Making tracks

We left the straggling village of Glaisdale and climbed out on a road that becomes 'unsuitable for motors', had a sit on a bench, enjoyed the long rich views down the Esk Valley and moaned about the black agri-plastic flapping on the adjacent wire fence - talk about litter! Never mind, that was soon out of sight and the rest of the walk was beautiful.

The first mile was a skirt of the northern boundary of Glaisdale Low Moor, fun for finding thin lines of path through the heather and dramatic for a skirmish between three lapwings and a crow that the agile broad-winged lapwings won.

A bit of track and a bit of back road and we reached Busco Beck Farm which sits by an important medieval crossroads.

Glaisdale Low Moor was to our south, painted in subtle spring shades with the occasional gorse in full flower burning bush mode.

We looked for our route. Of course, in medieval times this bit of path would have been clearer. We were on a side track to the George Gap Causeway, 'probably the longest line of paved pannierway on the North York Moors'. It ran from Rosedale to Staithes.

The causes of the modern gaps in the George Gap Causeway and its side tracks are various, mainly theft, time and the decay of redundancy. However Raymond Hayes MBE, FSA (1909-2000) wrote - 'I was told by the late Nick Peirson, a local keeper, that he was ordered by the estate to remove the paving where it ran near the modern road the Rosedale end, because it might encourage walkers to follow it on to the moor'.

We navigated by an ace six-inch wide thread of fern-filled drainage channel, a single charmed holly bush and a proud standing stone and thereby connected with our route along the western side of Glaisdale Low Moor. This bridleway is sunken for a distance, a typical 'hollow-way', with vivid mosses and neat sedges/rushes, and then is marvellously picked out by a regularity of ancient waymarks and by a stone gateway to a simple little bridge of five heavy slabs. Magic, and little used.

We made the gentle ascent to the top track (highway actually) along Glaisdale Rigg. Before you blast off along its fast dirt/stone surface hang around this junction area for a while. Check out the views into the valley of Glaisdale as far up as its head; also try to decipher the place names on a road marker that stands in a stone socket.

Descending was quick and comfy with a quite colourful trackside flora including tiny squat dandelion types.

The finale of a fine walk was the view down on to the houses of Glaisdale with the village of Egton above and to the east and part of the village of Lealholm above and to the west.

Fact file

Distance: Four and a half miles.

Time: Two or three hours.

General location: North York Moors National Park.

Start: The village of Glaisdale.

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

Date walked: Sunday May 5 2002.

Road route: Via Castleton.

Car parking: Roadside in Glaisdale. Limited spaces on walk route up from triangular green.

Lavatories: None.

Refreshments: Pub in Glaisdale. Pub in Lealholm.

Tourist and public transport information: The Moors Centre, Danby. 01287 660540.

Map: Based on OS Explorer OL27 North York Moors eastern area.

Terrain: Moorland.

Points of interest: Old Roads And Pannierways In North East Yorkshire written by Raymond H. Hayes, M.B.E., F.S.A. and published by the North York Moors National Park 1988. ISBN 0 907480 209.

Difficulty: Moderate in nice weather.

Dogs: Suitable.

Weather Forecast: Evening Press and recorded forecast 0891 500 418.

Directions

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

1. Road south from triangular village green, pass farm on left.

2. Small gate on right (signed bridleway), 11 o'clock for 100 yards, gate (waymark), 11 o'clock for 100 yards.

3. Gate to moor then as right of way not clear on ground I picked up a path by turning immediately right by fence for 100 yards then left on to moor and keeping about 100 yards parallel to walls.

4. Stone waymark at fence corner point. Track in front of house, turns right. Left to road.

5. Busco Beck Farm, first path on left across moor for 20 yards (waymarked), dogleg right towards small holly tree, following line of ferns in channel, pass near large stone. Faint path uphill from stone, towards quarry spoil heaps.

6. Left to track on hillside about 30 yards below spoil heaps, contours (crossing springs) then dips to cross Busco Beck (stone slab bridge and gateposts), then uphill following stone waymarks.

7. Cross wide dirt track, 100 yards over heather, left to track (signs, stone waymarker to right), 100 yards, ignore fork right and stay on main track to road down to Glaisdale.

- 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: 09:39 Saturday, May 11, 2002