom and we were sorry we weren't walking in sunshine, even so, it was very pretty. 

We walked passed a keeper's cottage (we were soon to meet the keeper at Head House) and Hill End Farm and walked on to Arnsgill Ridge with Snilesworth Moor to our left.  TSB says that in 1150 Snilesworth was written as Snigleawath, Snigels' Ford, based on the Norse word snigill, a snail.

Heading towards Hill End Farm

A nice contrast!

Tracks had been newly sanded and were a pleasure to walk on

Keeper's cottage

Crossing towards Arns Gill

Our track was now a distinct shooter's track that had been topped with sand recently, and after crossing the little footbridge over Arns Gill we climbed briskly to the moor above.  

We came to a large flat stone and decided to stop for coffee.  It was warm and still and a pleasure just to sit and listen to the bees droning as we ate our scones.

Bridge over Arns Gill

Leaving the bridge was a problem...

Climbing towards Hill End Farm

Another lime kiln at Hill End Farm

Passing the moor gate

A convenient rock makes a fine table.. and seat

Eventually we resumed our walk and coming to a fork turned right to drop down to Head House, an abandoned farm which is now used by the keepers for storage of bird food and the like.  We saw that a quad type vehicle was parked outside and as we passed by the keeper emerged and we stopped to chat.  He was friendly and it gave us an opportunity to ask a couple of questions we had been puzzling over.  For example, why did the keepers put out so many trays of grit for the birds, presumably there was no food in the grit? Couldn't the birds get grit for their gizzards without it being provided ? He explained that the grit was medicated to prevent the birds getting lung worms etc.  They had 10,000 birds to look after and disease can spread like wildfire amongst them.  

He told us he and his team were responsible for the newly sanded tracks and shooting boxes and showed off his vehicle, a brand new  Polaris 4x4, an American vehicle.  We asked about the hives, he said the honey produced can be bought in Osmotherley.  Why was no-one shooting?  This was the second Thursday we had walked since the Glorious 12th and we hadn't heard a shot.  Apparently there had been shoots on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday but they didn't generally have a shoot on a Thursday.

We always check for trapped rabbit babies nowadays....

Head House

Head House and Keeper's 4x4

More hives

We re-crossed Arns Gill and climbed to Cow Ridge and strode out along the moor path for a couple of miles.  

We came to a cairn which marked the location of Iron Howe.  TSB points out that all along this stretch are well preserved field boundaries and over 300 cairns dating from 2300 to 800BC.  Although they don't show well in the photographs they are in fact very noticeable as you walk along this stretch of the path.

Looking back at Head House

We remember that this rock used to have the word 'GROUSE' painted on it, someone else obviously didn't think it was funny and painted it white

Stoat or mink trap

More hives

Presumably this is to keep sheep off, but what of value is growing?

Cairn at Iron Howe

Bronze Age workings all along this stretch

Passing the last of the old cairns

We started to walk from Iron Howe downhill towards Blow Gill.  The last time we walked along here, in 2014, we had fine views towards Hawnby Hill and Easterside Hill but today they were hidden in mist.  

We followed our path past the strangely named Scotland Farm, spotting the old Wesleyan Chapel on the left, where we have stopped to rest on previous walks, before rejoining the road for a short walk back to Blow Gill and our car.

Scotland Farm

Old Wesleyan ruined chapel