The Drove Road and Windygill Ridge from Boltby

7 miles                                Cool and showery

We drove through Boltby and parked at a hard shoulder on the right hand side of the road, shown by 'P' on the map below.  After booting up we walked uphill along the same road, away from the village, until turning left at a footpath sign into a farm track to Lunshaw House Farm.

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

Bluebells on Lunshaw Bank

Turn left up Lunshaw Bank

Before reaching the farm we crossed a stile on the right to follow a field path signposted Low Paradise.  Like last year, this field had a herd of Belted Galloways cattle who appear to have used the footpath to move around the field.  This path which already has a difficult camber is now rutted with hoof marks and we found it easier to walk to the side of the path.

Enter the field, the signpost says Low Paradise

This friendly sign advises us to take the Low Paradise track

We pass by the Belted Galloways

The path eventually drops down into woods before crossing Lunshaw Beck via stone slabs.  We then started a mile long ascent which TSB correctly describes as a 'muscular climb'.  This climb first passes Low Paradise farm, then Oak Beck cottage before continuing to climb all the way to High Paradise Farm.

The trees of Boltby Forest to the left, beware rickety stile

Descending to Lunshaw Beck, Low Paradise Farm in distance

Clive stops as a lamb calls and runs across the field at Low Paradise

Pet lamb

"Feed me"

Disappointed that Clive doesn't have a bottle of milk

Low Paradise Farm

Continuing the 'muscular climb'

Looking back the way we came, towards Boltby

Young hounds at Oak Beck Cottage

We approached High Paradise Farm and seeing that its tea room was open for business we spent a pleasant interlude here with coffee and blueberry scones.

Above Low Paradise Farm we join the Cleveland Way

Continuing uphill

Cowslips in the verge

High Paradise Farm

Hmm, it's past 11am so...

Time for coffee

The farm dog helps with the tidying up

After finishing our coffee we left the farm cafe and walked towards Sneck Gate and the moor.  Passing through the gate we were now on the Hambleton Drove Road, which we followed left for 1.5 miles, soon reaching forest.  As we walked the rain, which had been a fine spray, started to fall more heavily.

We walked on through the trees for some time and then, just before reaching the ruins of Steeple Cross (first mentioned in 1246 but no longer a cross, now just a 2 feet high piece of stone) we turned left to enter the plantation's trees.

Walking towards Sneck Gate

Daletown Common on the other side of the wall

"I think my head's stuck"

Daletown Common stretches out alongside the Drove Road

Entering Boltby Forest once more

Steeple Cross

Left at Steeple Cross and go through the gate

We walked through the forestry plantation to emerge at Gallow Hill where there is a view towards Cowesby village far below.  We could see fresh rain clouds approaching as we followed the broad path along Windygill Ridge.

Fresh tree felling at Windygill Ridge

Rain approaches Cowesby below us

Ahead of us was the Vale of Mowbray and to the right, Black Hambleton and we could see the hummock of Seta Pike, our next destination about a mile ahead.

Just after passing Seta Pike the path turns left to descend on a steep forestry path.  The track was wet and boggy and the steep descents were slippery making progress slow.   The path eventually levels out and we picked our way through Gurtof Wood, looking down on Gurtof Beck running below us. Here the track became very boggy and it was necessary to divert up and down to pass the worst bits.

Descending through Gurtof Wood

Small tracks

Boggy tracks

Clive diverts past the worst bits

An old milk churn in Gurtof Wood

Unusual growth in Gurtof Wood

We came to an area where felling had just taken place on our last visit and soon after this entered fields once more.

Passing last year's felling

Right at the sign brings us to..

Fields once more

We then walked through fields using way-marks on the field boundaries as guides until joining a wide track.  We followed this to a green lane, which, after passing by a smallholding with sheep and a horse, led us to Boltby.

Follow the green lane to Boltby

The riding school used to be the Johnstone Arms

Boltby

Boltby Scar above the village

We stopped to look in the Holy Trinity Church which was unlocked and open to visitors.

Holy Trinity Church Boltby

Towards the altar

Altar window

A penitent at the rear of the church

The churchyard seems to contain only fairly recent graves and a further look at our guidebook 'The Walker's Guide to the Hambleton Hills' explained why: apparently it was the custom until Victorian times to carry the dead from Boltby and Kirby Knowle for burial at Felixkirk, "swathed in linen and uncoffined."  It would be interesting to know the reason for this practice but unfortunately the book does not give one. Strange, when they had perfectly good churches in Boltby and Kirby Knowle.  This local practice gave rise to the strange tale of the lost corpse at nearby Turton Beckstead.  Tom Scott Burns relates a strange event that apparently happened here. In the 1860s some mourners were carrying a body from Kirby Knowle to Felixkirk for burial.  The bearers set down the coffin to rest briefly at this spot, but on raising it up again it felt much lighter and they discovered that the corpse had disappeared. The empty coffin was buried and the site at Beckstead Wood became known as Lost Corpse End.

We continued our walk through Boltby and climbed to the car park to finish our walk just in time, as the persistent drizzle turned much heavier. 

The last climb of the day

A hiker's reward