Kirby Knowle to Felixkirk and Boltby

8.5 miles                     Sunny spells

We last walked this at the same time of year and I was rewarded with home made jam from a stall in Thirlby.  Hoping to repeat the experience we approached Kirby Knowle from the Knayton A19 turn-off and parked at the side of the road opposite St Wilfred's Church.

As we were so near to the church we decided to start the walk with a look round the old building.

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

St Wilfred's, Kirby Knowle

Rear view

The church was rebuilt in the 1870's on the site of a much older building, traces of which are still to be seen. Just inside the door there is a 12th century grave cover, then walking into the church we admired the windows, old and modern.

12C grave cover

Altar window

Rear wall

Modern window dedicated to Doctor Jane Rajan.

Physicians

Walking towards the altar

We left the church and walked out of the village towards Upsall (up-salir, Old Norse 'high dwellings') along the tarmac road.  Over to our right, high on the hill, we saw the imposing castle of 'Newbuilding'. 

Although it is called Newbuilding, Tom Scott Burns explains that it actually dates from the 13th century.  It is sometimes referred to as Newbiggin and has been restored and modernised but still contains many of its original features.

Walking towards Upsall and Newbuilding

Newbuilding or Newbiggin

Just before Upsall we turned off the road into fields and followed a little walked path to Turton Beckstead.  'Beckstead' means 'a farm near a river' and as we reached the beck we saw a large stone on which we could just make out the words engraved,  'The Turton Beckstead.'  This old stone is deteriorating lying in the stream and covered with moss.  We resolved to bring a wire brush to clean it up, the next time we walk here.  There are other stones lying about and we think these must be the remains of an old bridge at this point.

Through this gate into fields

No margin left for walkers

Into trees of Miller's Wood for a while...

A fallen tree covers the old stones

Clive scrapes off the moss...

... to reveal The Turton Beckstead

TSB relates a strange story that happened here.  In the 1860s some mourners were carrying a body to Kirby Knowle for burial.  The bearers set down the coffin to briefly rest at this spot, but on lifting it 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.

Climbing out of the wood we entered a field and saw a deer standing motionless on our path, about 100 yards ahead.  Unfortunately I had a 22mm lens on my camera and so couldn't zoom in for a good look.  He suddenly bounded across the field and we resumed our walk.  As we passed the point of the hedge where he been standing we heard a commotion behind us and whirling round saw two more deer, an adult and a fawn, running across the field to join the other one.  What a nice sight it made.

Is that a deer??

It spots us

Off it goes, over the field

Soon followed by two more...

We climbed gently over Carr Hill and approached the village of Felixkirk through overgrown fields.

We know we're on the path!

The gate is wired up, we have to climb the fence

This tree has swallowed the wire fence

A slippery bridge into wild undergrowth, Clive wonders whether shorts were a good idea today!

We reached the tarmac road at Mount View and turned right to walk into Felixkirk and the church of St Felix which we found to be locked.  A cursory look around the building and graveyard was the best we could do before heading back along the road.

St Felix, first time we've found it locked

The rear of St Felix

We found this open cupboard in the porch - a leather fire hose with sections riveted together

A servant's grave

The tragic Hannah Cornforth   'Twenty years I was a maid, 1 year I was a wife. 18 hours a mother, and then departed life'

Leaving the church and retracing our steps to the road junction we turned right and climbed the lane to pass the lodge to Mount St John, and turned right again down a lane.  Coming to a fork we turned right to head towards Cinque Cliff House passing through a herd of very frisky cattle to reach a diverted path around the rear of Cinque Cliff House.


Here, on a gently sloping meadow, we sat to enjoy our coffee and scones with a fine view towards Thirlby with Whitestone Cliff to the left.

Looking back from the tarmac road, Newbuilding can just be made out

The gates of Mount St John

The gate lodge to Mount St John

I send Clive ahead to negotiate...

We are fixed by many a baleful eye as we pass

They're just curious, says Clive...

Coffee and scones calm the nerves

We set off once more and our diversion rejoined the track below Cinque Cliff House to follow a grassy lane to the road, where we turned left and walked into Thirlby.

We can just see Boltby Scar from our coffee spot

Cinque House

A green lane towards Thirlby....

... opens into another cattle field.  They are as startled as us and hare off...

... leaving a couple of calves behind

Thirlby is a very pretty village and the road is bordered with neat rural cottages.  One of these, Keeper's Cottage, had a road-side stall selling home made jam last year but sadly this year it was not to be.

Weather vanes in Thirlby

Keeper's Cottage, but no jam

Walking down the high street we came to Pear Tree House where Thirlby's own woodcarver lives; Bob Hunter, who worked with Mouseman Thompson at nearby Kilburn, and whose trademark is the wren.

I wonder why they call it Pear Tree House??!

We continued along the lane through the village, crossed the ford and left the tarmac at Thirlby Farm, turning left to follow a track through a grassy meadow.

Crossing Gurtof Beck in Thirlby

Pretty Gurtof Beck

'No shop or inn is there here about, so why not sit down and enjoy summat for nowt'  - donated by 'two good sorts'

Looking back through Thirlby

We followed our path, sometimes across fields and sometimes through woods, steadily approaching Boltby.

Boltby Scar

Unusual stile

Out of the trees, not more cattle!

Clive introduces a pet lamb to the joys of Jakeman's Chest and Throat lozenges

Overgrown bridge

Boltby appears in the distance

We turned left at the packhorse bridge and walked through the pretty village of Boltby before turning right at a waymarked sign at the lane between Spring Garth and Gurtof House. 

Packhorse bridge

Cottage in Boltby

Clive shares an apple 

Hang on, there's enough for everybody

I didn't get any..

We followed a series of field boundaries to reach the modern mansion of Ravensthorpe Manor, which can't really be seen on our approach.

We climbed above the manor house into Westow Plantation and followed a muddy track behind Ravensthorpe Manor, which was now invisible to us because of the plantation's trees.

The path became easier and we walked gently downhill, eventually emerging in Kirby Knowle near the old school house, where we turned left and walked back to the car.

This is a nice walk taking you through pretty villages but needs some navigation preparation as many paths appear unwalked.

Through Westow Plantation

Follow that sign

Toadstool in Westow Plantation

Er, Footpath or bridleway?  All roads lead to Kirby Knowle

New weather vane in Kirby Knowle

A Tour of Raisdale from Chop Gate

 7 miles         Sunny with cool breeze

We parked at Chop Gate Community Centre on the B1257 where there is space for many cars.

After booting up we climbed over a stile at the rear of the car park and followed a faint trail next to Raisdale Beck, across meadows towards Cock Flat Farm.

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

Leave the car park by the stile in the corner

Following Raisdale Beck

Cock Flat Farm

Sheep at Cock Flat Farm

The path stays well below Cock Flat Farm, which Tom Scott Burns says comes from Kyrkflat, denoting Church field.   Cock Flat Farm is a sheep farm and there were many sheep and a few rams in the fields nearby.

Our path then wandered through several fields climbing above Raisdale (Reith's Valley, an old Norse personal name) and into tall bracken where we almost lost sight of our track.

Looking across Raisdale

Into the bracken...

Clive pauses to look down...

... on West Cote Farm

When not distracted by the bracken we had fine views across the valley towards Raisdale Mill and above it, Barker's Ridge.

After passing above West Cote Farm and the buildings of High West Cote Farm we dropped down to reach a tarmac lane, just before the well ordered Stone Intake Farm.  Immediately after passing its buildings we climbed a stile through a hedge on our left, and descended across a field to Raisdale Road.

Ladder stile out of the bracken

Through a gate near High West Cote Farm

High West Cote Farm

Looking across at High House Farm and our path to Barker's Ridge on the skyline

Passing Stone Intake Farm.. 

.. and its two weather vanes

Stone Intake Farm

Leave the road at this stile

We turned right to follow the old lane across a bridge.  In fact this lane is so old that TSB notes that it is referred to in the 1160 Rievaulx Charters as the 'Red Road', perhaps derived from the red shale in this area. 

After a couple of hundred yards we turned left off the road at a sign for Raisdale Mill, originally built by John Garbutt in 1849, which ceased operating in the 1920s.  

We walked past the restored buildings, now attractive homes, before turning sharp right into what Tom Scott Burns describes as 'a most beautiful green lane.'  Sadly years of motorcycle trail bikes mean it is a green lane no more, however motor vehicles are now banned and so in a few years it might be restored to its former glory.

Old mill buildings

Raisdale Mill

Sharp right just past the mill into this 'green lane'

A steady climb to Barker's Crag

A hollow lane

We reached the top and Barker's Ridge, with the rocky outcrop of Barker's Crag to our right.  We followed the ridge to pass by High House and continued climbing until we came to a gate on our left. Here we entered the gate and settled down behind a stone wall to enjoy our coffee and scones in the lea of the wall, with a fine view back of our walk so far.

High House Farm

Looking back to High House Farm and Raisdale

A good spot for coffee

After coffee we resumed our walk along Barker's Ridge towards the head of Scugdale.   The heather was in early bloom and there was a strong smell of pollen.  After half a mile or so we came to a surprise view of Scugdale and we paused to pick out Holiday House and Scugdale Hall before resuming our march across the moor.

Strong smell of heather pollen

Barker's Crag in the distance

Bilsdale in the distance

We pass a surprise view of Scugdale

Roseberry appears in the distance

This is a 2.5 mile march across the moor which we thought a trudge 18 months ago when we last came this way.  This time our walk was made interesting when we saw what appeared to be the remains of an old building, about 50 yards from our path.

We went over for a look and decided the stone work actually appeared to be concrete.  A little further from the path there was a sunken rectangular area, obviously man made.  We wondered what it could be and in the end thought it might be gun emplacements or similar, from WW2.

These appear to be rough concrete remains

Something was here, a building?

Later I did a Google search on these remains and found the following: 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Concrete_Foundations,_Arnsgill_Head_-_geograph.org.uk_-_55077.jpg

This states that the purpose of the foundations is unknown but believed to be military, possibly a decoy station from WW2.

Our path eventually led us to Head House which we have seen change over the years, from a ruin to a store where game bird feed and equipment is kept.  The building is never locked so is a useful shelter and today just as we arrived a sudden squall of rain sent us inside. 

Bee hives and in the distance, Bilsdale Mast

Head House

Lost dog notice at Head House

Clive examines the remains of a young owl, perhaps fell down the chimney?

Someone else has found shelter here!

The rain passed and we left Head House.  In TSB's map above he shows three stone walled fields adjacent to Head House and in the last corner of the third field we saw the solar powered screen of the earthquake detector we spotted in early 2017 when we last walked here.   On that occasion, after describing it in this blog I was sent a link to the actual detector records (thanks Paul!) and we were able to see when we had passed it on the graph.  This time I jumped up and down a couple of times and made a note of the time, 1.36pm!
On visiting the site again you can see the exact time I jumped up and down on the graph, albeit the detector is set to GMT and not GMT+1, the time zone we are currently in.

Here is the link: 

http://earthquakes.bgs.ac.uk/monitoring/stationbook_at10.html

To see the graph, first click on 'Real-time Data' in the left column, then in the 'pull down list' on the left choose AT10 Snilesworth, then on the right 'pull down list' for dates, choose 16.8.18 and then click the View button.  There you see my jumping up and down shown clearly on the red line! 

Solar power for earthquake detector

Detector box

After this interesting diversion we resumed our tramp across the moors, dropping down to Arns Gill where we crossed the stream with a jump. The path took us by an ancient rowan tree, fallen but still alive and described in the '80s as 'weathered' by TSB.

A long climb up Trennet Bank ended at a memorial stone and a fine view down to Chop Gate.  A number of hollow-ways descend Trennet Bank to Chop Gate, which TSB says were worn over many centuries by sledging turf from the moor tops for fuel.

Dropping down to Arns Gill

Reaching the top of Trennet Bank

Memorial stone at top of Trennet Bank

Bilsdale appears below

These turf tracks led us directly to the car park below, crossing Raisdale Beck by a wooden bridge, and we were soon discussing an interesting day's walk over a pint at the Buck Inn in Chop Gate.

Chop Gate below

Reflecting on an interesting walk