Hawnby walk

The cool sun shone on the village of Hawnby, the River Rye was sparking, a new Inn Way signpost arrowed to Arden Hall.

In 1757 John Wesley recorded that he 'rode over one of the pleasantest parts of England to Hawnby'.

Leaves rustled underfoot, the river ran near and thin ribbons of spring water gurgled.

We skirted Coomb Hill on a lovely open and definitely current permissive track and after a couple of valley miles were skipping past Lord Mexborough's Arden Hall.

Of this, the late Sir Nicholas Pevsner wrote 'a perfect Queen Anne stone house in a perfect, sheltered and secluded position'.

North-west runs Thorodale, and we took its woodland tracks. The valley is spectacular, a big one, vivid with the colour of the autumnal deciduous trees and the contrast of conifers, and lots of little springs. It was splendid, bar the cacophony of pheasants.

A mile or so on, the forest petered out and a stylish grass incline track angled sharp up to the moor. This was our goal, North Moor, we'd never been here before, always meant to. But first, just before the cool winds on the tops, we had our sandwiches on some ideal slabs of limestone and took in the ace sights over the trees all down the valley.

Then on to the moor, and an irritation, because out of date Countryside Stewardship Scheme plaques told us that North Moor was Open Access and that the agreement expired in 2002. Actually it's no longer open access but instead there's a mile of permissive path that runs until September 2012. We pay for this, the info on the ground should be up to date. I have informed DEFRA.

Nevermind, North Moor is super. The geology changes and the heather disappears to be replaced by luminous pale grassland. The numerous types of fungi change. Looking east to shapely hills and beyond to the North York Moors the views are to die for, but because this is a relatively featureless high-altitude moor it is important to take an OS map and a compass.

A snipe zipped away, slabs of fleshy fungi covered the grass, parasol mushrooms unfurled in old quarry scrapes and eventually we found the one and only legal way off the moor.

The last couple of miles parallel the ever so distinctive Hawnby and Easterside Hills, with pretty farm, stream, coppiced hazel and a bit of dead-end road (one jeep). We thought this was the best walk we had done for a while - a fine way to earn yourself a cup of tea at Hawnby Post Office.

Directions:

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

1. Left from car park, pass church, left at junction, bridge.

2. Track on left (signed), fieldgate, 30 yards, track curves right uphill, stile/fieldgate, fieldgate and straight on (white arrow), stay on track.

3. After fieldgate by corner of wood and stony track, one o'clock across grass to fieldgate (signed), path down through trees, right to road.

4. Track on left (signed Mount Pleasant Farm), left fork on bend, fieldgate, join tarmac at Hall, straight on 100 yards (pass No Entry sign re: vehicles).

5. Track on right behind row of cottages (waymark), downhill, stream, 100 yards, first track on left which contours then angles uphill by grassy area. Ignore right fork at Y-junction after grass, 50 yards, over junction to right-hand track (waymark), ignore left fork at Y-junction (waymark), track angles up hillside. Don't go to the bottom or top of the valley. Eventually track becomes path.

6. Gate to moor, ten yards, grass track on right up hillside.

7. Track on right after bend (was old access plaque), ignore left fork, 100 yards.

8. Fieldgate in wall (was old access plaque), 30 yards, fork left to faint track which crosses remnants of walls, aim for 'shed' ruins, 20 yards, clear grass track heading east, pond/winter water, right and down at junction beside old quarry scrapings.

9. Fieldgate to woodland track (was old access plaque), steep downhill, ignore left turn on bend.

10. Stile on left (waymark), right diagonally down across two field corners (stiles), right to farm track, cattlegrid, 150 yards, stile/fieldgate into field at corner (waymark), 150 yards, fieldgate to track (waymark) into wood, ignore right turn, footbridge and straight on, left to road.

Fact file:

Distance: Eight miles.

Time: Four or five hours.

General location: Hawnby Hills.

Start: Hawnby.

Right of way: The route is along public rights of way and permissive paths.

Date walked: Friday November 5 2004.

Road route: Via Osmotherley or Helmsley.

Car parking: Village hall car park fifty yards from Post Office, honesty box. Or roadside between village and church.

Lavatories: None.

Refreshments: The Hawnby Hotel or the Post Office/tea shop.

Tourist and public transport information: Helmsley TIC 01439 770173.

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

Terrain: Mixed including valleys and moor.

Points of interest: The Thorodale woods.

Difficulty: Navigation requires concentration sometimes.

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: 08:36 Saturday, November 13, 2004