Hawnby Hill and Hazel Head from Hawnby

7 miles Bright and breezy

This walk combines the best of moorland, woods, pasture and villages. It's not too difficult but as there are several good climbs it isn't too easy either.

We arrived at Hawnby from the B1257 Stokesley to Helmsley road via the Laskill turn off and parked at the roadside shown by the P in the map below, just up the road from the Owl at Hawnby.

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

The village of Hawnby sits right under Hawnby Hill (298m) whose twin, Easterside Hill, can be seen over towards the B1257. These two hills, known as Corallian Outliers, once formed part of the Tabular Hills and have a very distinctive shape.

We walked down from the car park and just before we reached the Owl we turned off the road into a lane opposite the pub and immediately began the steep climb to the top of Hawnby Hill.

Bear right up the stony path just past the telephone box

... and climb to the right of the row of cottages

The imposing Owl at Hawnby

Keep on straight uphill

We reached a small field which we crossed diagonally from right to the left corner where we went through a gate and into bracken. The next stretch of the climb is unpleasant at this time of the year as the bracken is head high and the path has almost disappeared.

Climb across a small field

.. and into bracken

Almost up and looking back through the bracken to the lower village

Reaching the top of the hill we left the bracken behind and walked along the ridge of Hawnby Hill with a good view in all directions; to the left down to Arden Hall and to the right, Easterside Hill.

Easterside Hill to the right

Approaching the summit

Arden Hall below to the left

Meadow Brown butterfly on Hawnby Hill

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 cool down and take in the view in all directions, Daletown over to our left and Easterside Hill to our right.

Clive picks out landmarks from the summit of Hawnby Hill

Memorial Bench at 978'

A lovely ridge walk

We walked along the ridge to the end of Hawnby Hill and then we descended steeply to Hawnby Moor and the moor gate at Sunley Slack.

Steep descent off Hawnby Hill

A posse passes below us

Approaching the moor gate

We walked along the sandy path of Sunley Slack and came to a fork in the road after about a mile. We took the left fork and followed the path for another three quarters of a mile, seemingly walking straight towards the new Bilsdale Mast. To our right was Round Hill, which is of no interest, merely a collection of rocks and a bump in the heather.

About 20 feet past a wooden signpost we turned sharply left on a small track to cross the moor.

Looking back, Easterside Hill to left and Hawnby Hill to right

Turn left at the wooden sign

Not sure what the sign means!

We turned left onto a shooters access track which ran past several shooting butts. A heavy slate sign with the word PRIZE etched on stood at the entrance to the track. We wondered who had gone to the expense and trouble and what it could mean?

As we passed the last shooting butt the track ended and we headed left on sheep tracks through the heather, towards the trees of Hazel Head Wood. The heather ran out and bracken took over making the last few hundred yards difficult. We reached the trees and turned right walking parallel with the wood until we came to the ruin of an old Wesleyan chapel. This is where we intended to stop for coffee but the bracken was too thick. Instead we turned back uphill and found a grassy patch with a couple of well placed stones, just before the gate into Hazel Head Wood, where we settled down to our scones.

Sheep tracks towards Hazel Head Wood

Ants nests on the trail

The old chapel appears below

.. but nowhere to sit

Coffee with a view of Moorside House and Black Hambleton to the left

Eventually we lumbered to our feet and resumed the walk.

We went through the gate and entered Hazel Head Woods. A straight green path soon brought us to some ruined buildings. TSB says these were once the property of High Hazel Head Farm which was last inhabited in 1946, surprisingly recent considering the state of the ruins. Bracken and undergrowth made the paths difficult and we decided this was not the best time of year to do this walk.

Hazel Head Wood

High Hazel Head Farm ruin

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.

Reaching the Hawnby to Osmotherley road

Turn off the road into Anya's Wood

Cross the River Rye

Ellers Wood and its neighbour Anya's Wood have mainly been felled in recent years and now 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.

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.

We creep through the cow field

Head along a faint path alongside Eskerdale Beck, towards the telegraph poles

Turn left at the poles and climb steeply uphill

Looking back, Mount Pleasant Farm on the hill which we pass on our Arden Moor walk

Leave the field at the stile, drat! More bracken

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.

Passing Bluebell Wood

Surprise view of Easterside and Hawnby Hills

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.

Gentlemen's Club. Rams at St Agnes House Farm

St Agnes House Farm

Still two months before the pheasant season

"What does he mean, pheasant season?"

Cross two bridges and two becks

Arched bridge over the River Rye

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.