Mist on the moor around the Hole of
Horcum |
An
early start this morning. I met my friend in the car park
at the Hole of Horcum just after 9.00am. It was a lovely bright
sunny day and the morning mist was still rolling off Levisham
Moor opposite the car park. We took the path from the hair-pin
bend on the A169 that goes down into the pretty valley of
Havern beck and across the railway onto the forest track in
the bottom of Newton Dale. We turned right on to the track
to head north up Newton Dale for about a quarter of a mile.
We planned to use the forest path from map ref. 843959 to
climb up the valley side but after 7 months of disuse the
start was completely overgrown and the old wooden faced steps
were invisible. |
| After
searching for a few minutes we decided to climb up the bank
until we intercepted the path which we did about 15 yards
up the bank and from there on the path was easy to follow
up to the seat at the top on the forest track that runs around
the valley rim. It's a very pretty path through the woodland
along the cliff top with views through the trees into the
valley with the steam trains of the North York Moors Railway
passing below. After about two and a half miles the path descends
a narrow wooded ridge to the forest road in the valley bottom
beside the railway. |
Woodland path overlooking Newton Dale
|
Looking into Newton Dale from the woodland
path
around the valley rim |
We
followed the road for about a quarter of a mile and opposite
a holiday cottage turned left across the railway and up a
forest path on to the lower plateau of Levisham Moor. We crossed
this lower palteau and climbed up onto the next level and
stopped for a drink and to look at the view. Below us were
three mounds marked on the map as 'Pillow Mounds' They are
about 30 feet long by 10 feet wide and about 4 feet high in
the middle. I have no idea what their origin is. From here
we headed for Dundale Pond and then took the path along the
top of Levisham Moor for about 2 miles back to our start at
the Hole of Horcum car park. The whole route was about 9 miles
and took us about 4 and a half hours including our stops.
|
More autumn fungus |
Newton Dale |
Pillow Mound |
frank's
