10 June 2003
Newton-upon-Rawcliffe, Newtondale
North York Moors

This morning I met two friends by the duck pond in Newton-upon-Rawcliffe (map ref. SE 812906) at about 9.45. It was a bright sunny day with fast moving clouds and a warm breeze. Everywhere was lush green vegetation - a lovely June day for a walk. From the duck pond we crossed the road to go down the path at the side of the pub (the Mucky Duck) and down the side of the pub's caravan field at the back to a grassy back lane. We turned right on to the lane at a point where there is a fork heading left down the valley side. At the top of this fork is an iron gate tied up with baler twine. We climbed over it to join a footpath that heads straight down the bank - steep and muddy - I was very glad of my walking stick, sorry treking pole. ( I must stop talking like an old person) The North York Moors steam railway runs in the valley bottom and as we reached the bottom of the slope we joined a path through the fields going down the valley parallel to the railway. After about 3 kilometres we came to a ford just as a steam train was passing and I attempted to get a photo of it. A few metres before the ford we took a path off to the right up into the woods to follow the river and the railway down the valley. After a while the path dropped down to run alongside the railway fence and at this point another train passed us and the driver gave us a wave as he steamed by. I was far too slow getting my camera out and missed the shot altogether. After a few more kilomertres we joined a stoney track down the valley with tall trees and bushes between us and the railway and at this point another train passed us but we could not see it. We pressed on to the road on the edge of Pickering where the railway crossed the road at a level crossing where I was hoping to get a good photo of a steam train. We asked the signalman who was leaning out of his window but he told us there would not be another train for about 45mins. Too long to wait, so we headed back up the road for 50 metres to the quarry entrance. It looks a bit daunting, but there is a public footpath through the quarry yard - there's a finger post hidden under the trees at the entrance. There are no signs inside the quarry yard. You just keep to the right hand side passing through the quarry buildings and after about 200m we came to a wooden field gate. This too has an intimidating sign about an MoD approved rifle range, but don't be put off. There's a stile at the side of the gate on to a pleasant forest track. There was no activity at all at the rifle range but if you go on a Sunday there will be a lookout to call a cease fire whilst you cross the range - on one occasion the lookout did ask us to zig-zag about a bit to make it more interesting, but we survived the experience. At the end of the range we passed the winding mechanism for the targets at the bottom of a steep bank. The path took us straight up the bank through Haugh Woods to emerge at the edge of a huge field of wheat. The path went directly along the centre of the wheat field and was well walked so we had a good path to follow - I never like tramping through crops even when it's the legal thing to do. After over 500 metres we emerged from the wheat field on to a track called Haugh Rigg Road. We followed the track for two kilometres to map ref. SE 798899 where we turned right to follow a path across the fields to join a lane that comes out between the farm buildings on to the village green by the duck pond in Newton-upon-Rawcliffe. It had been a lovely walk with all manner of wild flowers in the verges along the way. The whole route was just under 15km and took us 4hours 15 mins including a couple of stops.

Yellow Irises beside the path Newtondale near Levisham Station Footpath through the quarry

Ragged Robin next to the path Track along Haugh Rigg NYMR taking delivery of a guards van