A Tour of Raisdale from Chop Gate

 7 miles         Sunny with cool breeze

We parked at Chop Gate Community Centre on the B1257 where there is space for many cars.

After booting up we climbed over a stile at the rear of the car park and followed a faint trail next to Raisdale Beck, across meadows towards Cock Flat Farm.

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

Leave the car park by the stile in the corner

Following Raisdale Beck

Cock Flat Farm

Sheep at Cock Flat Farm

The path stays well below Cock Flat Farm, which Tom Scott Burns says comes from Kyrkflat, denoting Church field.   Cock Flat Farm is a sheep farm and there were many sheep and a few rams in the fields nearby.

Our path then wandered through several fields climbing above Raisdale (Reith's Valley, an old Norse personal name) and into tall bracken where we almost lost sight of our track.

Looking across Raisdale

Into the bracken...

Clive pauses to look down...

... on West Cote Farm

When not distracted by the bracken we had fine views across the valley towards Raisdale Mill and above it, Barker's Ridge.

After passing above West Cote Farm and the buildings of High West Cote Farm we dropped down to reach a tarmac lane, just before the well ordered Stone Intake Farm.  Immediately after passing its buildings we climbed a stile through a hedge on our left, and descended across a field to Raisdale Road.

Ladder stile out of the bracken

Through a gate near High West Cote Farm

High West Cote Farm

Looking across at High House Farm and our path to Barker's Ridge on the skyline

Passing Stone Intake Farm.. 

.. and its two weather vanes

Stone Intake Farm

Leave the road at this stile

We turned right to follow the old lane across a bridge.  In fact this lane is so old that TSB notes that it is referred to in the 1160 Rievaulx Charters as the 'Red Road', perhaps derived from the red shale in this area. 

After a couple of hundred yards we turned left off the road at a sign for Raisdale Mill, originally built by John Garbutt in 1849, which ceased operating in the 1920s.  

We walked past the restored buildings, now attractive homes, before turning sharp right into what Tom Scott Burns describes as 'a most beautiful green lane.'  Sadly years of motorcycle trail bikes mean it is a green lane no more, however motor vehicles are now banned and so in a few years it might be restored to its former glory.

Old mill buildings

Raisdale Mill

Sharp right just past the mill into this 'green lane'

A steady climb to Barker's Crag

A hollow lane

We reached the top and Barker's Ridge, with the rocky outcrop of Barker's Crag to our right.  We followed the ridge to pass by High House and continued climbing until we came to a gate on our left. Here we entered the gate and settled down behind a stone wall to enjoy our coffee and scones in the lea of the wall, with a fine view back of our walk so far.

High House Farm

Looking back to High House Farm and Raisdale

A good spot for coffee

After coffee we resumed our walk along Barker's Ridge towards the head of Scugdale.   The heather was in early bloom and there was a strong smell of pollen.  After half a mile or so we came to a surprise view of Scugdale and we paused to pick out Holiday House and Scugdale Hall before resuming our march across the moor.

Strong smell of heather pollen

Barker's Crag in the distance

Bilsdale in the distance

We pass a surprise view of Scugdale

Roseberry appears in the distance

This is a 2.5 mile march across the moor which we thought a trudge 18 months ago when we last came this way.  This time our walk was made interesting when we saw what appeared to be the remains of an old building, about 50 yards from our path.

We went over for a look and decided the stone work actually appeared to be concrete.  A little further from the path there was a sunken rectangular area, obviously man made.  We wondered what it could be and in the end thought it might be gun emplacements or similar, from WW2.

These appear to be rough concrete remains

Something was here, a building?

Later I did a Google search on these remains and found the following: 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Concrete_Foundations,_Arnsgill_Head_-_geograph.org.uk_-_55077.jpg

This states that the purpose of the foundations is unknown but believed to be military, possibly a decoy station from WW2.

Our path eventually led us to Head House which we have seen change over the years, from a ruin to a store where game bird feed and equipment is kept.  The building is never locked so is a useful shelter and today just as we arrived a sudden squall of rain sent us inside. 

Bee hives and in the distance, Bilsdale Mast

Head House

Lost dog notice at Head House

Clive examines the remains of a young owl, perhaps fell down the chimney?

Someone else has found shelter here!

The rain passed and we left Head House.  In TSB's map above he shows three stone walled fields adjacent to Head House and in the last corner of the third field we saw the solar powered screen of the earthquake detector we spotted in early 2017 when we last walked here.   On that occasion, after describing it in this blog I was sent a link to the actual detector records (thanks Paul!) and we were able to see when we had passed it on the graph.  This time I jumped up and down a couple of times and made a note of the time, 1.36pm!
On visiting the site again you can see the exact time I jumped up and down on the graph, albeit the detector is set to GMT and not GMT+1, the time zone we are currently in.

Here is the link: 

http://earthquakes.bgs.ac.uk/monitoring/stationbook_at10.html

To see the graph, first click on 'Real-time Data' in the left column, then in the 'pull down list' on the left choose AT10 Snilesworth, then on the right 'pull down list' for dates, choose 16.8.18 and then click the View button.  There you see my jumping up and down shown clearly on the red line! 

Solar power for earthquake detector

Detector box

After this interesting diversion we resumed our tramp across the moors, dropping down to Arns Gill where we crossed the stream with a jump. The path took us by an ancient rowan tree, fallen but still alive and described in the '80s as 'weathered' by TSB.

A long climb up Trennet Bank ended at a memorial stone and a fine view down to Chop Gate.  A number of hollow-ways descend Trennet Bank to Chop Gate, which TSB says were worn over many centuries by sledging turf from the moor tops for fuel.

Dropping down to Arns Gill

Reaching the top of Trennet Bank

Memorial stone at top of Trennet Bank

Bilsdale appears below

These turf tracks led us directly to the car park below, crossing Raisdale Beck by a wooden bridge, and we were soon discussing an interesting day's walk over a pint at the Buck Inn in Chop Gate.

Chop Gate below

Reflecting on an interesting walk

Balk and Bagby from Sutton Village

 

7 miles                           Sun and showers

This is a level, easy walk that we thought we would re-visit as we haven't done it for a couple of years.   The second half of the walk has few way marks, so keeping an eye on the map is recommended.

We drove from the A19 along the A170 into Sutton-under-Whitestonecliffe and parked in the Whitestonecliffe Inn Car Park.  Tom Scott Burns tells us that hikers are welcome to use the inn's car park and twenty five years later the present innkeeper confirmed that is still the case.  We promised we would be in for a pint after the walk.

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

The Whitestonecliffe Inn

View from the car park of the Whitestonecliffe Inn

We walked from the pub and turned right onto the A170 which we followed through the village, spotting several interesting weather vanes. 

Weather vanes in Sutton-under-Whitestonecliffe

This is a busy road and care must be taken after the pavement peters out.  We crossed the bridge over Sutton Beck and quickly turned left at a sign, leaving the traffic behind.

Our route led us straight across a field to a stile alongside the town's sewage works, then on through more fields next to Sutton Beck, until it emerged beyond a static caravan park at the tiny hamlet of Balk.  

Leaving the A170 behind

.. to walk through tranquil fields

We reach a caravan park

Narrow path into 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.

We walkied into Balk and admired its three storey mill, now renovated into housing, and opposite it the old mill buildings which have been taken over by a furniture manufacturer.

Balk

The Old Mill at Balk

We joined the road at Balk and remained on it, heading west until we reached the larger village of Bagby where we turned left onto a track near new housing just before we entered the village. This track would be easy to miss as the sign has been obscured by undergrowth.

Turn into track just past the high fence

Obscured sign!

We headed south along this track, towards Thirkleby.  We passed by another caravan park and the grounds of  Thirkleby Hall before emerging on to the road at Thirkleby, by the picturesque old school house whose clock was accurate to the minute.  

Back into fields

A cool spot

Glider and tow plane drift overhead

The old school house at Thirkleby

Dahlias in Thirkleby

We walked out of the village and came to the church of All Saints which is situated outside the village at the end of a narrow lane.  We decided it was now time for our coffee and scones and chose the most comfortable looking of several benches placed around the church, to relax for our break.

Our first view of isolated All Saints Church

Walking down the narrow church lane

All Saints, Thirkleby

The view of All Saints from our bench

Replete, we walked over to the church and found it open. 

All Saints is nicely kept and interesting to walk round.  It was bigger than one would expect for the size of the village, with fine stained glass windows picturing St George and St Martin.  We left the building and went into the graveyard where the eroded inscriptions on some of the gravestones reminded us of how fragile life was for our ancestors.

Looking towards the altar

Looking back towards the organ and rear of church

Altar window

Side window

"Weep not dear friend, my course was run. It was the Lord, His will be done.  In love she lived, in peace she died. Her life was asked, but God denied"

Leaving the church we walked back to the road then crossed straight over to join a field path leading to a footbridge, then quickly on 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.  

We saw a couple of horses in a field and were amused to see one of them in a mask that must have made eating very difficult.  Was it to stop the horse eating or to protect it from flies?

Looking towards the White Horse of Kilburn from our coffee stop

Walking through an orchard

Looking fed up

Towards the back of Thirkleby

The next bit of the walk became rather tricky as there are no way-marks to be seen.  We wondered if they have been removed by someone hostile to walkers?   We walked along field edges using the map and our memories to ensure we stayed on footpaths.  I would be happy to supply my GPS track on request.

No way marks and no paths

Clive follows the faint track through the undergrowth

A decent field margin to follow

Walking towards Low Osgoodby Grange

We reached the large farm of Low Osgoodby Grange and 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.

Our path goes through an orchard at Low Osgoodby

We reach tarmac next to this sign

A sudden heavy shower causes jackets to be donned

Turning off the tarmac at Mount Pleasant Lane

Whitestone Cliff appears in the distance

We walked past Balk Wood Farm and reached the metaled lane that leads to the A170 and Sutton village.  

Our walk over, we paused only to collect a couple of pints from the bar at the Whitestonecliffe Inn, to fulfill our parking bargain.

The end of the walk