Along the Old Drover's Road from Osmotherley

6 miles                               Mostly rain

Today's weather was much worse than forecast and we decided to postpone the 9 mile walk we were planning until next week (or until the weather is better) and do a shorter walk from Osmotherley.  We parked outside Thomson's old shop, still awaiting renovation, and famous in the area for being a general dealer's shop for 200 years.  Steady rain meant waterproofs from the start and we walked through the village, past the pinfold in Quarry Lane, now displaying a new information sign, and turned left into Rueberry Lane. 

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

Thomson's, a general dealers for 200 years

Quarry Lane in the rain

Village pinfold, where stray beasts were kept until fines were paid

Steady Climb up Rueberry Lane

A month ago I wrote here how Tom Scott Burns explained that according to tradition Osmotherley got its name following the drowning of Prince Oswy on Roseberry Topping, but TSB also notes that in the Domesday Book the village was called Asmundrelac. meaning Asmund's Clearing.  The village was ravaged by William the Conqueror in 1069 and was still described as waste land when entered in the Domesday Book in 1085.

Looking back to Osmotherley from Rueberry Lane

Lady Chapel

Leaving Lady Chapel to drop down to the Cleveland Way

Rueberry Lane led us to Lady Chapel which was founded by Catherine of Aragon in 1515.  After the chapel we dropped down to join the Cleveland Way and Coast to Coast track, climbing alongside South Wood to reach the transmitter masts of Beacon Hill.  As we walked through the silver birch trees we were surprised to see the carcass of a hare draped over the branches of a tree.

Climbing through South Wood

Dead hare in unlikely spot

Beacon Hill

Shortly after Beacon Hill we passed through the moor gate, signed Scarth Wood and followed the distinct moor track towards Scarth Nick, with the distinct shape of Whorl Hill ahead of us.  When we reached Scarth Nick we turned left into the tarmac road and walked along to the beck at Sheepwash. This is where we had planned to have coffee but the rain was heavier than ever so we turned right and walked along to the trees surrounding Cod Beck Reservoir.  We found a fallen tree sheltered from the rain and giving a good view down onto the reservoir to enjoy our coffee and scones.

Through the moor gate

Whorl Hill in the distance

We reach Scarth Nick

Looking down on the road through Scarth Nick

The view from our coffee stop

After our break we decided to vary our route slightly and instead of walking back to Sheepwash we walked alongside the reservoir before taking a left turn and walking up through the woods to High Lane and Pamperdale Moor.   High Lane is the old drover's road across the moor and we turned right and followed it to Chequers Farm.  This interesting building was an old inn and held a licence for 300 years until 1945. When it was a hostelry it was famous for keeping an old peat fire alight for 150 years!  The sign of the Inn was a chequers board signifying that it would change money for the drovers and on the sign was the cryptic message  "Be not in haste, Step in and taste, Ale tomorrow for nothing.'   As we all know, tomorrow never comes!  The old sign has been mounted behind glass on the farm wall.

Walking by Cod Beck Reservoir

We reach High Lane, the Drover's Road

Old sign at Chequers

Chequers Farm

TSB informs us that drovers used to bring vast herds of cattle from the Highlands of Scotland across the Hambleton Hills on the way to the markets of East Anglia, the Midlands and London.  Their average pace was just 2 miles per hour.  
Just beyond Chequers Farm our path turned sharp right leaving the drove road and heading gently downhill to the two small reservoirs at Oakdale where we crossed the beck by an old packhorse bridge.  On this track we were surprised to see a little 'shrine' next to the dry stone wall, dedicated from a husband to his wife.  We wondered what relevance this remote spot had for the couple.

Turn right off the Drover's Road

We pass a little shrine

Down to Oakdale Reservoir

Our second reservoir today

We walked downhill, past White House Farm, where we were amused to see a black domestic rabbit running happily with wild rabbits.

Domestic rabbit gone wild

White House Farm

Crossing Cod Beck

We crossed Cod Beck by the footbridge and climbed steeply back to the top of the bank where a walk across a couple of fields returned us to Osmotherley.  Quickly shedding wet weather gear we adjourned to the Queen Catherine Hotel to discuss the finer points of the walk over a pint of Thwaites Wainwright ale.

Osmotherley appears in the distance

Entering the village

We emerge onto the High Street

A Bilsdale Circular from Clay Bank

Approx. 6 miles               Grey, cool and still

We decided on a shorter walk today as I am recovering from two weeks with 'flu.  We drove along the B1257 Stokesley to Helmsley road and parked at Clay Bank car park, once the site of eight Bronze Age burial mounds which were excavated when the car park was built in 1969.

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

Walking from Clay Bank towards Spring House

We were surprised at how much snow still lay on the eastern side of the hills.  We set off walking back down the B1257 for about a hundred yards before crossing the road to enter the forestry plantation.  Our path through the trees ran steadily downhill until we came to a right fork which we followed.  This minor path led straight down hill through the trees, parallel with the road, to meet the B1257 again, near to the entrance to Spring House.  

Take the right fork

Paths appear to have been little walked since the snow arrived three weeks ago

We drop below the snow line

Spring House entrance

We turned sharply left at this junction and followed a vehicle track towards Spring House, whose residents must have been pestered by trespassers in the past as there are numerous signs warning of loose dogs and also CCTV.  Checking our route was correct on the GPS we walked confidently across the front of Spring House where an ancient tractor was blocking our path.  Squeezing past we entered a field where yellow way-marks now indicated our direction.

Welcome sign at Spring House

Yellow way-marks keep us right

Spring House

Immediately past Spring House our path runs into fields

At first there was no sign of a path and we followed the GPS across a couple of fields but soon we joined a pleasant path which took us below the Cleveland escarpment and was in total contrast to the rough terrain above.  We passed an attractive building called Broughton House and then reached the untidy buildings of Huntons Folly and a little further along the road, a farm called Solomon's Porch. 

 

Horses have made the track messy

Looking north towards Middlesbrough

Turn left here

Our track becomes a road

Broughton House

We'd like to know why the latter two farms are so named but haven't yet been able to find any information and unusually, TSB is silent on this matter.   The track continued past Solomon's Porch to a couple of buildings whose unusual signs we admired. 

The old buildings of Huntons Folly

Solomon's Porch

Intricate sign of tractor and hedge cutter

We didn't reach these cottages, instead turning sharp left to enter fields at a way-mark and begin a long, steep ascent to the top of the Cleveland escarpment.  Eventually we left the trees behind and had a clear view across Cold Moor and we rewarded ourselves with coffee and scones, sitting behind a stone wall to duck out of the chilly breeze. 

We start the long climb to the top of Cleveland escarpment

Entering the forestry tracks

Up and up

An old Romany sign meaning 'coffee and scones here'

Much refreshed we started the climb to the top of Cold Moor, surprised by a female fell runner who overtook us near the top.  She was the only person we saw on the hills today.  A cautious descent from Cold Moor on icy stones brought us to another climb, this time towards the Wainstones.

Ram and ladies on Cold Moor

Looking back from start of climb to Cold Moor

"We'll let you past...!"

From top of Cold Moor

We walk under the Wainstones

Our path veered off here to the right through an open gate and we walked towards Garfitt Gap and a farmhouse called Garfitts.  Tom Scott Burns says that the original name of Garfitts was Garthwat (in 1335) meaning 'a clearing with an enclosure on it'.   All along this path were pheasant feeders and birds complaining noisily about our presence.    Garfitts was a very pretty house despite its remote situation and we passed it by and followed the road gradually down into the valley of Bilsdale.

Garfitts Gap

Approaching Garfitts

Garfitts

Tom Scott Burns tells the story that William the Conqueror brought his army through Bilsdale on route to York, after harrying the North Riding in the winter of 1069/1070.  To William's fury the army became bogged down in deep snowdrifts and the pace was very slow through Bilsdale valley.  This story is said to have given rise to the local phrase "swearing like Billy Norman" and Billy's Dale, later Bilsdale.

Reaching the B1257 we turned left and followed the road for a couple of hundred yards before crossing to enter the gates of Holme Farm.  In The Walker's Guide to the Cleveland Hills TSB has a photograph of Holme Farm dating from1896 which I've copied below.  You'll see that the farm hasn't changed much in 120 years!

Holme Farm in 1896

Holme Farm today

The path turns left in front of the farm and joins the old Bilsdale Road, which climbed steadily back to Clay Bank and our car.  

The old road