Yorkshire Walks

Gormire Lake from the path near the visitor Centre

Walking beside Gormire Lake

Deformed tree beside gormire lake

We made our way along the forest tracks to map ref. SE 506819 where a bridleway leaves the track to head out across the field to Hood Grange. The bridleway skirts the back of the farm and then turns down the side of the farm to the farm access road from the A170. Where the bridleway joins the farm road there is a footpath opposite which crosses the field directly to the A170 and about 100m along the main road there is a footpath on the opposite side of the road leading across the fields to Gormire Farm. Here we followed the track to Gormire Lake and took the permissive path clockwise around the lake. It's one of my favourite spots - so calm and pretty with all kinds of wildfowl on the water, surrounded by woodland, patches of reeds at the waters edge and the high yellow sandstone cliffs overlooking the whole scene.

This morning the weather was still cloudy with bright patches but quite misty in the distance. Three of us drove up to the visitor centre at Sutton Bank and we were ready to start walking by half past nine. We took the path from the car park through the woods to Hambleton House and then followed the Cleveland Way passed the Hambleton Hotel to walk around the edge of the glider field to the White Horse overlooking Kilburn. We descended the step at the side of the white horse to the car park at the bottom.

Gormire Lake

Tree beside Gormire Lake

Bracket fungus on a dead tree by the lake

Lambs near Southwood Hall

I'm all for minor diversions of this kind that help to remove conflicts between residents and walkers. We followed the bridleway up the hill across the fields and up through the woods to the Cleveland Way path around the edge of the escarpment.

Once around the lake we joined the bridleway to Southwoods Lodge, and then continued another kilometre to Southwoods Hall. The bridleway through the hall yard seems to be in the process of being diverted around the boundary of the buildings which I think would be a sensible move.

Looking back from the start of the climb above Southwood Hall

Dead trees above Southwoods Hall

Whitestone cliff above Gormire Lake

At the top of the escarpment we followed the Cleveland Way for about 3km back to the visitor centre at Sutton Bank. The whole route was about 13km and took us four hours to walk including a couple of stops along the way.

Gate into the woods above Southwood Hall

Sutton Bank visitor centre