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Route No. 287 - Wednesday 1 April 2009
Cod Beck Reservoir, Oak Dale, Osmotherley,
Cleveland Way, Scarth Nick circuit - 12km
North York Moors. . .
Ordnance Survey route map on
the Landranger series map base.
View the route in Google Earth
Map: Ordnance Survey Explorer OL26 North York Moors Western area at 1:25000
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Crossing Cod Beck near the car park at the start of our walk
We drove to a little car park near the inlet to Cod Beck Reservoir
at map ref. SE467992.
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This morning I met a member of the Easingwold Wayfarers walking group
called Max, who lives about half a mile from me.
Cod Beck Reservoir
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Permissive path around Cod Beck Reservoir
Even mid week in school term time we passed a few people along the
reservoir path. When we reached the track at the dam end of the reservoir
we turned left to follow the track up the hill side.
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From the car park we set off along the permissive path around the east
side of the reservoir. It's a pretty and popular walk. The weather was
fine warm and sunny.
Two panicky ewes feeling trapped by us
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Looking to Black Hambleton as we approached the road near Chequers Farm
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Looking across Oak Dale from the road near Chequers Farm |
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Heading for Osmotherley on the Cleveland Way
We followed this track for another kilometer out to the road at map
ref. SE473972.
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We climbed up through the woods for about a kilometer to the track
between the woodland and the open moor at map ref.SE472983.
Looking towards Osmotherley from the Cleveland Way
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Crossing Cod Beck on the Cleveland Way
Just beyond Chequers farm we turned right off the road to follow a
path down into Oak Dale. In the bottom of Oak Dale we joined the Cleveland
Way route at map ref. SE468963
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We walked along the road for about 200m past what used to be the Chequers
Inn, but is now a B&B establishment called Chequers Farm.
Dogs Mercury covers the little wooded valley of Cod Beck where the Cleveland
way crosses it and suggests that this has been woodland for at least
several centuries
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Entering Osmotherley on the Cleveland Way |
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An alleyway which the Cleveland way follows to emerge in the centre
of Osmotherley
This took us through Osmotherley and Arncliffe Wood to Scarth Nick.
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From here we continued along the Cleveland Way route for over 5km.
Leaving Osmotherley for Arncliffe wood on the Cleveland Way
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Looking south from the Cleveland Way along the western edge of the North
York Moors |
The Cleveland Way at Arncliffe Wood |
The Cleveland Way at Arncliffe Wood |
BT microwave relay station beside the Cleveland Way above Arncliffe Wood
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Lunch stop on the edge of Arncliffe Wood
The whole walk had been 12km and had taken us just under four hours
to walk including two very pleasant refreshment stops to admire the
views in the spring sunshine.
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Just before Scarth Nick we took a path off to the right which cut a
little corner off and brought us to the road at map ref. NZ472001. We
walked along the road for almost a kilometer back to our starting point
at the car park.
Cleveland Way heading for Scarth Nick
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Leaving the Cleveland Way and heading for the road above Scarth Nick |
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At this time of year when the temperature and humidity are just right
hundreds of toads make their way from the moor to the shallows on the
reservoir fringes to spawn.
It's toad watch time!
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A male toad clinging to the back of a female ready to spawn Has the
other male lost out or is he about to make his move?
Local people organise a toad watch to get the creatures safely across
the road where in the past scores have been crushed by the traffic.
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