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Descending into the Hole of Horcum
from the car park on the main road
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Yesterday,
Saturday, I repeated last Wednesday's walk
from the village hall in Chop Gate with a group of eight friends. We normally
walk together about once a month.
The weather forecast for today was for strong winds and rain
in the afternoon but the morning was fine and sunny so I set
off early for the Hole of Horcum on the Pickering to Whitby
road. There were no other cars in the car park when I arrived
and just one car came whilst I was getting my boots on. I
went down a steep path directly opposite the car park. It
descends straight into the bottom on the great bowl of the
Hole of Horcum and after 7 months with no walkers it was overgrown
with braken and brambles and quite difficult to follow.
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The stream in Dundale Griff
Once on the path in the bottom, I followed it down the
valley for over a mile to Dundale Griff where two streams
meet in a pretty grass and braken area popular with walkers
for a lunch stop. I was too early for lunch and I walked
the half mile up Dundale Griff to Dundale Pond which was
built by monks in the 13th century.
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I sat by the
pond for a drink and a procession of mountain bikers came
by and several pairs of walkers. Everyone seems to be as pleased
as I am to be able to walk our native land again after being
banned for 7 months. It's a bit scary that such a basic right
can be taken away so easily for so long. There are many paths
criss crossing this whole area and from the pond I took a
path in a direct line to Skelton Tower passing the resident
herd of highland cattle on the way. |
Autumn fungus near Dundale Pond
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Highland cattle near Skelton Tower
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Paths in all directions from Dundale Pond
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On the way I met the couple who had arrived at the car park
as I was leaving and it turned out that they were walking
the same route but the other way round. As we stood talking
a kestrel swooped down and perched on a hawthorn tree on the
hillside just below us. It was a female and the black markings
on its russet plumage looked really crisp in the weak autumn
sunshine. Skelton tower overlooks Newtondale and the North
York Moors steam railway runs in the bottom. A group of railway
enthusiasts were gathering near the tower to photograph the
trains passing below. I stopped on the cliff top for another
drink and watched a train coasting down the valley from Newtondale
Halt to Levishan station. Then I continued round the edge
of the cliff overlooking Newton dale back towards the Whitby
/ Pickering road. |
