Coxwold and Beacon Banks from Kilburn

10.5 miles               Mostly Drizzle

Tom Scott Burns starts this walk from Kilburn but we can no longer park at The Forresters Arms in Kilburn, following a fire in early 2019.  Consequently we decided to start today's walk from Coxwold, where parking can easily be found on the High Street.

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

Houses bear the Fauconberg crest on the High Street

The Fauconberg Arms, open for business again

We were pleased to see that the Fauconberg Arms is open for business once more and resolved to give them some of ours at the end of the walk.  We booted up and continued along the High Street to a crossroads where we turned right to commence a steady climb out of the village.  After a couple of hundred yards we passed an old signal box which has been lovingly restored, and noted where the old railway line had crossed the road.

The old signal box

Leave the road at this sign

Cross the bridge and turn right into fields

After half a mile we entered a field at a wooden sign, crossed a bridge over Mill Beck and began to climb, following field paths until we reached a stile and High Leys Farm.

Looking back at Coxwold as we begin to climb

Almost hidden stile near High Leys Farm

Looking back from High Leys at Coxwold and the White Horse top left

High Leys Farm bearing the Faucenberg crest

Entry to the last field before the farm is over a stile which is almost completely hidden in the tall hedge. After crossing the field we followed the fence until we reached another stile into the farmyard, where ducks and hens run free.

At the yard we turned right onto the farm track for 100 yards or so, before returning to fields at a sign, and following the ridge of Beacon Bank Wood, noting the OS Trig Point has also nearly disappeared into the hedge.  Once a fine view would have been had from this ridge but saplings have taken it.

Turn off the road 100 yards from the farmyard...

... at this sign

OS Trig Point

There should be a wonderful view to the right

At the end of the ridge we came to Suncliffe Beacon Farm where we paused to admire their alpacas.

Alpacas

Leaving the alpacas we walked past imposing Lists House and then dropped to the pretty village of Husthwaite where we decided to stop at a bench near the church for our coffee and scones.

Husthwaite from Lists House

1690 above the old shop door

Houses in Husthwaite

St Nicholas' Church

Forget us not o land for which we fell,May it go well with England still go well, 
Keep her bright banners without spot or stain, Lest we should dream that we have died in vain

A convenient bench

Church weather vane

St Nicholas' Church appears to be in excellent condition but the door was firmly locked so we were unable to look around the old church and sat on the bench outside to enjoy our coffee and scones.  The nicely carved front main porch dates from 1140 and the tower from the 1400s.  

'Praises on tombstones are but vainly spent, a mans good name is his best monument,
 Rest precious dust till Heaven your worth reveal, Your judge will publish what your friends conceal'

'The dead are like the stars by day, though hid from mortal eye, 
They're not extinct but hold their way, in glory through the sky'

After Husthwaite we passed through the remains of an old railway embankment and entered Ings Lane, which we followed north for a mile.  We walked by a tractor garage and shop, with an enormous selection of farm machinery.  

Dreary weather but we think the whitewash applied only last year has already faded on the White Horse

Track to Ings Lane

Clive looks disapprovingly at Himalayan Balsam taking over the stream bank

Himalayan Balsam

Ings Lane

Tractors!

Walking down to Carlton Husthwaite

Poppy fields

Blacksmiths

Walking through Carlton Husthwaite

We rejoined the road at Carlton Husthwaite next to a blacksmith's forge and walked along the High Street, pausing to examine a sculpture, obviously the work of the blacksmith.

Blacksmith's forge

Iron flower 

Detail from sculpture

We left Carlton Husthwaite turning right into Croft Lane then left to join Common Lane.  

House in Carlton Husthwaite

The Old Hall

The (not so) White Horse from between Carlton Husthwaite and Kilburn

We passed a pigeon fancier's lofts

Nearer and drearer

As we walked from Carlton Husthwaite to Kilburn we had the White Horse in view most of the time and we were disappointed to see that it looked so faded, especially as it was only repainted last year.

A walk through fields and muddy lanes eventually brought us back to Kilburn where we passed the defunct Forresters Arms to reach St Mary's Church.

Wet, muddy....

... and overgrown.  Difficult tracks today.

A tree in Kilburn

The Institute at Kilburn

Houses in Kilburn

A sad sight

Mousey Thomson has been here

St Mary's at Kilburn

Leaving the church we soon reached a road that took us uphill to High Kilburn where attractive houses surround a village green.  Tom Scott Burns tells us that there once was a duck pond in the village green but all that remains of that is the old village pump.

St Mary's at Kilburn

Old gate at High Kilburn

High Kilburn

Village pump

We passed an old barn with a curlew weather vane and Fox Folly Farm, always tidy, before entering fields once more to follow our path to Coxwold.

Curlew weather vane at Weatherill Barn

Broken stile at Kilburn Thicket

Walking through Kilburn Thicket

Enormous fungus

Fox Folly Farm

Shortly after Fox Folly Farm we re-entered fields for the last leg of the walk and found that our path around field margins was unwalked and waist high.  The undergrowth was sopping wet and we were glad to be wearing waterproofs.

Leaving the road to enter a cow pasture

The residents are indignant

Fortunately the bull shows no interest

From the cow field across the bridge..

Our path is very overgrown

Entering the village we passed by the author Lawrence Sterne's house, Shandy Hall, and Coxwold's fine church where Sterne was once the parish priest. Boots were quickly removed and we soon found ourselves reflecting on our walk in the Fauconberg Arms.

Entering Coxwold

Shandy Hall 

Vicarage

Vicarage Door

St Michael's Church, Coxwold

Nice to end a walk properly again!

Sandsend to Kettleness and the Coastal Path

6.4 miles                      Warm and pleasant

This is not a TSB walk but it is a nice short walk for a summer's morning.  We drove to Sandsend and parked in the Pay and Display at the bottom of Lythe Bank.

Screenshot of today's walk, track reversed for GPS

From the car park we walked back up Lythe Bank for 300 metres then, at a bench, turned right off the road through a kissing gate at a footpath sign.  We had fine views back down to Sandsend.

'I'll watch your car, guv'.

Bottom of Lythe Bank

Steep climb for 300 metres..

.. then turn right at the bench

View over to Whitby from the bench

The tracks across fields to Deepgrove Farm have not been walked and we fought our way through long grass alongside hedgerows, all the time bearing right until we reached the farm buildings.

Keep the fence to the left then cross and keep it to the right to the top of the hill

No track so choose your own way across the field

St Oswalds's at Lythe in the distance

After crossing the field the right of way is very overgrown

We keep as near to the fence as we can

I think the missing arm should point to Kettleness

Deepgrove Farm

Follow the waymarks to the right at Deepgrove Farm and quickly reach Over Dale.  Here there is a steep descent, a bridge and then a steep ascent, mostly on steps.

Into Over Dale

Steep steps

Crossing Over Dale

Follow way marks at field boundaries

After crossing Over Dale we climbed a stile into fields with Overdale Farm to our left.  We followed the farm track for about 500 metres to join a road.

We turned right on to the road and followed it into Goldsborough, where we noted the Fox and Hounds is open for business.  As we passed the last building on the right we turned into fields at a footpath sign and followed a faint grassy track down to a ruined barn and a stile.

Cross the stile and drop towards the old chapel

Kettleness ahead!

From the stile we dropped down to join the road near an old chapel, and walked down past the old station to the cliff top and the end of the road.  Here we selected a bench (there are several) with a view of Runswick Bay and enjoyed our coffee and scones.

Arriving at Kettleness

The old station...

.. and track bed at Kettleness

Nice weather vanes at Kettleness

Our view of Runswick Bay from rest stop

We set off following the Cleveland Way cliff top path all the way back to Over Dale.  The views were excellent and the path very straightforward.

Follow the Cleveland Way acorn 

The path gets very near the cliff edge in places

We are pleased to see a pedant has added the missing 'L' in Helmsley

"Back a bit more..."

We then left the cliff top and followed our path across the field to reach a stile into woods.  Here we descended into Over Dale on a very steep stepped path, to reach the old railway line. We turned left onto it and followed the gravel track for the next mile to reach Sandsend.

Into Over Dale again

Nearly down to the old railway

Follow the old railway line...

.. past Deep Grove Quarry

The railway bed makes an easy track

Heathers in flower

Picking heather

Sandsend from the old railway track

Back to the car park

Sandsend Bay

The sunny weather had brought the crowds to Sandsend so we drove to the the Fox and Hounds at Goldsborough where we toasted the walk with a pint in the beer garden.  

To short walks and long glasses!