Arden Great Moor Circular

10.5 miles              Fine but cool

A lovely sunny autumn day, cool but with very little wind, tempted us to do this 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

Osmotherley from Square Corner

"That-a-way, up Black Hambleton"

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 but following my last post on this walk I was contacted by Richard Histon ,who had come across my blog and gave me a link to the Megalithic Portal which discusses the stone in more detail.  There is an interesting page here, but as you will see, mystery still surrounds the stone.

Cray Hall Stone - see link above

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, until reaching the ruins of the old drovers' inn that was known as Limekiln House.

Hambleton Street

Looking down on Nab Farm to the right and Kepwick to the left

Looks like a repair job is underway

2.5 miles along Hambleton Street

We reach the site of Limekiln House

The only evidence of the old drovers' inn is a memorial stone and nearby stood a cross, in memory of Bert, man or dog, we don't know.  Someone had uprooted the cross and it was leaning against the memorial stone so we returned it to its rightful place.  We left the Hambleton Drove Road at this point to turn left across the moor following a track that quickly leads to Thorodale Valley.

Leave the Hambleton Street to follow the green path

Looking back to Limekiln House

Unusual fungi

Our first glimpse down into Thorodale

This end of Thorodale can be difficult to negotiate in summer because of high bracken but today the bracken is dying off and presented no problem. Thorodale is a lovely valley to explore although today we were walking towards a low sun.  We followed the track through Thorodale Wood then North Moor Wood with brief glimpses of Thorodale Lake below.  

Clive starts the descent into Thorodale

Nearly at the valley floor

Approaching Thorodale Wood

Walking through North Moor Wood

Approaching Arden Hall

Just before the final descent to Arden Hall we saw a picnic table, well positioned in the sun, and decided to stop for coffee and scones.

As we refreshed ourselves we watched a pair of male pheasants who seemed indifferent to the barrage of shots which started to ring out, we think from Coomb Hill.

Coffee and scones

Confrontation?

Retreat is the order of the day

Finishing our coffee we walked down to Arden Hall passing the memorial seat erected in memory of three hikers who were killed in a road accident on their way home after a walk.  In the past we have sat here for our coffee but the bench is out of the sun and over time has become mossy and uninviting.  A cable run has been erected at this spot, between distant trees and set up in a professional manner.

We turned back here but I have included a couple of old views of Arden Hall in case anyone is interested. The hall was built on the grounds of the Benedictine Nunnery of St Andrews, founded in 1148, but all that's left of the nunnery is an old chimney, now embodied into Arden Hall.

TSB says that the name Arden was probably derived from arn, an eagle, and doen, a deep valley - the valley of the eagle.

Memorial to three hikers, killed returning from a walk

The rear of Arden Hall

Side view

Front of Arden Hall

Clive inspects the cable run

  

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

Looking down on Arden Hall, hidden by foliage

Coomb Hill over to our right

Approaching Mount Pleasant Farm

Walking up from the farm we passed the pretty cottage known as Harker Gates then on into the woods of North Moor. Ahead to our right was the unmistakable profile of Hawnby Hill.  

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.

Just past Mount Pleasant farm we get a good view of Hawnby Hill

Harker Gates Cottage

Descending to Eskerdale Beck

Brewster Hill 

We walked through Greens Wood where last year we stumbled on a stag, lying in the sun.  No such luck this year!

Last year's chance meeting

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.

Hmm. I reassure Clive that I have his back as there is no way of avoiding the black cow

Walking through carttle fields

Glimpses of the River Rye below

We pass by Far House

We walked across more fields to reach and pass by Low Locker Farm.  As we left the buildings behind we saw a distressed sheep which had got itself tangled in baling wire which had been carelessly discarded in the sheep field. I stood on one end of the wire while Clive caught the sheep and untangled it.  It took a few minutes but the sheep was freed, and showing us no gratitude ran off to join its pals.

Approaching Low Locker Farm

Cute calves

The low sun is a nuisance but we think there is a sheep in trouble

Yes, head down and exhausted

It's a fiddly job but Clive eventually frees the sheep

... And away!

Leaving Low Locker Farm we crossed over a large bridge at Dale Head.  Just upstream from this bridge is the source of the River Rye.

Controlled burning over to our right

Crossing Low Locker Moor

Wide bridge over the source of the River Rye

More moor walking brought us to the ruins of Dale Head Farm and just beyond, its ruined lime kiln. 

Dale Head Farm ruin

The old farm  track

Lime kiln

After Dale Head Farm we walked through more heather to reach the Osmotherley to Hawnby road where we turned left to walk the final three quarters of a mile to the car park at Square Corner.

Male grouse watches us pass 

We reach tarmac and turn left for Square Corner

A short drive took us to Osmotherley and the Golden Lion where we sat in the afternoon sun to discuss this first rate Tom Scott Burns walk.

To Thorodale!