"There must be dales in Paradise
Which you and I will find.."

Sunday 29 October 2017



Hazel Head to Arnsgill and Cow Ridge

    

 7 miles                       Fine and sunny




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 the waterfall and an old lime kiln at the side of the road before climbing back up the road to the entrance to Street Gate Farm.


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

Blow Gill
Waterfall at Blow Gill
Roadside lime kiln

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.  We had passed another well preserved lime kiln in the car a mile or so further back and we would shortly pass yet another on our path.  These high farms would have used the lime to reclaim moorland.

The farm track led past Street Gate Farm and into South Wood.  Even though it was very sunny today the path was 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.  These travelling salesmen not only sold their goods but were also responsible for circulating news and delivering letters between settlements.


A sad notice on the farm gate
Turn into Street Gate Farm


We arrive at Street Gate Farm

Our green path will shortly become muddy and boggy



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 continued along the wet lane until we reached Birk Wood Farm where we turned right and climbed steeply to reach a tarmac lane.  


Hagg House Farm

The green lane has been made boggy by cattle


We pass an enormous ants nest

Across a meadow....

.... to reach Birk Wood Farm

We crossed the tarmac road and passed by a new gate to start a steep climb to reach the moor.  On our left we saw another lime kiln and shortly after the moor track turns to the left and down to Hill End Farm.  At this left turn we continued straight ahead on an indistinct path through the heather.

Cross the tarmac and through a new gate

Good walking with the moor to our right

Snilesworth to the left


We continue straight on through the heather, Hill End Farm ahead

Leaving the heather we joined a distinct shooters' track which dropped down to the little footbridge over Arns Gill.  On crossing the bridge we found a sea of mud and the next 100 feet were tricky to cross, before climbing briskly through some cattle, past the farm and to the moor above.


Bridge over Arns Gill

Descending into the mire!

Hill End Farm


Hill End Farm has its own lime kiln

Our climb took us to the top of Arnsgill Ridge and we followed a shooters' track through the moor gate towards a small plantation of conifers.  Just before we reached them we came to a large flat stone which would make a fine seat and table and decided to stop for coffee and scones.

Through the moor gate to .... coffee and scones

Eventually we resumed our walk and followed the path for a couple of miles before coming to a fork.  Here we 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. A couple of our walks converge on Head House and over the last five years we have seen it change from an abandoned ruin, as it was in TSB's day, to a renovated weather proof building; the work being carried out presumably by the North York Moors authority.

Approaching isolated Head House

Never locked and useful to hikers in bad weather


Head House could still do with a bit of interior decoration

Arns Gill near Head House

Looking back to Head House from Arns Gill

We re-crossed Arns Gill and climbed to Cow Ridge passing a couple of shepherds on quads, with their dogs jumping on and off the vehicles.  Then we came to a party of beaters, waiting patiently to begin their work.  On Cow Ridge we came to another group and it was obvious they were going to head down towards Arns Gill, and the guns would be waiting on the other side of the stream.

We strode out along the moor path for a couple of miles and soon found we were walking to the sound of guns.


Shepherds

Beaters waiting to 'go over the top'

Clive strides out across Cow Ridge

We notice a stoat trap

Bilsdale Mast


We came to a cairn which marks 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 800 BC.  Although they don't show well in the photographs they are in fact very noticeable as you walk along this stretch of the path.


Cairn at Iron Howe

Many dwelling remains along here


We started to walk from Iron Howe downhill back towards Blow Gill.  Over to the left there are fine views of Hawnby Hill and Easterside Hill.  


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.



Scotland Farm

Mary Queen of Scots stayed at nearby Arden Hall on the way to her execution, is that the reason for this unusual name?

A nice weather vane, appropriate for today, near Scotland Farm

The Wesleyan Chapel where Clive and I sat for coffee a couple of walks ago

We rejoined the road for a short walk down to Blow Gill where we found the members of a photography club busily setting up their tripods.  We crossed the stream and a short uphill took us back to the car park.


The end of the walk






Thursday 19 October 2017



Kildale to Baysdale and its Lost Abbey

 

9 miles                                      Cloud with rain later





We parked at the side of the road in Kildale and left the village towards Little Kildale.

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

Setting off through Kildale

The Old School House, Kildale


The Lodge, Kildale

Tom Scott Burns informs us that Kildale is a village of great antiquity.  There are several 'Kildals' in Norway and the village was probably named by the Vikings.  It was called Childale in the Domesday Book.   In 1156, where the church now stands, was a wooden castle built by the Percys, Earls of Northumberland.  Walking through the village we turned off the road towards Little Kildale and passed through a couple of sheep fields before reaching Little Kildale Wood and then carried on to Warren Farm.

Looking towards Little Kildale

Little Kildale

New pigeon weather vane at Little Kildale


Following our path past Warren Farm through a field of horses and donkeys, we came to a large square chimney as we descended to Leven Vale.  This is the remains of an ironstone mine that was operational between 1866 and 1874.  Crossing the River Leven, whose source was just to our right, we started a climb up through meadows towards Kildale Moor. 

Gate near Warren Farm




Horses and donkeys at Warren Farm


"Well they were friendly enough..!"

Old Ironstone Mine





The source of the River Leven


We now climbed steadily to Kildale Moor and having reached the top at 900 feet, we descended towards Baysdale Beck, soon reaching the remains of an old barn where our path turned sharp left.  

The moor gate on Kildale Moor

Old buildings near to Baysdale Beck

We turned left on reaching this building

The track, which runs parallel to Baysdale Beck, is an old lime road that enabled limestone to be carried from Commondale into Cleveland, and we followed this for 1.5 miles until we reached a tarmac road.

We turned right onto the tarmac road and walked steeply downhill to pretty Hob Hole, where we sat on a couple of boulders to enjoy our coffee and scones.


Descending steeply to Hob Hole

Hob Hole

We sat on the rocks on the right to enjoy our coffee

Baysdale Beck at Hob Hole
Hob Hole was supposed to be the haunt of a mischievous hobgoblin who taunted weary travellers and TSB reports a Canon Atkinson speaking of Padfoot,  "Padfoot, a precursor of death; sometimes visible, sometimes invisible, but ever and anon padding lightly in the rear of people, then again before them or at their side, and uttering a roar unlike the voice of any known animal."   


Fortunately there was no sign of Padfoot today and we ate our scones in peace before crossing the ford and heading steeply up the tarmac road, then turning right into John Breckon Road.  As we walked along this narrow road we had views through the mist towards Westerdale.

Looking back to the water splash at Hob Hole

Climbing John Breckon Road

Westerdale

Turn right onto the moor

After half a mile or so we turned off John Breckon Road to folow a heather track that returned us back along the opposite side of Baysdale Beck, passing a memorial to Alan Clegg 'Who loved these moors'.  We arrived at Great Hograh Beck where there is a small stone footbridge and a wooden memorial seat.   

TSB notes that the footbridge was built in 1938, according to an inscription, and was the work of Rowland Close, of nearby Low House Farm.


Returning over the moor on a parallel track

"Alan Clegg, who loved these moors"

Memorial seat at Great Hograh Beck

Bridge built by Rowland Close
Shortly after the stone bridge we turned right onto a wide track and followed the path across the moor.  We walked downhill and passed by the above mentioned Low House Farm where Clive fed apples to a horse and a couple of Shetland ponies.



Leaving the moor

The Low House

Making a friend


We were fascinated by the horse's curly moustache!

Shetland Ponies



We passed through Thorntree House Farm before reaching the Abbey.

The original abbey was occupied by 9 or 10 nuns from 1190 to 1539.   TSB tells how in 1304 Prioress Joan de Percy had not adhered to the monastic rules and Archbishop Corbridge had to commit the custody of the nuns of Baysdale to Roger de Kellshay, rector of Crathorne.  By 1307 Joan remained disobedient and was deprived of her post. She absconded from the abbey with some other nuns and Archbishop Grenfield ordered them back to the abbey "that they return without delay and not go outside the precincts of the abbey and serve God under the yoke of obedience..."   Unfortunately TSB doesn't relate how the story ends, did Joan continue with her wild ways or submit to the yoke of obedience?   NB See below

We walked away from the buildings as the rain began to fall heavily.  We crossed a quaint stone bridge which is apparently the only substantial remnant of the original abbey.  Crossing the bridge we followed the road to a footpath sign where we turned right to climb steeply through fields, all the way to the dale top, at a height of 1050 feet, where we paused to admire the view back to the abbey and collect our breath.


Baysdale Abbey

Side view of the abbey

Crossing the ancient bridge

A handsome ram in the fields near the abbey

Climbing in the rain

Looking back downhill to the abbey

We joined a tarmac road and turned right to follow it.  After a few minutes walking on this road we saw a stone memorial to the crew of a second world war plane that crashed on Kildale Moor; sadly the crew died from exposure before they could be rescued.




We now had a walk of a couple of miles on tarmac as we descended towards Kildale through the rain.  Normally we would enjoy fine views towards Battersby but mist and rain rather spoilt the view today.

A long walk on tarmac
We dropped down to Kildale and a short drive took us to the Royal Oak at Great Ayton where we discussed today's walk over a pint.

I remind Clive that it's his turn to buy the beer

NB  In fact Joan did return to Baysdale as a simple nun after doing a year's penance at Sinningthwaite.  Thanks to Roger for this information and see here