Hawnby, Easterside Hill 

and Shaken Bridge

7.5 miles                     Warm and breezy

   

A busy week for me as I spent the first half walking in the Lakes. (See here!)

Back home, I realised that until today we have only walked this particular route in winter and thought it would be interesting to see how different it might look in summer.

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

We approached Hawnby from the B1257 Stokesley to Helmsley Road and drove to the lower houses of Hawnby Bridge. Tom Scott Burns explains that the village of Hawnby is divided into an upper and lower part because in the 1750s a zealous landlord turned out all the Methodists from their houses.  They had lived in what we now think of as the top village.  They moved a short distance away where they built some small houses and a Wesleyan Chapel, completed in 1770, now the lower village.  

Lower Hawnby at the bottom and Upper Hawnby at top right

Lower Hawnby

We parked behind the Chapel on the newly re-surfaced car park where parking is freely available for about a dozen cars.  

Turning right out of the car park we walked past the few houses to a gate in the field opposite.  We went through the gate into a sheep field with a faint path to follow across this and the next meadow to cross Ladhill Beck at a bridge.

Leaving Hawnby

Crossing Ladhill Beck

We walked alongside Ellers Wood and reached the Hawnby road next to Easterside Farm, where we turned left on to the tarmac.

At Ellers Wood

A short stretch on tarmac

At a sign we turned right off the road and followed the trail under the shadow of Easterside Hill until dropping down to follow the farm track for High Banniscue Farm.  

Looking back to Hawnby

Following a farm track 

A panoramic view of Hawnby Hill to our left

We are observed as we pass by..

More loose cattle below Pepper Hill, they weren't interested in us

When we reached the farm we turned left to walk along a faint track to reach an old ruined building shown as Crows Nest on the OS map.  We turned right at these ruins to pass through the moor gate and followed a path through heather to skirt Pepper Hill and Easterside Hill.

Walking towards High Banniscue Farm

No sign of a track; we walk from way-point to way-point

Abandoned Crows Nest Farm

We enter the moor at a gate next to Crows Nest Farm

Smaller Pepper Hill sticks out from Easterside Hill and in the last war a German Dornier crashed here on 17th December 1942, killing all the crew.  There is a memorial window in Hawnby Church.

Passing Pepper Hill we walked along the east side of Easterside Hill looking down at the valley of Bilsdale to our left before dropping down to join the Hawnby road.  After a hundred yards or so we turned right off the Hawnby road at the new gate and old footpath sign.

A faint path through the bracken

Damaged wall and crater suggests the Dornier came down here

A modern jet swoops alongside us

Dropping down..

.. to a stile in the bracken

We descended across some meadows and arrived at the ruins of Grimes Holme, where we sat on slabs of rock in the lee of the building to enjoy our scones.

New gate and old sign

Grimes Holme

Ripe for renovation!

Disused Larsen trap (to control magpies)

Outbuildings at Grimes Holme

Let's stop for coffee!

Scone with a view

Refreshed, we left the old farmstead and walked down to cross a wooden gated bridge over the River Seph at a point which TSB says is often frequented by herons.  Not today, unfortunately, and we crossed a couple of fields to join a farm track that leads past Fair Hill Farm and recently renovated Broadway Foot farm, once a fire damaged thatched building now transformed into a very smart looking modern building.

Crossing the River Seph

Sign down!

Leaving the fields next to Fair Hill Farm

Fair Hill farm

Broadway Foot Farm today

Broadway Foot Farm when we passed by in 2015

Broadway Foot Farm

We continued along the lane and saw a quiet group of rams relaxing in the warmth.  All was not as pleasantly bucolic as it seemed as we noticed a couple of them had open sores that were being attacked by flies.  Probably the rams butt each other causing head wounds and flies get in.  We chased the flies off as best we could but it was a hopeless task.  There was nothing we could do to improve things but I'm sure the farmer will be along to sort things out.

Rams

Fly strike

After this disturbing sight we continued down to the road and reached Shaken Bridge.  TSB tells us that its name derives from the Old English 'sceacre' or robber.  ie Robber's Bridge.  

We crossed and after walking on the road for a hundred yards we turned sharp left followed a farm road uphill until we came to East Ley Wood.  Bearing right up the track an old barn comes into view, a building we recognised as one we have approached from other directions on various walks.  

Continue down to reach the road...

... and Shaken Bridge

View down stream from Shaken Bridge

View up-stream

Turn left off the road at Shaken Bridge Farm

Looking back at new Broadway Foot Farm

These little signs have been here for years, we would love to know their provenance

Climbing towards East Ley Woods

Old barn

The path meanders along the side of the wood for 1.5 miles, eventually emerging at Murton Bank top.  We turned right onto the road and walked downhill coming to a 'surprise view' at Peak Scar Top, a short distance down the road.

Walking alongside East Ley Woods

East Ley Woods....

... becomes Cliff Wood

... before dropping to Murton Bank and a surprise view

We now had a steep descent down Murton Bank and enjoyed a fine view down to Hawnby and the houses at Hawnby Bridge below us.

Sadly, The Inn at Hawnby is still under offer so it was neccessary to drive on to discuss today's walk over a pint, so we headed to the Bay Horse at Great Broughton where we relaxed in their beer garden.