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

Saturday, 5 June 2021

Arden Great Moor Circular

 



10.5 miles              Fine and warm



A warm day with little wind tempted us to do a longer walk from The Walker's Guide to the Hambleton Hills.

Tom Scott Burns suggests starting the walk from Arden Hall but we prefer to park at Square Corner (the 'P' top left in the map below) on the Osmotherley to Hawnby road and make Arden Hall our rest spot.


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

Looking down towards Osmotherley from Square Corner


Leaving the car we walked southwards along the forest path, up the shoulder of Black Hambleton.

Just before reaching a gate we saw a standing stone on the left, bearing the inscription 'Cray Hall Stone'.  Tom Scott Burns says that he has been unable to find any further information about this old boundary stone or the hall it refers to, and our modern day Google search has proved equally uninformative.  

Starting the walk up Black Hambleton

Mystery Stone - where is Cray Hall?

Nearly at the top

After a long climb we walked along the drovers' road known as Hambleton Street for about 2.5 miles, with fine views to our right across to Kepwick.

As we walked we were buzzed by a plane that was so low we thought it might be landing but it continued on out of sight.

We met a dry stone waller who stopped work and chatted to for a while. He explained some of the mysteries of his craft as well as telling us some local gossip that I can't print here.  I did repay him for his information by discovering a sheep tick on his dog's ear as I stroked it and I held the dog's head while he briskly nipped off the tick with his fingernails.

Buzzed!

Looking down towards Over Silton

Looking over Kepwick Moor to Nab Farm

Dry Stone Waller and his dog..

.. a Hungarian Vizsla

We give him some valuable advice on which stones should go where...

It is very pleasant to watch someone work but eventually we had to move on and soon reached the site of the old Limekiln Inn. The only evidence of this old drover's inn is a memorial stone and nearby another small stone stands in memory of Bert, man or dog, we don't know.

Here we left the Hambleton Street and turned left onto the open moor on a green track that quickly took us to the hidden valley of Thorodale.

Bert's memorial had fallen over so Clive replaces it..

That should keep it in place!

Memorial to the Limekiln Inn

Turning left across the moor soon brings us to...

.... the hidden valley of Thorodale

Thorodale Beck

We followed the track through Thorodale Wood then North Moor Wood with brief glimpses of Thorodale Lake below.  As the track approached Arden Hall we found ourselves walking through bluebells and the white flowers of wild garlic. We stopped just before Arden Hall at a commemmorative bench, placed in memory of three hikers who were killed in an accident after a walk in the area.  Their bench made a fine stop for our coffee and scones.

Entering Thorodale Wood

Bluebells are still in bloom



This area had been left to return to meadow with fine results

Wild garlic abounds

The view from our bench

Time for coffee

Memorial to hikers


Tom Scott Burns says that the name Arden was probably derived from arn, an eagle, and doen, a deep valley - the valley of the eagle.
Arden Hall occupies a site that was once a Benedictine nunnery (of St Andrew) founded in 1148.  All that's left of the nunnery is an old chimney which is now embodied into Arden Hall.

After our break we retraced our steps back uphill to rejoin our earlier path, this time turning right to walk towards Mount Pleasant Farm, and as we walked past the farm we had fine views over to Coomb Hill on our right and the rooftops of Arden Hall below.

Coomb Hill

A glimpse of Arden Hall through the trees

Coomb Hill

... and to the other side is Hawnby Hill

Walking up from the farm we passed the pretty cottage known as Harker Gates then on into the woods of North Moor.

Harker Gates Cottage

After crossing Eskerdale Beck by a small bridge our path took us past two ruined farms, Brewster Hill and Cow Wath.  Although no longer occupied, the outbuildings of Brewster Hill are still in use.

Walking through Blueberry Wood

Brewster Hill ruin in the distance

New bridge over Eskerdale Beck

We remembered this fallen branch from our last visit


January 2020

Brewster Hill Farm


We continued following the faint path, now with the River Rye running parallel below us until after a couple of miles we passed the ruins of Far House.


Hag House Farm over the River Rye

Plenty of 'upping and downing'


The River Rye below us

Ruined Cow Wath


A bridge large enough to drive cattle over

Ruined Far House


Remains of lime kiln at Far House

We now walked across Low Locker Moor where we passed a family of grouse, so well camoflauged in the burnt heather that we only saw the male at first. We then joined the tarmac of the Osmotherley to Hawnby road where we turned left to walk back down to the car.

Male grouse

Spot the grouse(s)!

Baby grouse



The last half mile...

A short drive took us to the flesh pots of Osmotherley where we stopped for a well earned pint of ale and discussed the merits of this fine TSB walk.

To Thorodale!





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