Boltby to Gormire Lake and Whitestone Cliff

7 miles                  Cold and dry

 

A very cold day following a couple of windy days meant the going would be good underfoot today.
We approached Boltby from the A19 Knayton turn off and parked at a small designated car park at the end of the village.

Last time we parked here we admired an old elm tree with a tree house and I threatened to climb it on our next visit.  This was not to be as it has been blown over and was lying forlornly in the field next to the car park.  On the credit side this did mean we now had an unobstructed view over to Boltby Scar.

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

Old elm tree in January 2016

The elm tree today

We walked back down the road towards Boltby where we took the first 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.

Approaching the left turn at Boltby

The Old School House, Boltby

New (to us) weather vane at Boltby

Labradors live at this house in Boltby

 
Our lane petered out and we passed through a gate to follow a faint track over the shoulder of Little Moor where we looked down on Greendale Farm.

Our lane peters out at a ford

Climbing Little Moor

Follow the bridleway to Tang Hall

Greendale Farm

We  dropped down to Greendale Farm and continued around the side of a hill to reach Tang Hall farm where we turned left just before the buildings.

Circumnavigating Greendale Farm

King of the Hill at Greendale Farm

Approaching Tang Hall

Tang Hall Farm, turn left at the fence

We were now walking on the old coach road across Huggon Howl to Southwoods Hall, although it is now just a grassy path.

Reaching the gates of Southwooods Hall we turned onto a forest track into South Woods, which we followed to reach Southwoods Lodge.

Through the gate to Huggon Howl

First view of Southwoods Hall

The green coach road runs to the right of the hedge

Southwoods Lodge

On reaching the lodge we followed the track straight ahead through Garbutt Wood to reach Gormire Lake where we sat to enjoy our coffee and scones, watching gliders and their tow planes busy in the sky above us.

Through Garbutt Wood

Swans near the far bank of Gormire Lake

A good spot for a picnic

Tow plane and glider from nearby Sutton Bank

There are two terraces around Gormire and TSB explains that these were once shorelines when the lake was much deeper.  Its 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'.

Leaving the lake we climbed straight up through Garbutt Wood to reach Sutton Brow.  This is a steep half mile diagonally up the side of the bank and we were much warmer by the time we reached the top.  

From here we had a fine view back to Gormire Lake and to the left over towards Roulston Scar.  After catching our breath we set off past Whitetone Cliff, still looking down at the lake from various vantage points.

A long climb to Sutton Brow...

... through Garbutt Wood

Gormire from Sutton Brow

Roulston Scar from Sutton Brow

Whitestone Cliff

Gormire from Whitestone Cliff

Clive enjoying the view from Whitestone Cliff

We now had a three mile walk along the ridge, passing the remains of several tumuli to our right with fine views over Boltby to our left.

Eventually we passed by the remains of an old hill fort and quarry and reached the derelict High Barn where we left the ridge, turning left to descend towards Boltby.

Tom Scott Burns explains that the fort originally had a D shaped rampart enclosing three acres.  Gold earrings from the early Bronze Age have been unearthed, along with pottery from an earlier culture, probably Neolithic.

As we followed the path down we heard the guns of a shoot somewhere below us but couldn't see exactly where.

Boltby from Boltby Scar

Following the ridge for three miles

Remains of hill fort and quarrying, High Barn in the distance

Looking back at hill fort and Boltby Scar

High Barn

We followed a sunken path or hollow lane and for a while could see the tops of the Pennines which were covered in snow.

Our path zig zagged down past Hesketh Grange Farm, over a couple of bridges and then steeply uphill, back towards Boltby and our car.

When we reached Boltby we saw the shoot's chuck wagon being drawn by a tractor, ready for the guns to have a warming drink.  Nearby was a quad vehicle carrying the 'bag', mainly pheasants it would seem.

There is no pub in Boltby so it was necessary to adjourn to The Queen Catherine in Osmotherley to properly discuss today's fine walk.

Starting to descend to Boltby

Leaving the main path near Hesketh Grange

Across a gated bridge

Then a wooden bridge

'The Bag'

 

 

Stonegrave and Caulkleys Bank from Nunnington

7 miles                              Fine and bright

This is the most southerly walk in The Walker's Guide to the Hambleton Hills and we approached it from the B1257 Malton road. We parked opposite  Nunnington Hall in a small layby next to the River Rye.

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

Swans near our car

Nunnington Hall from car park

Tom Scott Burns explains that the name Nunnington is derived from the Old English personal name Nunna and surprisingly not from the Saxon nunnery that was originally on the site of Nunnington Hall.  We walked through the village where our route left the road at a sign to follow the winding path of the River Rye.

Weather vanes in Nunnington

Nunnington is laid out with streets forming a grid design

We leave the village to follow the river

As we left the village at its north west corner a waymarker points into a field and we followed its direction alongside the river.  After about a mile we crossed a small bridge and turned left to walk into a field alongside a plantation of small trees.   As we turned into the field we saw three deer grazing at the far end of the field. Needless to say they also saw us and by the time my camera was ready there was only one deer in sight, and that disappeared into the plantation a second later. As we walked up the field away from the river we saw several points where the deer have established paths into the plantation.

A long walk alongside the river bank on a faint path

Debris on the ruined bridge showed the river had been in flood

Vegetation

Over the bridge and turn right away from the river

One photo then I'm off..

Deer track into the plantation

We reached the tarmac of High Moor Lane, turned left and then after a couple of hundred yards turned right again into more fields which we crossed to reach the B1257 road and the pretty village of Stonegrave. 

Our paths were not well walked

We turn left towards.... ?  (actually Stonegrave)

Limestone path

Houses in Stonegrave

Our passing is observed..

We walked through the village, foregoing our path to Caulkleys Bank as we wanted to see the Minster, the smallest in the country, which has been on this site since the 8th century.  

The village name is derived from the old Norse steinn-gryfja, meaning 'stone cleft' and in the Middle Ages there were stone quarries all round this region.

We turned off the B1257 and past the Elizabethan manor house and approached the picturesque minster which is mentioned in an 8th century letter from Pope Paul I to King Eadbert of Northumbria.

Male sparrowhawk near the minster

Stonegrave Manor House

Stonegrave Minster

A good spot for coffee and scones

By now the sun was out and the wind had dropped.  Our coats were off and we were ready for coffee and scones.  Fortunately in front of the minster was a bench facing the sun so we enjoyed our break in lovely surroundings before exploring the minster and its graveyard. 

10th Century Celtic Cross

The minster was unlocked and a sign said that visitors were welcome to enter.  

Altar window

Memorial stones in Stonegrave Minster

We retraced our steps to reach the footpath to Caulkleys Bank.  The name Caulkleys is a corruption of 'chalk lands'.  The path runs off the B1257, sign-posted 'Caulkleys Bank' and we followed the  grassy path uphill and alongside a small wood.  Reaching the top our path became an exhilarating ridge walk which we followed for the next 2.5 miles. TSB claims that no less than 22 towns, villages and hamlets and sixteen churches may be seen from the ridge's highest point.   We didn't check.   Eventually we started to drop gently down to the houses of West Ness and back to the River Rye.

Sign leaving the B1257

Starting to climb Caulkleys Bank and looking down on the Manor House

Caulkleys Bank

Stonegrave and the Minster

I stride out on the green road alongside Caulkleys Wood

Trig Point - TSB says we should be able to see 22 villages from this point

Caulkleys Lane

 
As we entered the hamlet of West Ness we saw a little stall outside West Ness Hall Farm.  Exploring further we found a nice display of home made cakes and were both tempted into making purchases.  We placed our money in a little cash box, a very trusting arrangement although there was a CCTV notice on display to deter the dishonest.

Descending to West Ness

"This looks interesting"

"It is!"

As we passed West Ness Hall Farm we saw a farmer carrying two lambs from the farm buildings into a field and being followed by a ewe.  He must have decided that he would take out the newborns for some sun and he carefully put them down only for the ewe to firmly push one of the lambs away.  He had brought out another ewe's lamb by mistake!  We stopped to watch as he picked up the unwanted lamb and walked back to the building to re-appear in a couple of minutes carrying another lamb.  This time he had got it right and the family went off happily together.

"That's not mine!"

The walk of shame

How to carry a lamb

"Try this one."

Mum!

We passed by an old Wesleyan Chapel, built in 1836 but now obviously disused, and joined a riverside track just left of the bridge.  We followed the river for 1.5 miles as we walked back to Nunnington.  As we approached Nunnington Mill a couple of herons flew lazily into the trees but still too quickly for my camera.  TSB says that there has been a mill on this site since Domesday but the present building dates from 1875.  We wandered over to look at the mill race which powered electricity for Nunnington Hall from 1920 to 1950.

A beautiful riverside walk

Nunnington Mill

Mill and farm buildings

The mill race

Leaving the mill behind us the river path took us back to Nunnington and to Nunnington Hall, which was owned by Sir Thomas Parr in the 16th century. It's quite possible that Catherine Parr, Henry VIII's last wife, could have played here as a child.

We were fascinated by some sheep in a field at the hall that had the distinct look of teddy bears.   They were in fact Old English Southdown Sheep.  We were unable to see their eyes and wondered how well they could see but they certainly looked cute.

We walk past the rear of Nunnington Hall

Old alms houses, now Nunnington Village Hall

Sheep at Nunnington Hall

Southdown Sheep

Time was pressing on so we decided to forgo visiting the Church of All Saints and St James on this occasion and instead took ourselves to the Royal Oak at the top of the village, where we sat outside in the afternoon sun and enjoyed a pint of Theakston's Bitter.  

A lovely walk and highly recommended.

"Cheers!"

Nunnington Hall and the River Rye