Kilburn White Horse Circular Walk

   5.5 miles               Icy and bright

This walk is one of the few times where we beg to differ with the start point of a Tom Scott Burns walk.  He suggests parking at the pay and display car park at the information centre at the top of Sutton Bank but we prefer a (free!) car park just below the White Horse on Low Town Bank Road, shown as the P below the White Horse in the map below.  This gives a better balance to the walk, we feel, with Gormire being reached at the half way point.  This car park was empty in today's icy conditions.

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

The White Horse from the car park

From the car park we crossed the road and joined a track that follows the road steeply downhill, running parallel with the road we had just driven up.

At the bottom of the hill the track rejoins the road and here we crossed over to go through a gate with a footpath sign.

Crossing the road outside the car park

Through the gate

We followed this frosty farm track through the charmingly named forestry plantation of Happy Valley with views up to the cliffs of Roulston Scar on our right.  

We pass Acre House on our left

Approaching Hoodhill Field Plantation

Passing frozen trees in Hoodhill Field Plantation

Roulston Scar to our right through the mist

The temperature hasn't risen above -5 degrees all morning

We turn right at this sign...

Looking across Happy Valley

We leave the plantation

Friendly sign on field gate

Eventually we came to a stile and way mark on our right.  We left the trees here and the path entered fields which were frozen and white. Progress was easy on the crisp ground as we headed towards Hood Farm, directly ahead.

Across the fields to Hood Farm

Suffolk Ram

Hood Farm

Near the farm buildings was a sad looking sheep with amazingly overgrown hooves, like Persian slippers, on which it could hardly walk.  We wondered if this was a deformity or a bad case of laminitis?

Not wearing slippers

Hood Farm

The imposing building of Hood Farm appeared derelict with broken windows. There were cattle over-wintering in the outbuildings however, so the farm was still in use.

Walking along the farm track towards the A170 we saw a neatly tended grave and memorial stone and next to it a smaller plot, marked with a horseshoe, which one presumes must belong to a much missed pet.  

Grave at Hood Farm

Looking back towards Hood Hill

Reaching the busy A170 we crossed to the entrance of High Cleaves Farm, and almost immediately turned right into a field track.  This leads to the little valley of Butter Dale, which TSB says was cut out by last the Ice Age.

High Cleaves Farm

Butter Dale

Following the footpath over a stile, a sharp climb took us to the first lake, at Gormire Rigg.  At the end of this lake we turned right and climbed through trees, soon reaching the waters of Gormire.

Gormire Rigg

Climbing through trees to reach...

Gormire

We followed the lake round its southern shore and came to a perfectly placed bench made from railway sleepers that would have been ideal for coffee and scones.  Today, however, it was a bitterly cold spot that the sun hadn't yet reached so we carried on to the sunny side of the lake for our coffee.

Too cold to stop here - Frozen Gormire

It was at this spot last year that we saw a Golden Pheasant, see photo, but despite our quiet approach, sadly there was nothing to see today.

Golden Pheasant last year

Coffee over we commenced the long steep climb to the top of Whitestone Cliff.  After twenty minutes we reached the top and turned right on the path, signposted Sutton Bank.  We now had a ridge walk of about 1.5 miles along the top of the escarpment and in today's clear skies were able to enjoy good views into the Vale of Mowbray. 

The climb begins

Fallen boulder in Garbutt Wood

Nearing the top we pause to admire the view

Observation post on the ridge

View from the observation post

TSB explains in The Walker's Guide to the Hambleton Hills that during the last Ice Age, glacial sheets unable to override the Cleveland Hills, swept round both sides of the moors carving out the great cliffs at Gormire and Roulston Scar.   

Opposite us we could see the cone shaped summit of Hood Hill where a number of barrows and earthworks are located around the summit.

Gormire, almost frozen over

Hood Farm

Memorial on the ridge walk

We passed by the Information Centre and crossed the A170 again, continuing along the path which apparently was known as Thieves' Highway in olden days.  This was because it was supposed to be a getaway route for robbers who had plundered travellers on the Hambleton road.

We walked past the Yorkshire Gliding Club and then past Roulston Scar to reach the top of the White Horse.  The car park lay just below and we descended steps alongside the Horse to reach it.  Sadly the White Horse no longer appears white and looks sadly in need of renovation.

The Gliding Club

View near Roulston Scar

Gliding Club buildings

Roulston Scar

Walkers on Roulston Scar

Hood Farm in the centre, below

The grey stones to the right are the Horse's back

Descending to the Car Park

Come back Fred, all is forgiven!

The Horse from Low Town Bank Road

A short drive took us to the Forresters Arms in Kilburn, which is open all day, where we sat by a welcoming log fire to enjoy our post-walk pint and 'walk de-brief.'