The Lord Stones to Cringle Moor and Clough

6 miles                             Wet and cold easterly wind

A poor weather forecast today so we decided to do one of Tom Scott Burns's shorter walks and drove to the Lord Stones Cafe where we parked with a clear conscience, knowing that we would give them our business on return.

 

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

The Lord Stones Cafe

  Tom Scott Burns explains that the Lord Stones Cafe takes its name from the Three Lords' Stones tumulus, which is situated immediately behind the cafe.  The modern name for the tumulus derives from the three estate boundaries held by the landowning lords: Helmsley, Busby and Whorlton, which meet here.

We walked through the cafe grounds and then turned right to climb up to the summit of Cringle Moor and the stone memorial often called Falconer's Seat, named after Alec Falconer, who wrote the 'Wayfarer' column in the Saturday Evening Gazette in the 1950s. 

 

Memorial plaque near to Lord Stones Cafe

Leaving the cafe

Looking back to the cafe positioned at 3 o'clock in the trees

There's a great view from this spot and the memorial's plaque points out all the surrounding features, many of which were visible even in today's weather.  Just as we arrived it started to rain heavily and a quick change into waterproofs was called for.

Clive at Falconer's Seat

View east from Falconer's Seat

View from Falconer's Seat

We walked on and after about 100 yards looked down onto a rockface where long ago someone had carved 'Tempus exploro omnis negotium', which roughly translates as "I'll try anything once and everything in time."

'Tempus Exploro Omnis Negotium'

We were facing straight into the east wind and rain as we crossed the ridge and the steep descent from Cringle Moor (from Cranimoor - circular moor) had to be negotiated with care on the wet stones.  Below us we could see a couple of pheasants sitting on a Larson Trap, which when baited is used to catch magpies and crows who pass through the slots into the trap and cannot get out.  We could imagine the pheasants sitting on top of the trap and saying to the magpies, "Not so tough now are we...?"

Great Broughton from Cringle Moor

Ridge on Cringle Moor

Larson Trap

Passing the old stone remains of Donna Cross we reached a fallen Cleveland Way sign which would have pointed right with the words 'Beak Hills', and here we turned right.  

There we saw a pink plastic box marked "Tupping Feed" and in it a sad sight.  A mouse must have been attracted to the traces of food left in the box and been unable to get out. When it rained the mouse would appear to have drowned.  

 

Donna Cross

Turn right at the sign Beak Hills

A sad casualty of the weather

Poor little mouse

A walk across a grassy field brought us to a path that changed from grass to stone as we progressed and eventually became tarmac.  TSB says this was an ancient pannierman's trod, along which lime, fish, salt, jet and alum were once transported.  

Our path was very wet and muddy and at one point we came to a small herd of white cattle, with a bull.  There was no way to avoid them and nothing for it but to walk gamely past. They showed polite interest but made no threatening moves.

First a grass track..

.. then a muddy track

What's that ahead on our path?

I send Clive ahead to negotiate

Roger, the bull

White Galloways

We passed by the cattle and soon reached Beak Hills Farm where we saw the lady farmer shearing sheep.  We stopped to pass the time of day and she was happy to chat.  First we wanted to know about the sturdy white cattle with black noses.  They are White Galloways, she said, and still listed as a rare breed unlike the Belted Galloways.  The bull was called Roger and was going to meet his maker next week, as he was lame and 9 years old.  His replacement was in the next field waiting to take his place.  A couple of Roger's sons were also in the field and were for sale.  As yet there had been no prospective purchasers even though only 4 White Galloway bulls had been registered that year in the whole country.

She wasn't shearing the sheep, she said, just tidying them up around the tail, ready for tupping.  They were Black Faced Northumberland Sheep, which look a bit like Swaledales but are heavier and give more meat.  She then told us all about the White Galloways and the problems of selling stock.  We thought it was very interesting to talk to her and that she had a tough but very rewarding life.

Oh no, horses now!

Approaching Beak Hills Farm

The farmer shearing ewes

Sign at Beak Hills Farm

Saying goodbye to the farmer we continued along the track, now tarmac, towards Cold Moor Cote Farm and eventually reached Stone Intake Farm, where we turned right into a field at a sign, just before the farm buildings.

Belted Galloways at Cold Moor Cote Farm

The whole area is wick with pheasants

Turning off the road near to Stone Intake Farm

 

We now crossed several fields as we dropped down to Raisdale Beck and soon reached the Chop Gate to Lords Stone road, which we followed for a hundred yards or so before turning left into a drive leading to Raisdale Mill.

A convenient table and chairs were set on the footpath and we stopped for coffee and scones, soon joined by a couple of hens who shared our biscuits.

Dropping down across fields to Raisdale Beck

We arrive at Raisdale Mill

We settle down to a coffee...

... but are spotted by a couple of opportunists

Hand fed!

Ready for the pot?

We set off from the mill, across the fields alongside Raisdale Beck.  The grass was extremely wet after after the heavy rain and we splodged along until we reached a conifer plantation and forestry path which made much easier walking.   We followed the forestry track until it crossed Raisdale Beck and swung sharply left.  At this point we turned right, following a yellow waymark sign into fields and the remains of the hamlet of Clough.

Old milk churns make nice pots at Raisdale Mill

We follow the stream

Climbing towards the ruins at Clough

Clough

Another old milk churn, at Clough

Clough, which comes from the Anglo-Saxon word for a valley with steep sides, is a rather sad spot with fairly extensive ruins showing that it was once thriving.  After Clough the path crosses several boggy, reedy fields.  There is no path as such but yellow waymarks indicate the way at every field boundary.  We continued straight ahead until we passed by the side of Staindale Farm.   

 

Staindale Farm appears in the distance

Quarrying workings on the opposite hills, shown on TSB's map as 'Old Workings'

Staindale Farm

Sheep weather vane at Staindale Farm

After Staindale Farm we  followed the track straight through the fields, stopping to examine a giant puffball fungus, which we first thought must be a child's ball, until I prodded it with my walking pole and released a cloud of spores.

Clive gives it a tap..

 

Giant puffball fungus

We  soon reached Thwaites House, and shortly after, the tarmac road almost adjacent to the Lords Stone Cafe.

Thwaites House

Thwaites House

Pond at Thwaites House

Big rosehips, Thwaite House

As we entered the cafe the sun came out, just as we ordered a couple of pints of John Smiths, and we were able to sit outside to enjoy them. 

Hawnby Hill and Hazel Head from Hawnby

 

7 miles                    Fair and warm

This is a favourite walk of ours as it combines the best of moorland, woods, pasture and villages.  It's quite good underfoot, not too difficult but not too easy.

We arrived at Hawnby from the B1257 Stokesley to Helmsley road via the Laskill turn off and parked at the roadside near the Inn at Hawnby.

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

Walking through Hawnby

The village sits under Hawnby Hill (298m) whose twin, Easterside Hill, can be seen over towards the B1257.   These two hills, known as Corallian Outliers, once formed part of the Tabular Hills and have a very distinctive shape.  We left the road opposite the Inn and immediately started to climb across a field, fighting through high bracken that's now beginning to die back, until we reached the top of Hawnby Hill. From here there is a good view in all directions, to the left down to Arden Hall and to the right, Easterside Hill. 

 

Looking back towards Hawnby

Bracken is past its best, thank goodness

To the right is Easterside Hill

To the left, Arden Hall

We walked along the ridge of  Hawnby Hill until we reached a large cairn, so regular that Clive and I suspect it to be the work of one person. Tom Scott Burns' photo of the cairn in the 1990's shows a small affair compared with today's. It is however, placed at the highest point of the ridge, 978 feet.

Cairn on Hawnby Hill

A group of walkers were standing at the cairn and we stopped to pass the time of day, learning to our surprise that they were from Osmotherley, but had yet to do any walks from that village.  We left them and continued along the ridge, at one point almost throwing ourselves flat as a pair of fighter planes buzzed us with a terrific roar.

"Whazzat??"

There's another one...

The end of the ridge, our path stretches out at 2 o'clock

Down to the moor gate

We passed through the Moor Gate and walked along the sandy path of Sunley Slack and after about a mile came to a fork in the road.  We took the left fork and followed the path, seemingly walking straight towards Bilsdale Mast.  To our right was Round Hill which is simply a collection of rocks and a bump in the heather. Just by this we saw a wooden post with a yellow way mark pointing left away from our track, across the moor towards Hazel Head Woods whose tree tops could just be made out on the horizon.  Although the way mark pointed the way we must go there was no sign whatsoever of any track, an experience which was to be repeated several times on this walk.  Obviously the area isn't being walked very much which is a real shame as it has so much variety.  

Sunley Slack

Looking back at Hawnby Hill

Male grouse with fine white gaiters

Turn left just past this post...

There should be a path here somewhere..

We followed a small path, almost hidden in the heather, until we came to a series of shooting butts, where we took up the more definite path which linked them together.  In a while the trees of Hazel Head Wood could be seen to our left and we headed across to the wood via a series of sheep tracks. We walked alongside the wood, gradually dropping downhill until the ruined Wesleyan Chapel suddenly came into view.

We reached the chapel and used a couple of its fallen stones as seat and table while we enjoyed our coffee and scones.

We stride towards Hazel Head Wood

The old ruined Wesleyan Chapel next to Hazel Head Wood

Remains of ornate brickwork

We retraced our steps and entered Hazel Head Wood, quickly coming to some ruined buildings.  TSB says these once belonged to High Hazel Head Farm which was last inhabited in 1946, surprisingly recent considering the state of the ruins.

We followed a grassy track through the dark wood until, bearing left, we exited the wood above Hazel Head Car Park and the Osmotherley to Hawnby road.

Entering Hazel Head Wood

A grassy track through the trees

The ruins of Hazel Head Farm

We emerge into the light...

... and cross to Hazel Head Car Park

From the car park we followed the road left for a short time before turning into Ellers Wood at a footpath sign.  This stretch seems unwalked and is made difficult by self-seeded saplings which obstruct what used to be the footpath.

Hidden in these saplings is a bridge that a stranger to the path might find difficult to locate, as we did the first time we walked here.  We found the bridge and crossed the River Rye.

There should be a bridge in here....

There it is!

The Bridge Over The River Rye

We followed a grassy lane alongside Eskerdale Beck to a telegraph pole.  TSB mentions a ruined building at this location and we did spot it but the telegraph pole is a better landmark these days.

At this pole turn left and follow the hill steeply up to reach and cross a stile in a hedge, then follow the path into conifers.

Alongside Eskerdale Beck

Turn left uphill at a telegraph pole and aim for the next pole on the horizon

St Agnes House Farm below us

Rams chillin' in the sun

These conifers were full of pheasants which we disturbed with our heavy tread.  We followed our track alongside a beck and then into the trees of Blueberry Wood.  This whole area was wick with young pheasants which ran along the path in front of us.  There were feeders every few yards.  Eventually we emerged from the conifers above St Agnes Head Farm and to a surprise view.

Pheasants take to the air as we approach

Passing St Agnes House farm we dropped down to a nice ford where we crossed a footbridge into Low Wood.  Soon we came to the attractive arched bridge over the Rye, not mentioned by TSB as it post dates his book, being built to replace a bridge washed away by flooding in 2005.

We were astonished to find that much of the wood that makes Half Moon Plantation has been felled in the last year, leaving the arched bridge totally exposed downstream.

We spot the arched bridge over the River Rye

.... and then come across a scene of devastation!

Looking downstream from the bridge

A different view looking upstream!

From the bridge we had a short scramble up to a track leading right, coming out of the woods at the lonely Carr House.  From here we followed way marks (but no path) through several fields until we rejoined the Hawby road where we walked into the village and into the Inn at Hawnby.

A scramble uphill..

We pass above Hawnby Lodge...

... and reach The Inn at Hawnby

The Hiker's Reward