Walking in North Yorkshire

Boltby to Gormire Lake and Whitestone Cliff

7 miles Fine and warm

This time of the year usually brings a week of dog-sitting for Carole and me and this Tom Scott Burns walk from Boltby has very few farm animals to be disturbed by a small terrier.

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 Gide to the Hambleton Hills

We walked back into the village from the car park 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 crossed Boltby Beck at a bridge. We then went through a gate to follow first a faint track and then a cart track to reach the shoulder of Little Moor.

Leaving the car park and walking down into Boltby

Years ago the two dogs depicted used to bark at us as we walked past

"Get hold of the dog!" "Why?"

That's why!

First a lane

Then a path over sheep fields

We crossed Little Moor to reach Cow Pasture Wood where we found big improvements to the path, probably to accommodate the pony treks that use this route.

New path work

The stone path is well made and the hedge has been grubbed up

Looking down on Greendale Farm from Cow Pasture Wood

Leaving Cow Pasture Wood we walked down to Greendale Farm but bypassed it to the right, joining its farm track which led us quickly to Tang Hall Farm. At Tang Hall we turned left just before reaching the buildings and entered fields.

Gatekeeper

Bypassing Greendale Farm

Tang Hall Farm

Entering fields

Looking back at 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 several 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 home of Seigfried Farnon (whose real name was Donald Sinclair), made famous by 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.

We try to get Bramble to howl on Huggon Howl

Southwoods Hall, Seigfried's place

Crossing Huggon Howl towards Southwoods Hall

The lake has suffered a bit with the dry spell

Hall gates

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.

Entering South Woods

Approaching Southwoods Lodge

We now walked on a broad path through South Woods to pass Southwoods Lodge and enter Garbutt Wood. Our path led us to the shore of Gormire Lake where we were surprised to see that the tree that we usually sit beside has fallen. Nevertheless we managed to find a couple of flat bits to sit on while the dog explored the riverbank looking for rats.

Entering Garbutt Wood

We reach Gormire

Oh 'eck, we usually sit there

Lunch

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'.

I knew it was only a matter of time..

"Aren't you coming aboard?"

Dragon Fly

Lunch over 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.

A steep half mile

Hood Hill

Nearly there

Gormire from the top

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.

Whitestone Cliff and Gormire

Cliff top walk

Bramble enjoys 'the best view in England'

We follow the Cleveland Way towards Sneck Yate

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.

Boltby

High Barn comes into view

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.