Branching out

My plan had been for a long trail through Wykeham Forest near Scarborough. The rot set in when I came to Sawdon and through the swish of windscreen wipers saw a sign reading 'open all day' and the welcoming lights of the Anvil Inn. A slow half by the blazing log fire in the company of a sleepy Jack Russell gave me time to reconsider my plans. I asked the landlord, with interest, where he got his logs. 'That's a bit personal' he smiled.

I was anchored in the Anvil, its walls a gallery of Camra awards, mulling over the possibility of boggy forest tracks, and the fact that I had made a late, getting later, start. So when the landlord said that his clientele were local or walkers it seemed sensible to go no further and simply pull on boots and sample the Willow Valley which is what the name Sawdon means.

Ten minutes later, and I was walking down a steep track into Sawdon Dale. Doubtless there were willows but I noticed the elders especially, supposedly unlucky trees associated with witchcraft and deterring witches, but they brought me luck, the woods are charming.

Mosses are the main thing, I can't remember a mossier wood. They softly carpet the ground, make fuzzy the fallen branches, and climb up trees giving each trunk the appearance of being clad in fleecy gaiters.

This ground cover effect is even more striking because the mosses are not in sombre, muted winter tones but vivid, brilliant green, even in the low drizzle filtered light of a deep valley. The valley is so sheltered that the most delicate debris structures are preserved. There will be plenty of life awaiting a spring warm up.

Hardly a branch of the elders is bare of a mossy coat, above them are a good mix of trees, and a top line of pines. Sweet chestnut leaves lay on the ground. There is an area invaded by rhododendrons and a large variegated holly, then a pond, and Tarzan quality vines of honeysuckle showing a few early leaves.

But as I penetrated the wood my gaze stayed low to the ground and, particularly after I had forded it a few times, I watched and wondered about the beck. One always wonders with stream fords 'how will it be after heavy rain, will my readers curse me for wet socks?' Well, dirty boots you can expect, but I surmise that is all, the beck looked and should be benign, not the sort for flooding. It was a uniform yard or two steps wide, and a couple of inches deep, flowing crystal clear over a firm pebbled sandy bed.

The water will have percolated through Wykeham Forest to the north to pop up in springs here in the wood, in woods carpeted by a thick moss sponge. That's my guess anyway.

A climb out of the woods brought the shock of the raw, cold, outside world, and a bracing but easy track back. The views are open, over the Carrs to the Wolds.

Lastly Sawdon is a nice village to walk through.

Directions

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

1. From 'The Anvil', right (south), left to Low Lane, path at end, swings left downhill.

2. Left at stream (signpost), footbridge, stepping stones, ford. Pass pond on your left, 100 yards, ford, 200 yards, concrete weir remains, 200 yards.

3. Left at T-Junction (3-way signpost), 25 yards, ford, 25 yards, fork left to path uphill (no horses sign), 50 yards, ignore left fork, continue uphill then by edge of wood.

4. Right to road, track on left just after Granary Farm.

5. Left to tarmac lane opposite bungalow.

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

Fact file

Distance: Three miles.

Time: Under two hours.

General location: Southern edge of North York Moors National Park, five miles west of Scarborough.

Start: Village of Sawdon.

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

Date walked: Saturday, February 10, 2001.

Road route: North from Brompton-by-Sawdon on the A170.

Car parking: Roadside in village.

Lavatories: None.

Refreshments: The Anvil Inn, Sawdon, open all day every day.

Tourist and public transport information: Scarborough TIC 01723 373333.

Map: Based on OS Outdoor Leisure 27, North York Moors eastern area.

Terrain: Wooded valley and open track.

Points of interest: Woods.

Difficulty: Moderate because - steepish climb, beck fords, and a little 'ducking and diving' through undergrowth.

Dogs: Suitable.

Weather forecast: Check the Evening Press and recorded forecast 0891 500 418.

Click here to view a map of the walk