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Descending into Newton Dale
North York Moors railway in Newton Dale
Here we took the path down a steep icy slope and across the moor to
map ref. SE 846948. From this point we descended a steep path on a ledge
down the side of narrow side valley to the railway in the bottom of
Newton Dale. From the railway we climbed the bank to a stone forest
track that follows the railway along the valley.
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This morning,at about 10.00, I met two friends at the Hole of Horcum
car park on the A169 Pickering to Whitby road. We crossed the main road
and set off around the rim of the Hole of Horcum to the hairpin bend
in the main road (map ref. SE 849941).
Following a side valley into Newton Dale
Forest track along Newton Dale
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Approaching the ruined farm at Wardle Green
Lilla Cross on Lilla Howe
Here we turned right onto a bridleway over the open moor to Simon
Howe almost 2km away. As we approached Simon Howe the dark clouds we
had been watching running along the coast moved inland to give us a
short snow flurry. At Simon Howe we turned right onto the Lyke Wake
Walk route and followed it for 2.5km to Eller Beck on the Pickering
to Whitby road. We crossed the road and continued on the Lyke Wake Walk
route along the boundary of the Ministry of Defence Fylingdales land,
for just over 3km to Lilla Howe. This is a stone cross on a mound and
the plaque says that the cross was first erected in 626AD to comemorate
Lilla who had died saving the life of King Edwin of Northumbria. This
is not the original site of the cross.
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We headed north for about 300m and just beyond a left hand bend in
the track we turned left off the track onto a narrow path that climbs
steeply up a series of steps up the valley side through the forest.
At the top of the climb there is a seat beside a grassy woodland track
where we stopped for a drink and a sandwich. We contiued generally northwards
around the valley rim through woods on a very wet grassy track (it's
just marked as a firebreak on the map, but it is well walked). After
about 500m frm the seat the track turned left and we followed it for
another kilometre to the remnants of a ruined farm called Wardle Green.
Eller Beck Bridge on the Pickering to Whitby road
Fylingdales from the path near Simon Howe
Lilla Cross on Lilla Howe
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Malo Cross with Blakey Topping behind
We continued on our way to Malo Cross at map ref. SE 866949. Here we
took the path up the end of the hill and followed the path round the
edge of the hill to the woods next to the car park where we had started.
When we turned onto the farm road out of the woods there was another
MoD police car waiting with its engine running. The whole route was
about 20 km and took us six and a half hours including our stops.
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From Lilla Howe we left the Lyke Wake Walk and turned south to follow
a bridleway that skirts the boundary of the MoD land at Fylingdales.
When we reached map ref. SE 871968 there was a notice advising walkers
that the route is to be diverted into the woods about 150m further away
from the MoD boundary. There were two MoD police cars on the perimeter
track inside the fence and they followed us at walking pace until the
path left the boundary fence where another car arrived and the driver
proceded to make an obvious show of taking photos of us through his
open window.
Malo Cross
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