There is now a fine ridge walk along the top of Hawnby Hill and we soon reached the highest point, a cairn at 978 feet. We paused to look in all directions, Daletown over to our left and Easterside Hill to our right.
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The neatest cairn in Yorkshire |
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Ridge walk along Hawnby Hill |
We walked along the ridge to the end of Hawnby Hill enjoying picking out familiar sights and walks that we could see from this vantage point, and then, as the rain started to fall we descended steeply to Hawnby Moor and the moor gate at Sunley Slack.
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Hawnby Moor below |
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Looking back at Hawnby Hill |
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Down came the rain.. our sandy track lies ahead |
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Walking along Sunley Slack |
We walked along the sandy path of Sunley Slack coming to a fork in the road after about a mile. We took the left fork and followed the path, seemingly walking straight towards the three temporary replacements for Bilsdale Mast. To our right was Round Hill, which is simply a collection of rocks and a bump in the heather.
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Two of the temporary masts at Bilsdale |
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Bear right just after this sign |
About 20 feet past a wooden sign post we turned sharply left on a small track to cross the moor.
There is very little sign of the path indicated by Tom Scott Burns on the map above, and we made our way initially by following a series of shooting butts and the rough access track that has been laid for them. After the butts we followed sheep tracks, all the time heading left towards the trees of Hazel Head Wood. As we walked we came across two families of grouse.
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Following narrow tracks across the moor |
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Shooting butts |
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Excellent camo. |
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There were several chicks hiding nearby |
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The trees of Hazel Head Wood appear |
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Following Hazel Head Wood |
Having reached Hazel Head Wood we walked parallel to it until we saw the disused Wesleyan chapel ahead of us. Here we settled down with a fine view over towards Bow Gill and the Osmotherley road. As we sat quietly enjoying our scones a deer, obviously unaware of us, approached and passed behind the chapel, then jumped over the fence into Hazel Head Wood. This made our break even more enjoyable.
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Approaching the old chapel |
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A good place to stop for coffee |
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Passing unaware .. |
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...it trots towards the wood |
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A clean jump, the fence is no barrier |
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The stones were our seats, the wood and slate made good tables |
Eventually we lumbered to our feet and resumed the walk.
We retraced our steps for about 100 yards to a gate and entered Hazel Head Woods. A straight green path soon brought us to some ruined buildings. TSB says these once belonged to High Hazel Head Farm which was last inhabited in 1946, surprisingly recent considering the state of the ruins.
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Entering Hazel Head Wood |
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The ruins of High Hazel Head Farm |
We followed a grassy track through the dark wood until, bearing right, we exited the wood above Hazel Head Car Park and the Osmotherley to Hawnby road.
From the car park we followed the road left for a short time before turning into Ellers Wood at a footpath sign.
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Entering Ellers Wood |
Ellers Wood has been felled in recent years and now mainly consists of saplings. A path has been maintained through the close growing saplings and we followed it downhill to reach a bridge over the River Rye.
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Crossing the River Rye |
Crossing the river we joined a lane and passed through a gate into a sheep field. We followed a beck through a couple of fields, ignoring a broad path to the left, to reach a row of telegraph poles.
Here we turned left to follow the poles uphill where we crossed a stile and followed the path into conifers.
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Bear right at the pole |
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Upwards following the telegraph poles |
These conifers are the trees of Blueberry Wood and we walked through them for about half a mile, before coming to a surprise view of Hawnby Hill to our left.
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Hawnby Hill and Easterside Hill beyond |
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Blueberry Wood |
Passing above St Agnes House Farm we crossed a stile and dropped down to a ford where we crossed a footbridge into Low Wood. Soon we came to the attractive arched bridge over the Rye, not mentioned by TSB as it post dates his book, being built to replace a bridge washed away by flooding in 2005.
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The arched bridge over the River Rye |
From the bridge we had a short scramble up to a track leading right, coming out of the woods at the lonely Carr House. From here we followed way marks (but no path) through several fields of sheep before eventually reaching the road just outside Hawnby.
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Guess who's turn it was to buy the beer! |
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Our view from The Owl |
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