Rosedale Abbey

We boarded the Moorsbus at Cropton, leaving the village buzzing with a group of 30 or more ramblers off to do a local circuit.

The bus whisked us the five miles to Rosedale Abbey so we could walk the five-plus miles miles back to Cropton over the North York Moors.

The walking started with an earnest climb on pasture parallel to the notorious Rosedale Chimney Bank road.

Then there's a contour for a mile on a track, with sizeable farms on the pasture below, above us rougher slopes and every now and then a house occupied by a painter or potter.

Then there's another climb that turned out to be a good length of comfortably-angled grass track with fabulous views up and down Rosedale and into North Dale.

A shepherd watched his flock through binoculars and his sheepdog watched from the back of the quadbike.

A tube-shaped black beetle with white spots landed on my arm.

Our route faded into the heather on the tops. Here some of the public rights of way have vanished and everybody uses the tracks.

These are well surfaced; there's a quarry for the purpose.

Before you turn south note that north-west, about half a mile away and probably visible is Ana Cross, a tall, complete cross shape and a magnet for walkers and bikers.

Our descent was so easy, two smooth miles over Spaunton Moor mostly with a comfortable downhill gradient, about as fast as walking gets. If you're lucky into the sun.

So, in no time we were off the moor and on to pastures and bits of back road.

The River Seven has banks more of wild garlic than daffodils, but the former is an in-fashion veg, the young leaves lightly fried.

Less tasty was the ladder trap, the size of a Smart Car, of chicken wire and wooden laths. A gamekeeper will put food or a live bird inside to attract another of the species which is then killed. In this case rooks or jackdaws or some sort of crow.

This is legal, and clearly useful for keeping down egg-stealing birds, but it isn't sweet.

According to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall rooks are nice to eat if very young, they are called "branchers" and you collect them with a ladder or pop them with an air rifle just as they stand on the branches for a first wing stretching.

Well, that was a digression, tasteless or otherwise.

We diverted towards the end of our walk when faced with a climb beside the fairly busy valley road.

The half-mile we have selected here is quiet, on track and pasture, but sting in the tail steep.

Never mind, we beat the 30 ramblers back to Cropton, but they will have been doing more miles.

Directions:

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

1. From village green left to road, right at junction to Thorgill road, bridge, 10 yards, gate by house (signed), pasture uphill (stiles), left to road.

2. Cross road, track through pub/hotel car park, track, fieldgate.

3. Gate/fieldgate, 100 yards then at bridleway sign before farm/barn ruin angle 1 o'clock on grass track uphill to moor, ignore side turns, becomes path.

4. At 'top' ignore any faint tracks, head south-west (take a compass), you will probably pass quarry, at main dirt track, turn left. For a visit to Ana Cross turn right here and then retrace steps.

5. Track becomes metalled, at road junction stile on left (sign), 1 o'clock to fieldgate/stile, to river, right, left to road, right at junction (mostly verge). Stay on road back to Cropton or:

6. Track on right by bench (signed), one-third mile, pass right-hand turn to Mill, 20 yards, gate on left and straight uphill. Gate to right of gorse, straight on by hedge into Cropton (gates).

Fact file:

Distance: More than six miles.

Time: Three or four hours.

General location: North York Moors.

Start: The village of Rosedale Abbey.

Right of way: Public and usage.

Date walked: Sunday, April 3, 2005.

Road route: Moorsbus from many possible locations.

Car parking: We parked by the roadside in Cropton to catch the bus at the little village green.

Lavatories: Rosedale Abbey.

Refreshments: Rosedale Abbey.

Tourist and public transport information: Moorsbus 01845 597000, email moorsbus@moors.uk.net, website www.moors.uk.net/moorsbus.

Map: Based on OS Explorers OL 26 and 27 North York Moors eastern and western areas.

Terrain: Moor and valley.

Points of interest: The Moorsbus service runs seasonally on Sundays and Bank Holidays and in midsummer daily. It now penetrates well into Rosedale.

Difficulty: Moderate in good weather, 600 feet of climbing.

Please observe the Country Code and park sensibly.

While every effort is made to provide accurate information, walkers set out at their own risk.

Click here to view a map of the walk

Updated: 15:56 Friday, April 15, 2005