Helmsley to Harome and Sproxton

10 miles            Cold and clear

We were in the mood for a longer walk today and decided to do this walk from Helmsley, which TSB says is 10 miles but which we would increase to 11 miles by walking through Sproxton to St Chads Church on the B1257.  As we drove to Helmsley we saw the sad sight of a full grown buck lying at the side of the road.  We stopped to check it was dead and it was, although still warm.  No sign of injury but presumably the result of a road traffic accident.

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

A sad sight

Tom Scott Burns says that Helmsley used to be known as Helmsley Blackamoor because of the bleak moorlands nearby, but today all looked cheerful in the morning sunshine.  We parked at the side of the road where the B1257 enters Helmsley and walked down through the market place on to Rye Bridge where we turned left into Ryegate, then right into Sawmill Lane.   We passed several industrial units including the sawmill and were amazed to see a community of cats in a derelict building.  Someone had rigged up boxes for them to sleep in and no doubt they are fed by the workers at the estate.  

Helmsley

We turn into Sawmill Lane

How many cats can you see? I can spot seven

We crossed a paddock with horses and reached the River Rye where our path followed the bank downstream.  There was a lot of debris which had obviously been deposited by flooding but the ground was still frozen making for easy walking.

Our path by the river

Flotsam and jetsam

We left the river by turning under an old railway bridge that was once part of the York to Pickering railway, closed by Beeching in 1964.  We turned right under the bridge onto a road which we followed towards Harome.  As we approached the village a signpost turned us back into fields before we swung left across a wooden bridge, where my wife once slipped on wet wood and cracked a rib, and on into Harome.   When we did this walk last year we called at The Pheasant for morning coffee and we enjoyed it so much we decided to repeat the experience today.  We sat outside the pub overlooking Harome village pond and did a double take when the waitress brought our coffee with four scones, jam and cream.  Ah well, we decided to do our best.

Leave the river bank at the railway bridge

And cross fields to the Harome road

We arrive at the rear of The Pheasant, Harome

Scones al fresco

Four scones, two hikers

It's not a bad life

We left The Pheasant fully replete and walked out of Harome past pretty thatched roofed cottages and Harome Mill and reached Hall Lane.  We walked along the narrow tarmac road which gradually dwindled into a rutted track, then a green lane.

Leaving The Pheasant

Weather vane at The Pheasant Hotel

Pretty houses in Harome

Harome Mill

Hall Lane led us down to Harome Siding but all that remains of the old railway are the station houses and a straight lane where the tracks once lay.

Railway cottages

Station House and old railway track

Hall Lane becomes a bridleway

We followed the pleasant green lane until we reached the River Rye once more where we crossed to the other side of the river via a new footbridge.

We reach the river again...

... and cross by a brand new footbridge

A little further and we joined Lack Lane which leads to East Newton Hall and Loschy Farm.  To the left, on a hill, is Loschy Wood and TSB relates that long ago a dragon lived on Loschy Hill terrorising the villagers.  A local man called Peter Loschy had a special suit of armour made, covered with sharp blades and went with his dog to confront the dragon.  It wrapped itself around Peter and the blades sliced it so portions of the dragon fell to the ground. The pieces tried to reassemble themselves so the trusty dog carried the segments of dragon and buried them on the hill. Peter stooped to praise his dog which licked him on the face, but as the dragon's blood was poisonous he and the dog both fell down dead.  They were buried at Nunnington Church, the dog at Peter's feet.  TSB says unbelievers can visit the church and see for themselves.  Well Clive and I did and you can see our report here!

East Newton Hall

Impressive new wall at East Newton Hall

Losky Farm with Loschy Hill behind

Passing by Losky Farm we followed the lane to a sign pointing us across a field, which brought us out onto the B1257.  We now had nearly a mile to walk along the grass verge of this busy road, passing Leysthorpe Hall and the smart newer build of Birch Farm.  Eventually we came to the turn off left for Oswaldkirk where we turned right to enter a lane to West Newton Grange.

 

Field path to the B1257

Leysthorpe Hall

Newton Grange Lane

Back on the Ebor Way to Sproxton

We now followed a series of winding paths until we entered Sproxton after passing the farm called Sproxton Hall.  We walked through the village admiring some attractive houses and were surprised to see a red telephone kiosk with a wooden door, which had rotted away at the bottom.  Is this unusual or had the kiosk somehow been damaged and a wooden door used to replace the original?  (see note at end of blog)  It still appeared to be in working order but was thick with cobwebs and didn't look as if it had been used in a long time.

Winding field paths to Sproxton

Sproxton Hall Farm

Sproxton Village Hall, an old Nissen hut

Alpacas at Sproxton

Weather vane at Sproxton

Telephone kiosk with wooden door

Not getting a lot of use

At the end of the village we reached the B1257 again and the old church of St Chads.  Opposite the church was a convenient bench where we sat to enjoy another coffee and scone before crossing to the church and finding it locked.  Photos of the inside of the church can be seen on the earlier blog of this walk.

St Chads

More coffee?

Weather vane in Sproxton

We retraced our steps through the village to Sproxton Hall Farm where we turned left across fields past Low Parks Farm, our path eventually reaching an arched bridge over the River Rye.  We didn't cross the bridge however, turning left instead to follow the river upstream.

Walking alongside Ness Great Wood

Turn left before the bridge...

... and follow the river bank

As we walked along the bank we saw a heron with what appeared to be a damaged wing.  As we got nearer it flapped airborne for a few yards and disappeared out of our sight below the river bank.  A little later we saw a heron flying ahead of us and wondered if it was the same bird or its mate?

The heron appears to be dragging its wing...

... but gets airborne when it sees us

At a horseshoe bend in the river there was a strange structure of concrete posts which TSB explains are designed to catch debris from the river in flood. There was certainly plenty of debris to be seen on the bank.

The concrete posts stop debris reaching power lines

A female sparrowhawk flew into a tree just ahead of us and ignored our passing as it watched the ground below it.

Female sparrowhawk

Looking for dinner

As we neared Helmsley the path became slippier and moved nearer the river.  We needed to take care along this stretch as it would be easy to slide down into the water.

The path gets near the river

A railing has been  thoughtfully placed at one point

Eventually we passed though a gate and into a sheep field which we crossed to reach the road at the bridge in Helmsley.  A  walk through the town brought us back to our car.

Through the field to the road

We emerge at Helmsley Bridge

No, don't stop!

Back to our car

We thought today's walk had several interesting features and would highly recommend it.

NB  The K6 telephone boxes decommissioned in the 1980s did indeed have wooden doors - they were made of teak!
http://www.redtelephonebox.com/findoutmore/phonekiosks.php

Along the Old Drover's Road from Osmotherley 

 

6 miles                                         Cold and crisp

 

We had intended a walk from Carlton today but turned back after being unable to get up Carlton Bank because of ice.  Instead we drove to Osmotherley and parked in the village opposite the Queen Catherine pub.

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

We walked through the village noticing a couple of new (to us) weather vanes, past the pinfold in Quarry Lane and turned left into Rueberry Lane. 

Pinfold, where stray animals were kept until being returned after payment

Turning into Rueberry Way, following the Cleveland Way sign to Scarth Nick

Tom Scott Burns 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 in its entry in the Domesday Book in 1085.

Rueberry Lane led us to Lady Chapel which was founded by Catherine of Aragon in 1515, and as we approached the Chapel we saw that the Stations of the Cross are marked out on the right side of the path.  We passed by the Chapel and dropped down to a field track which would have been very muddy but which was walkable today because of the crisp conditions.

One of the Stations of the Cross

Lady Chapel

Too early in the walk to take advantage of the seat in the sun

Our paths were still very crisp from last night's freezing temperatures

Looking across at the A19 and picking out landmarks

We rejoined the Cleveland Way at this point, following it uphill through the birch trees of South Wood to reach transmitter masts.  Passing through gates at the side of the masts we followed the Cleveland Way upwards towards Scarth Wood Moor, all the time enjoying a fine prospect towards the Cleveland Hills, and in the foreground Whorl Hill.

Confusing sign, the C to C and the Cleveland Way use the same path eastwards

Climbing Swinestyle Hill towards Beacon Hill

Lots of flooded fields - the building in the centre is the Tontine Inn

The birch trees of South Wood

Approaching the transmitter masts at Beacon Hill

Crossing Scarth Wood Moor towards Whorl Hill

Swainby Village and Whorl Hill to the right

Eventually we reached a wooden sign at the deep trough of Scarth Nick, pointing towards Cod Beck Reservoir, and we left the Cleveland Way to soon reached a tarmac road that runs from Swainby to Sheepwash.  TSB explains that during the Ice Age of approximately 20,000 years ago, a glacier from the north enveloped an area 20 - 30 miles wide and 1000 or more feet thick.  It failed to cover the moors but crept into Scugdale depositing materials from Scotland, Cumbria and Durham. Sand, gravel and stones left by meltwater formed the conspicuous mound of Round Hill, the present car park at Sheepwash.

Reaching the water splash at Sheepwash we sat in the sun and enjoyed coffee and scones with the pleasant background accompaniment of burbling water.

Approaching our turn off the Cleveland Way

Clive looks over Scarth Nick

Car Park at Round Hill

Approaching Sheepwash

A perfect spot for coffee and scones

Crossing the beck we climbed up Pamperdale Moor, our path running alongside the woods that drop down to the reservoir.  This path is known as High Lane and is the old Drovers' Road.  TSB says that it was probably used by prehistoric man, the Romans and before the present day road was made, as a corridor through the Cleveland Hills.  Just as we reached the tarmac road from Osmotherley we saw the ruins of Solomon's Temple, which was built by the eccentric Solomon Metcalf in 1812 and had images of the sun, moon and stars on its walls.

We followed the tarmac road 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.

Melt-water runs alongside the Drovers' road

Looking back along the Drovers' road

The remains of Solomon's Temple

The old Chequers Inn

TSB notes that drovers used to bring vast herds of cattle from the Highlands of Scotland across the Hambleton Hills on their way to the markets of East Anglia, the Midlands and London.  Their average pace was just 2 miles per hour. 

We turned right off the Drovers' road onto a green track and almost immediately saw a small shrine against the wall on our left side.  When I reported this shrine in my blog a year or so ago I received a nice email explaining its significance, which I'll copy here:

a sutton6 March 2015 at 11:29

The shrine you mention is that of my Mam. The significance is my Mam and Dad spent a glorious day together walking around Osmotherley in 1945 and they had a photograph taken there as a young couple, Dad in his uniform. He was a Paratrooper in the 6th Airborne, 9th Battalion. He was only 18 years old when he dropped on D day in Normandy and on the Rhine crossing, he had a miraculous escape, saved by a tiny cross which stopped a machine gun bullet. He has written a book called 'A Teenager's War' by Ron Tucker, it is a moving, heartwarming, funny story and there are photographs of them at the very same spot in Osmotherley! and if anyone is interested we sell his book for £13 (inc p&p) and all the proceeds go to S.A.F.A.
We can be contacted at g.a.sutton@ntlworld.com, please feel free to email.

The green track led us down to Oakdale past Oakdale Farm where working dogs in a kennel watched us pass by and we joined the farm road across Slap Stone Beck (apparently this name refers to slippery stones at the ford).

Looking back at Chequers...

... as we follow the green path down to Oakdale

Dogs at Oakdale Farm

Oakdale Farm

Approaching Slap Stone Beck

 

Crossing the Osmotherley to Hawnby road once more, we passed through the gates of White House Farm, which has a lovely view of Osmotherley from its large bay windows.  The path has been diverted here away from the farm, and as we were once again on the Cleveland Way we found that the track downhill across fields has been heavily used and is very slippery as it descends to Cote Ghyll.

We found it difficult to remain upright on this stretch and hard to find a decent way down to the bridge across the beck.  Once over the water we faced an immediate and very steep climb out of the trees to reach a stone slabbed path across fields to Osmotherley.

Passing through the gates of White House Farm

White House Farm from behind

White House Farm from the front

Tricky descent from White House Farm to Cote Ghyll

Crossing the beck

View upstream

As we entered the village along narrow alleyways we noticed an old chapel in the terraced row of cottages, obviously still in use.  Tom Scott Burns tells us that John Wesley preached in Osmotherley in 1745 and the chapel was built nine years later.  Wesley returned to preach again at Osmotherley in June 1761, and probably used this chapel.

Slab path across fields to Osmotherley

A cheeky rabbit ignores our presence

Alleyways into the village

We spot the old Chapel

Emerging into the High Street

The Queen Catherine Hotel

The alley emerges opposite the cross and beyond that we spotted the Queen Catherine Hotel, where we soon relaxed with a pint of XB Bitter and reflected on our day's walk.