Walking in North Yorkshire

Boltby to Gormire Lake and Whitestone Cliff

7 miles Fine and warm

We reached Boltby from the A19 Knayton turn off and drove right through the village and up a steep hill to the small designated car park at the side of the road.

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

Turn left here

We walked back into the village and turned left into a lane.

Tom Scott Burns explains that Boltby is of great antiquity and is mentioned in the Domesday Book as the property of Hugh, son of Baldric.

We walked up the lane past the last of the houses and went through a gate to follow a faint track over the shoulder of Little Moor to drop down to Greendale Farm.

We remember when the two dogs depicted used to bark at us as we walked past

The lane becomes a track

Yesterday's heavy rain has widened Boltby Beck

Walking towards Cow Pasture Wood

Walking through the wood brings us to...

Greendale Farm

We get a noisy greeting

.. and bypass the farm buildings

We followed the track from Greendale Farm to Tang Hall Farm where we turned left into fields.

Approaching Tang Hall Farm

Tang Hall Farm

Cross the meadow after Tang Hall

After crossing a large field we joined a stony bridleway, once an old coach road, which crosses Huggon Howl to Southwoods Hall. This bridleway was fenced about three years ago and planted with hedges that in a few years will hide the hall completely.

Southwoods Hall is a very grand place which was once the real home of Seigfried Farnon (real name Donald Sinclair) from the James Herriot books. Sinclair married into money, his wife Audrey Adamson came from a wealthy shipbuilding family and it was her money that bought their home. Strangely TSB doesn't mention James Herriot in any of his guides.

Southwoods Hall

Walking along the fenced bridleway towards Southwoods Hall

Cattle graze by the ornamental lake in front of Southwoods Hall

The hall's ornate gates at the south entrance

The new fencing stretches past the hall to reach the trees at Midge Hole Gate and the gated south entrance to the hall. We now turned into South Woods on a forest path which we followed to reach Southwoods Lodge.

Midge Hole Gate

A hare hides in the long grass

Walking through South Woods

Southwoods Lodge

On reaching the lodge we followed the track straight ahead through Garbutt Wood, eventually reaching Gormire Lake where we sat by the water's edge to enjoy our coffee and scones. We were soon joined by several ducks who were intent on relieving us of our scones and appeared completely fearless. They partook of my pear, Clive's banana, a piece of scone that I accidentally dropped and a couple of biscuits. False friends as when the food was gone so were they.

Path adjoining Southwoods Lodge

Leads us to the lake

We sit down for coffee and find we have company

"Feed me"

Ducks eat anything

Finishing Clive's biscuits

There are two terraces around Gormire and TSB explains that these were once shorelines when the lake was much deeper. It is often described as bottomless but is actually about 27 feet deep in the centre and covers about twenty six acres. Tradition has it that a town stood here which was destroyed in an earthquake, but the lake is actually the result of a glacial overflow channel being blocked by a landslip, hence its position up a hillside. No streams flow from it and its waters are mainly supplied by rain and diminish with evaporation. A major landslip happened here on the 25th March 1755 which was described by Rev John Wesley as 'like many cannons or rolling thunder'.

Time to go - straight up Garbutt Wood

A 20 minute climb

Passing a large fallen boulder

Finally it was time to go and leaving the lake we climbed straight up through Garbutt Wood to reach Sutton Brow. This is a steep half mile diagonally up the side of the bank with views to the south across Happy Valley to Hood Hill Plantation. Reaching the top there is a fine view down to Gormire Lake and over towards Roulston Scar. After catching our breath we set off past Whitestone Cliff, still enjoying James Herriot's "best view in England" from various vantage points.

Happy Valley and Hood Hill in the distance as we climb

We reach the top of the 'Nature Trail' and set off on the joint cycle/foot path

Gormire below

We walked along the ridge with occasional views down to Gormire until we veered left away from the lake, still following the ridge.

Whitestone Cliff

James Herriot says this is the best view in England

.. before heading east

We now had a three mile walk along the ridge, passing the remains of several tumuli to our right and all the time with fine views to the left over Thirlby and then Boltby.

Eventually we passed by the remains of an old hill fort and quarry and reached the derelict High Barn where we left the ridge at a sign, turning left to descend towards Boltby.

Boltby

Approaching High Barn

The barn is increasingly derelict

The old quarry and remains of the fort

Tom Scott Burns explains that the fort above originally had a D-shaped rampart enclosing three acres. Gold earrings from the early Bronze Age have been unearthed, along with pottery from an earlier culture, probably Neolithic.