Pockley

It's spring, it's time for a flower foray, and I can think of few better places for concentrated colour than the woods of Riccal Dale.

The bluebells are the main attraction and as for the timing, well, although I've got the key species in my garden to remind me, it's hard to predict when they will be at their best out in the wild - micro climate makes a big difference as does the overall weather but, at a guess, from the first week in May onwards.

We parked on the wide main street of the village of Pockley which is but two miles from Helmsley.

Actually, the main street is about all there is, a linear village, and the road is quiet because it leads up to the north and the moors but hardly touches anywhere.

So off through Pockley, a place pretty with thatch, barns fixed up as houses and other barns quiet and waiting their turn with the builders.

Jackdaws preened on the church, lambs played on the pastures, and we took a track to the valley. Not to enter it at first, but to tunnel along the top edge under overhanging blackthorn, lovely scrub this, with the white flowers out before the leaves.

Throughout this walk you will see the paraphernalia of pheasant rearing and, most often, the old oil drums that are used as feeders.

Two fat rats shot out of the first we came across, have never seen these horrors here before.

A plastic bag read 'Sportsmans Game Feeds, 20 per cent protein'.

Soon we slipped into the woods and our feet crushed the wild garlic, Riccal Dale with a Mediterranean aroma.

Then we turned down the valley on a track new to us, either side grow bluebells, few flowers were out.

Big brown/black ants were busy, a seething mass covering a square yard or so, wearing pale-coloured pants to show them up as they head for the parts other insects cannot reach so tuck your trousers into your socks.

A gamekeeper rode up on his quad bike, shotgun slung at the ready, and he stopped and asked with a smile if I'd got him on camera.

Yes, I said.

How did I look, then? he asked.

John Wayne, I said.

Our first little valley fed into the main line of Riccal Dale where there was an acre or so scattered with primroses then a large pheasant pen with a water supply from a 1,500 litre plastic tank and drinking troughs for the birds.

Then we linked with the River Riccal, crossed it on a sturdy steel and timber bridge and kind of followed the flow.

Until recently the limitations of the rights of way forced one up and away, but now one can stay close, sometimes 50ft above the flow but that's all. The water looked lovely, one often writes of clear becks but this was exceptionally transparent.

The wood is a mix, some places conifer, some silver birch and much mixed deciduous. The latter is old, that is there has been woodland here for ages, certain plants indicate this history, notably wood anemone, which spreads incredibly slowly, and also perhaps dog's mercury that has an interesting name but boring green flowers.

After another bridge there's a violet flowered climb through hazel to the remains of the day, a simple half mile on the tops and through the fields.

fact file

Distance: Four miles.

Time: Two hours.

General location: North York Moors.

Start: Pockley.

Right of Way: The complete route is along public rights of way.

Date walked: Sunday , April 17, 2005.

Road route: Pockley is signed off the A170 one mile east of Helmsley.

Car Parking: Roadside.

Lavatories: Helmsley.

Refreshments: Helmsley.

Tourist & public transport information: Helmsley TIC 01439 770173.

Map: Based on OS Explorer OL26 North York Moors western area.

Terrain: Mostly wooded valley.

Points of interest: Flowers.

Difficulty: Easy.

Please observe the Country Code and park sensibly. While every effort is made to provide accurate information, walkers set out at their own risk.

directions

When in doubt look at the map. Check your position at each point. Keep straight on unless otherwise directed.

South through village, fieldgate on right to track (signed).

Right at valley edge (signed), gate to path through scrub, maintain height, over grass keeping a wall to the right, right with wood to left.

Stile at corner into wood, downhill for 30 yards, left to track for 10 yards, fork left to footpath/narrow track, downhill, left to track out of wood then keep near river.

Footbridge and left, faint track through trees which angles away from river then left to main track.

Waymarked post on left to path 30 yards down to river, footbridge, 20 yards, fork right to path uphill through wood then field-edge path (hedge to right), becomes hedged track, left to road back into Pockley.

Click here to view a map of the walk

Updated: 10:55 Saturday, April 23, 2005