"There must be dales in Paradise
Which you and I will find.."
Showing posts with label "Sutton Bank". Show all posts
Showing posts with label "Sutton Bank". Show all posts

Friday 19 July 2024

 


Kilburn White Horse Circular Walk

   5.5 miles               Fine and warm


A busy week for me with Monday and Tuesday in the Lakes and then this TSB walk on Thursday.  My injured foot is much improved!

This walk is one of the few times where we beg to differ with the start point of a Tom Scott Burns walk.  He suggests parking at the pay and display car park at the information centre at the top of Sutton Bank but we prefer a car park just below the White Horse on Low Town Bank Road, shown as the P below the White Horse in the map below.  This gives a better balance to the walk, we feel, with Gormire lake being reached at the half way point.  The car park is now also a pay and display costing £2.50 for the day.

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

The White Horse from Low Town Bank Road

How the Horse looks from the car park

From the car park we crossed the road and joined a track through woods that then runs steeply downhill, parallel to the road we had just driven up.

At the bottom of the hill the track rejoins the road and here we crossed over to go through a gate with a footpath sign.

The road is to the right of our path

Lots of Himalayan Balsam here

We followed this farm track through the charmingly named forestry plantation of Happy Valley with views up to the cliffs of Roulston Scar on our right. 

Walking through the trees of Happy Valley



Eventually we came to a stile and way mark on our right.  We left the trees here and the path now enters fields and runs alongside a new barbed wire fence. Progress was easy as we headed towards Hood Farm, directly ahead.

Turn right at the way mark and cross a stile

The path leads directly to Hood Farm


Looking over at Roulston Scar from the path

The imposing building of Hood Farm appears derelict with broken windows. There were cattle in the fields and outbuildings however, so the farm must still be in use.

Hood Farm

Cattle on our path but too hot to bother us

Tucking in at Hood Farm

Walking along the farm track towards the A170 we saw a neatly tended grave and memorial stone and next to it a smaller plot, marked with a horseshoe, which one presumes must belong to a much missed pet.



Reaching the busy A170 we crossed to the entrance of High Cleaves Farm, and almost immediately turned right into a field track.  This leads to the little valley of Butter Dale, which TSB says was cut out by the last Ice Age.

High Cleaves Farm


Butter Dale

Following the footpath over a stile, a sharp climb took us to the first lake, at Gormire Rigg.  At the end of this lake we turned right and climbed through trees, soon reaching the waters of Gormire.

Paths are little walked


Cross the stile

We reach Gormire

We followed the lake round its southern shore and came to a perfectly placed bench made from railway sleepers that is ideal for anyone who might want coffee and scones.  
Gormire is indeed a very peaceful spot, possibly because it takes some effort to reach. We enjoyed our break and the only life we saw was a pair of ducks who soon joined us at the bench.  

Time for a little something

A peaceful view

"May we join you?"

Mmm, scone!

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 around 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'.

Leaving the bench we followed the lake path anti-clockwise.  It was at this spot six years ago that we saw a rare Golden Pheasant. Despite our quiet approach, sadly there was nothing to see today and we soon reached the steep climb to the top of Whitestone Cliff.

Golden Pheasant in 2018
Starting the long climb

About half way up..

Looking across at Hood Farm and Hood Hill from the climb

After twenty minutes we reached the top and turned right on the path, signposted Sutton Bank.  We now had a ridge walk of about 1.5 miles along the top of the escarpment and in today's clear skies were able to enjoy good views into the Vale of Mowbray. 

Clive cooling down after the long climb

Looking back down to Gormire and the Vale of Mowbray


We reach the A170

Where the old path has been diverted

Health and Safety

The Battle of Byland took place here


Looking across at Roulston Scar from the cliff top walk

WWII Memorial

Looking back, Gormire now distant

TSB explains in The Walker's Guide to the Hambleton Hills that during the last Ice Age, glacial sheets unable to override the Cleveland Hills swept round both sides of the moors, carving out the great cliffs at Gormire and Roulston Scar.  

To our left we now watched the activities of gliders at Sutton Bank.
A small plane towed the gliders up, one after another.



There goes another one..

We walked past the Yorkshire Gliding Club and then past Roulston Scar to reach the top of the White Horse.  The car park lay just below and we descended steps alongside the Horse to reach it.

On top of Roulston Scar


The top of the White Horse

Steep descent to the car park


A short drive took us to the Forresters Arms in Kilburn, which is open all day and where we sat outside in the sun to discuss the short but pleasant walk.

New bench at Kilburn

To the White Horse!














Friday 1 February 2019



Kilburn White Horse Circular Walk

   5.5 miles               Icy and bright


This walk is one of the few times where we beg to differ with the start point of a Tom Scott Burns walk.  He suggests parking at the pay and display car park at the information centre at the top of Sutton Bank but we prefer a (free!) car park just below the White Horse on Low Town Bank Road, shown as the P below the White Horse in the map below.  This gives a better balance to the walk, we feel, with Gormire being reached at the half way point.  This car park was empty in today's icy conditions.


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

The White Horse from the car park


From the car park we crossed the road and joined a track that follows the road steeply downhill, running parallel with the road we had just driven up.

At the bottom of the hill the track rejoins the road and here we crossed over to go through a gate with a footpath sign.


Crossing the road outside the car park

Through the gate


We followed this frosty farm track through the charmingly named forestry plantation of Happy Valley with views up to the cliffs of Roulston Scar on our right.  

We pass Acre House on our left

Approaching Hoodhill Field Plantation

Passing frozen trees in Hoodhill Field Plantation


Roulston Scar to our right through the mist

The temperature hasn't risen above -5 degrees all morning


We turn right at this sign...

Looking across Happy Valley



We leave the plantation

Friendly sign on field gate


Eventually we came to a stile and way mark on our right.  We left the trees here and the path entered fields which were frozen and white. Progress was easy on the crisp ground as we headed towards Hood Farm, directly ahead.



Across the fields to Hood Farm

Suffolk Ram

Hood Farm




Near the farm buildings was a sad looking sheep with amazingly overgrown hooves, like Persian slippers, on which it could hardly walk.  We wondered if this was a deformity or a bad case of laminitis?

Not wearing slippers

Hood Farm

The imposing building of Hood Farm appeared derelict with broken windows. There were cattle over-wintering in the outbuildings however, so the farm was still in use.

Walking along the farm track towards the A170 we saw a neatly tended grave and memorial stone and next to it a smaller plot, marked with a horseshoe, which one presumes must belong to a much missed pet.  


Grave at Hood Farm

Looking back towards Hood Hill

Reaching the busy A170 we crossed to the entrance of High Cleaves Farm, and almost immediately turned right into a field track.  This leads to the little valley of Butter Dale, which TSB says was cut out by last the Ice Age.



High Cleaves Farm

Butter Dale
Following the footpath over a stile, a sharp climb took us to the first lake, at Gormire Rigg.  At the end of this lake we turned right and climbed through trees, soon reaching the waters of Gormire.


Gormire Rigg

Climbing through trees to reach...

Gormire

We followed the lake round its southern shore and came to a perfectly placed bench made from railway sleepers that would have been ideal for coffee and scones.  Today, however, it was a bitterly cold spot that the sun hadn't yet reached so we carried on to the sunny side of the lake for our coffee.


Too cold to stop here - Frozen Gormire

It was at this spot last year that we saw a Golden Pheasant, see photo, but despite our quiet approach, sadly there was nothing to see today.

Golden Pheasant last year

Coffee over we commenced the long steep climb to the top of Whitestone Cliff.  After twenty minutes we reached the top and turned right on the path, signposted Sutton Bank.  We now had a ridge walk of about 1.5 miles along the top of the escarpment and in today's clear skies were able to enjoy good views into the Vale of Mowbray. 


The climb begins

Fallen boulder in Garbutt Wood



Nearing the top we pause to admire the view

Observation post on the ridge


View from the observation post
TSB explains in The Walker's Guide to the Hambleton Hills that during the last Ice Age, glacial sheets unable to override the Cleveland Hills, swept round both sides of the moors carving out the great cliffs at Gormire and Roulston Scar.   

Opposite us we could see the cone shaped summit of Hood Hill where a number of barrows and earthworks are located around the summit.

Gormire, almost frozen over

Hood Farm

Memorial on the ridge walk

We passed by the Information Centre and crossed the A170 again, continuing along the path which apparently was known as Thieves' Highway in olden days.  This was because it was supposed to be a getaway route for robbers who had plundered travellers on the Hambleton road.





We walked past the Yorkshire Gliding Club and then past Roulston Scar to reach the top of the White Horse.  The car park lay just below and we descended steps alongside the Horse to reach it.  Sadly the White Horse no longer appears white and looks sadly in need of renovation.


The Gliding Club


View near Roulston Scar



Gliding Club buildings




Roulston Scar

Walkers on Roulston Scar

Hood Farm in the centre, below


The grey stones to the right are the Horse's back

Descending to the Car Park

Come back Fred, all is forgiven!


The Horse from Low Town Bank Road

A short drive took us to the Forresters Arms in Kilburn, which is open all day, where we sat by a welcoming log fire to enjoy our post-walk pint and 'walk de-brief.'