Walking in North Yorkshire

Friday 19 November 2021

Coomb Hill and Dale Town from Hawnby

6 miles Cool and dry

Tom Scott Burns suggests parking on the grass verge in front of the church at Hawnby but this is a wet grassy spot with a risk of getting bogged down so we parked at the village hall and walked back to the church, adding a mile to TSB's 5 mile walk description.

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

Clive finds a pound and pops it in the donation box

Lower Hawnby

Walking to the official start of today's walk

We walked along lane to reach All Saints Church which is practically invisible among trees until you are almost on top of it. TSB explains that the church is basically a Norman structure, rebuilt in the late 14th century and restored in 1876 at a cost of £600, raised by subscription.

All Saints Church

The church was open to visitors so we popped in for a look around.

One of the most notable features is a modern window commemorating the dead of WWI.

The altar window

Looking back down the church from the altar

The Revd. William Hughes was parson of Hawnby during the First World War and was known as 'The Fighting Parson' because of his encouragement of the young men of the area to join up. Because of this Hawnby has a larger than usual 'roll of honour' and deaths including the parson's own three sons. The window commemorates these men.

The Revd. William Hughes at the commemorating of the window

We left the church and walked down to Church Bridge then immediately after crossing this we turned sharp left, then right at an Inn Way sign and began our climb to Coomb Hill.

Leaving All Saints Church

Hawnby Bridge

The River Rye

Follow the Inn Way

... up Coomb Hill

Having gained height we circumnavigated the hill, passing the ruins of two old buildings and eventually dropping down to rejoin the same tarmac road we had left at Church Bridge.

Hawnby Hill

Going up Coomb Hill

The trees of Coomb Hill

We see tarmac below

We walked along the road to reach the gates of Arden Hall and from this point the road begins a steep climb, eventually passing some old quarries to reach Daletown Common. Having gained height we could look down to our right into Thorodale, catching a glimpse of Thorodale Lake through the saplings.

The rooftops of Arden Hall

Looking back to Hawnby Hill

We begin a long steep climb

Passing the old quarries

Thorodale Lake through the trees

We left the road to climb on to Daletown Common where we sat behind a stone wall to enjoy our coffee and scones out of the wind.

A fine view from Daletown Common

Coffee break

Crossing the common to pass through a gate we came to a dyke that follows the line of a dry stone wall to the right. Apparently the dyke dates from the late Bronze Age, 900 - 600BC, and it is thought that it and other similar dykes were constructed to define the limits of farming settlements.

Shortly after passing a new plastic water tank we turned through a gate and walked across fields for a mile or so passing some hardy cattle to reach a barn.

We spot the new water tank

Clive soon replaces the fallen pipe to allow fresh water into the tub

The old barn

Just past the barn the path goes through an area of tumuli and TSB explains that before the moorland was enclosed there was a group of about 20 tumuli here, only 7 or 8 now remain. During the 1850s some excavation work was carried out and in one large mound, 40 - 50 feet diameter and 4 feet high, the skeleton of an Anglo Saxon lady of rank was found preserved in the limestone. At her head was a bronze bowl with three handles, round her waist a leather girdle inlaid with garnets and her hair was secured with gold and silver.

Ancient tumuli

Our route now headed towards the perimeter of North Bank Wood before turning sharp left downhill at a sign just before Sunnybank Farm. A steep and occasionally tricky descent back down to the River Rye followed.

Heading towards North Bank Wood

We can see Upper Hawnby in the distance, Easterside Hill behind

We are buzzed!

Nearly down

As we entered a field with Dalicar Bridge over the river ahead of us a heron took to the air and flew over us.

In the corner of the field is an old shed which contains two elderly tractors. Outside the shed is another which looked as if it might have been used more recently. They look as if a lot of care and attention would be required to get them up and running again.

Clive inspects a belt driven saw

This pair of pet sheep share the field with the tractors

Dalicar Bridge

We crossed Dalicar bridge and followed the tarmac back to Lower Hawnby, soon transferring to Upper Hawnby and The Owl, where we enjoyed a pint and discussed today's short but sweet TSB walk.

A pint at The Owl

Hawnby from our table

Saturday 13 November 2021

The Hanging Stone and High Cliff from Gribdale Gate

8 miles Fine and still

We parked at Gribdale Gate which was already busy with the arrival of a large walking group. We booted up and headed straight up Great Ayton Moor before they set off.

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

In The Walker's Guide to the Cleveland Hills, Tom Scott Burns relates a curious belief from a 19th century book called 'Customs of North Riding' which states, 'Anyone who dares to stand near Gribdale Gate at midnight on New Year's Eve will see an old man pass through the gate and vanish'. No such ghosties for us today and our fast pace made sure we left the walking group behind.

Walking over Great Ayton Moor

Fine views of Roseberry Topping to our left

Lovely bright conditions for photography today which is just as well as I had to take today's photos with my phone. In my haste to pack my bag I had forgotten my camera.

After reaching the moor the footpath follows a dry stone wall where there are views over to Roseberry Topping. We came to a gate at Newton Moor but turned right just before it. Tom Scott Burns mentions that this is the site of a chambered cairn, part of a complex Neolithic burial site dating from the Bronze Age, roughly 2300 - 800BC, a time when these moors were covered with mixed forest and woodland clearance was just beginning to take place. By the Iron Age the site was treeless and cultivation was in progress. Following that period heather spread across the moor replacing farmland, so the moors have in fact looked much as they do now since the Iron Age.

Early walkers are already on the summit of Roseberry

We take a moment to spot landmarks

Walking towards the coast and wind farm

We followed the distinct path through the remains of a conifer wood which TSB describes as 'a corridor of trees rinsed with the scent of pine.' No more, I'm afraid, as those trees have gone to the Biomass power station. However, new growth in the form of mixed woodland is springing up around our path and is quite dense. In fact it would now be very easy to miss the turn which leads to a surprise view of Hanging Stone and Guisborough below.

New woodland springing up around our path

TSB believes the massive block of sandstone which is Hanging Stone may have been part of an ancient quarry. We descended the short distance to stand on the rock with its exhilarating view.

The surprise view ...

... of Hanging Stone and Guisborough

We are disappointed to find no interesting old graffiti

I step out for a better look, so far and no further!

The track falls steeply from the Hanging Stone and is always slippery, so we took our time descending through the trees to briefly join a connecting track through Hutton Lowcross Woods, then turning left, to again descend to reach Hutton village road. Turning right along the road we entered Hutton village, which was built as a model village during ironstone mining of the 1850s. At the end of the village the track climbs towards Bold Venture Gill.

The path drops below the stone..

.. and the descent is always slippery and wet

Hutton Lowcross Woods

The path to the road at Hutton Village

The Rover V8

We do this walk every couple of years and are always pleased to see a magnificent old Rover V8, still roadworthy, in Hutton Village. We looked for it today and there it was!

The village road leads to Bold Venture Gill and a steep concrete track into forestry land. We stayed on this track ignoring all turn-offs and noted much recent forestry work. No longer are there 'endless rows of conifers' as described in 'The Walker's Guide to the Cleveland Hills'. A convenient bench near to the nab made an ideal coffee stop and we ate our scones with a fine view.

Through the gate, Bold Venture Gill on the right

A steep climb towards Highcliffe Nab

Highcliffe Nab from our coffee stop

Refreshment break with a fine vista

Leaving our bench we left the main track to walk beneath Highcliffe Nab. Now on Guisborough Moor we looked down on Highcliffe Farm and strode out across Codhill Heights. 'Cod' being derived from the Viking word 'Keld', which means 'spring'. On the far side of Sleddale men were setting fires for controlled burning of the moor.

A last look at Highcliffe Nab

Through the gate to Guisbrough Moor

Highcliffe Farm

Codhill Heights

Sleddale below

Controlled burning on the far side of Sleddale

Sleddale is apparently derived from the old English 'slaed', a wide flat valley. Soon isolated Sleddale Farm came into view and here we turned right, away from the farm.

Sleddale Farm

At the farm gate we turn right...

... and follow the farm track across the moor

We joined a road that serves as the access road to Sleddale Farm. After a while we came to a T junction with Percy Cross Rigg Road and turned right into it, enjoying the views in all directions.

We followed Percy Cross Road until we came to a small fenced area which is the site of several Iron Age huts that were excavated in the 1960s. On our last visit the heather had been cut back to reveal the shape of the huts but this has now re-grown.

Clive at the junction with Percy Rigg Road

A walk on tarmac

Iron Age Huts Site

Iron Age Hut remains

We walked along Percy Cross Rigg, once a prehistoric track connecting settlements at Eston Moor, Great Ayton Moor and the Crown End Settlement in Westerdale, until we reached a gate and information board at Percy Cross Rigg. Here there is a meeting of paths that is actually the junction of four parishes, Guisborough, Kildale, Great Ayton and Hutton Lowcross, although there is no sign to that effect.

This junction is where we turned left from Percy Cross Rigg to cut across the moor on a green path with Lonsdale Bowl to our left. Looking at the map of the walk (above), you will see that this took us alongside Lonsdale Plantation. The trees shown on the map have now been felled, but in this case with the advantage that there is now a good view of Lonsdale Bowl.

North York Moors Graffiti

Lonsdale Bowl

On Great Ayton Moor

We followed our path across Great Ayton Moor for the final leg of our walk, dropping down from the moor to retun to the car at Gribdale Gate. A short drive took us to the Royal Oak at Great Ayton where we discussed today's walk over a pint.