Nether and Over Silton to Hanging Stone and Oakdale Reservoir

                  7.8 miles                                  Fine and dry 

It seems ages since Clive and I got out for a walk but it's my fault, not his.  Just as I started to recover from weeks of calf trouble I went down with the dreaded Covid.  It's all behind me now, I hope, and to celebrate we chose this Tom Scott Burns walk which is always a delight at this time of year.

We parked at Square Corner, the moors car park which is two miles from Osmotherley on the Hawnby road.  

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

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.  

We turned right through a gate giving access to the remains of the conifer plantation where the path, known as Moor Lane, takes one steadily downhill for about 2.5 miles.  This is a pleasant start to the walk and took us out of the stiff cold breeze.

The mystery stone

Black Hambleton up ahead - we turn right at the sign

Follow the forestry path

Frogspawn in ditches

Hunter's Hill Farm

    Moor House

"You've done well to find this!! 16.9.'07."  Almost hidden junction box in Moor Lane.

Lime Kiln in Moor Lane

We walked through through conifers, passing the ruins of a lime kiln and the imposing Moor House.  In a field nearby we saw Southdown sheep in a field that were obviously pets, as they ran over to be fussed.

Teddy Bears

They are disappointed Clive has no treats

A little further along Moor Lane we came to Rose Cottage and on the right an ancient drinking trough, before joining Kirk Ings Lane leading into Nether Silton.  

Kepwick and Atlay Bank over to our left

Skirt Bank House

The old drinking trough is completely blocked with leaves and silt

Clive gets to work with my walking pole...

Water flows once more..

Rose Cottage

4x4 planter in Nether Silton

Horseshoe deer with a real skull

The forest path becomes a tarmac lane which eventually leads to Kirk Ings Lane, where we turned left, then right, to enter the lovely village of Nether Silton.  We followed the lane to reach All Saints Church which is open to the public.

All Saints Church

Clive admires the wood from HMS Dreadnaught

Covid rules are slow to change in the countryside

Front entrance of All Saints Church

All Saints is a chapel of ease that was rebuilt in 1812. Such a chapel is built for the convenience of parishioners who would find it difficult to access the main church, in this case isolated St Mary's which we would pass by shortly.

Tom Scott Burns explains that wood used in the altar rails and other  refurbishments was presented by a R M Jaques, and were from HMS Dreadnought of Lord Nelson's day.

We left the church and immediately turned off the road at a white gate opposite, just near to the post box. We followed a narrow track behind houses to reach open fields.

This magnificent lime tree dominates the village green

We turn off the high street at the white gate

Which leads to open fields

Warning to dog walkers on the stile!

Approaching St Mary's in Over Silton

After crossing several fields we came to the ancient and isolated church of St Mary, Over Silton, standing alone in the middle of fields without any path leading to it.   We have visited this church in April before and found a splendid display of daffodils, would we be lucky today?

Daffodils at St Mary's 

A better display on our last visit!

We sat in the graveyard on the Jubilee Bench and enjoyed our coffee and scones before spending some time exploring the church and reading the inscriptions on the old gravestones.  The church is always open to visitors and has a very peaceful air.  No electricity of course and candelabras hang from the roof.  Tom Scott Burns tells us that it still has its original Norman zigzag mouldings around the doorway.

Original Norman zig-zags around doorway

No 'lectric here

Altar window

The rear of the church

Clive examines the font

Remains of an ancient cross

"The storms of affliction are oer, My struggle is ended at last, I left my husband and children dear,  For god to be their guide"

'In vain the tears that fall from you, And here supply the place of due, (sic) How vain to weep the happy's dead, And now to heavenly realms are fled, Repine no more your 'plaints forbear, And strive at last to meet me there' 

In infant years obdurate death, did snatch away their vital breath, and left their parents to complain, 'till with joy they meet in Heaven again

Eventually we decided to move on and we walked across the fields away from the isolated church and towards the village of Over Silton where we passed by the old manor house.  TSB tells us that this was once owned by the gallant gentleman Sir George Orby Wombwell, baronet, who served with the 17th Lancers and took part in the charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava on 25th October 1854.  His horse was shot from under him and he was taken prisoner but escaped on a Russian horse to rejoin his brigade and charge again, without sword or pistol!  He died in 1913 aged 81.  We turned right at the manor house and after pausing to watch a group (flock?) of peacocks wandering through gardens, we walked out of the village towards Crabtree Plantation.

Entering Over Silton

The Manor House

Free range peacocks in Over Silton

The Old School

The birds roam freely through the village

A modern henhouse

Turn left at the sign for Crabtree Plantation

The next 2.5 miles were to be through conifers, sometimes on wide forestry tracks and sometimes on narrow footpaths but always very muddy and quite difficult to negotiate.  

We climbed steeply for the first mile then our path levelled out for a mile.  As we picked our way through the muddy tracks of Crabtree Plantation we looked out for the Hanging Stone above us.  In TSB's day this would have been quite a sight but today the stone is almost hidden by sapling growth. Eventually we passed beneath the Hanging Stone which is also known locally as Lion Stone.  TSB reports that there is a path up to this feature but we have yet to see it among the thick saplings.

Entering Crabtree Plantation

Hanging Stone

We need to go right here

Slipping and sliding

In Big Wood

We followed a distinct path through the dense trees of Big Wood and followed a way-marked path until we came to a huge clearing where tree felling had taken place on a grand scale.  Stacks of logs could be seen below.

Felling on a big scale in Big Wood

Hundreds of trees stacked below

We hoped they hadn't all been felled for the Bio-furnace at the Power Station.  Eventually we came to the end of the felling, just as we turned right in Big Wood above Oakdale Lower Reservoir and we exited the trees to make the steep descent to the bridge over Jenny Brewster's Gill.

Bracket Fungi produce shelf-like fruit called 'Conks'

We leave the tree felling..

.. and descend to Jenny Brewster's Gill

The bridge at Jenny Brewster's Gill

Tom Scott Burns explains that Jenny Brewster's Gill was named after a famous witch and was once the haunt of smugglers who peddled liquor to the surrounding villages.  Several secret stills were dotted around the moors, one being at Solomon's Temple, another Wildgoose Nest, near what is now Cod Beck Reservoir and another at Swainsty Crag on Nether Silton Moor.

We crossed the bridge and left the wood to climb to the reservoir service track, which we joined to follow towards what used to be the upper reservoir.  Oakdale Reservoirs were built in the 19th century to provide water to the local area but have been decommissioned. The upper reservoir has been downgraded to a small lake that it is hoped will attract wildfowl but no wildlife was to be seen today.

Oakdale House above

We follow the service road

... above Jenny Brewster's Gill

The upper reservoir has now been landscaped

After passing the upper reservoir we descended to cross Jenny Brewster's Gill once more and saw that a large trap is still situated slightly upstream.  It's been there for a couple of years and is large enough to catch mink, which we suspect is its purpose.  Nothing in it today.

We descend to the Gill 

The old signs have been left

We check the trap

Stand on the metal plate and you're dead!

Left as found

Leaving Oak Dale we climbed steeply back to Square Corner and the car.  A short drive took us to the flesh pots of Osmotherley where we sat in the sunshine outside the Golden Lion and discussed today's excellent walk.  Most recommended.

"To Jenny Brewster!"