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National Parks
The approximate route is shown by a blue line.
Use your mouse to drag the map to the area of interest and
zoom in/out using the controls on the left hand side of the map.
Please use my map to find the route on your own large scale
walking map such as the OS Explorer series at 1:25000.
If you have time if you do this walk please let me know how you get on.
That would be very helpful to me to keep my information accurate and up to date.
Please note that I provide this free service to you as a fellow walker on the
understanding that you walk
the route entirely at your own risk and that the information is not used for
any commercial purpose.
Library Route 980920, Blakey Ridge,
Bragg Farm, River Dove, Church Houses, Daleside Road,
Elm House, Bloworth Crossing, Old Ironstone Railway
21km circuit - North York Moors . . .
Map: OS Explorer OL26 North York Moors Western area at 1:25000
General Directions
(Note: The part of this route from Elm House farm out to Bloworth Crossing and back is described in Route No 585)
The walk starts at a little parking area off the Blakey Ridge road at map ref. SE 683 989, about 750m south of the Lion Inn and opposite the road dropping steeply down into Farndale.
From the parking area cross the Blakey Ridge road and walk about 50m down the Farndale road. Then turn left off the Farndale road onto the bed of the old ironstone railway heading southwards. This route is not well walked and can be rather overgrown. Follow the old railway bed for about 750m to map ref. SE 683 982. Here the old railway turns right down a steep incline. Keep straight on here along a feint path contouring around the hill side for another 400m to a public footpath coming from the Blakey Ridge road and heading down into Farndale. Turn right and follow the public footpath. (Note: you can easily avoid this awkward start to the walk by walking along the Blake Ridge road for about 1km and then turning right to follow the public footpath down into Farndale)
Follow the public footpath down the hill side, out of the open access land, across the fields and across the Daleside Road to High Bragg House farm. Continue past this farm and around Bragg Farm, down to join the footpath by the River Dove in the valley bottom at map ref. SE 669 968. Turn right to follow the path upstream past the buildings at High Mill and out along a minor road to the hamlet of Church Houses.
At the road junction in Church Houses take the Daleside Road heading north west towards the head of the valley. Continue along the Daleside Road for about 4km to the end of the public road at Elm House farm, map ref. NZ 641 003. Continue past Elm House farm, still on the Daleside Road that is now a farm access track. After about 750m from Elm House farm the Daleside Road track ends and a public bridleway continues up the valley past a ruined farmstead called Middle Heads. From there the bridleway drops down to a bridge across the River Dove.
From the bridge across the River Dove the bridleway climbs up the hillside through the rough sheep pasture land for about 250m to a gate where the bridleway passes through the intake wall onto the open moor. From here the path is not well defined and even in clear weather a compass bearing is advisable for the next 750m out to the wide stony track along Rudland Rigg at map ref. NZ 617 012 (the first part of the climb up the hill side is too steep to be able to see where you're heading for along Rudland Rigg). The old name for the track along Rudland Rigg is Waingate meaning Coach Road.
At the track along Rudland Rigg turn right and follow the track for about 250m to Bloworth Crossing on the old ironstone railway. At the railway turn right and follow the track along the old railway bed for about 9.3km back to the road at map ref. SE 682 989. Turn left at the road, walk about 50m up to the Blakey Ridge road and cross the Blakey Ridge road back to the parking area and the end of the walk.
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