Yorkshire Walks

Our first daffodils at Lowna Bridge

There is an official 'daffodil walk' from Low Mill to Church Houses and back which is about 4km, pretty flat, cafe at the Church Houses end, toilets and WI tea room at Low Mills so it's very popular.

This morning we met our usual group of friends for our monthly walk together. We all parked at the little car par off the Gilamoor to Hutton-le-Hole road at Lowna, map ref. SE685910. The wild daffodils in Farndale are a huge attraction at this time of year.

The track from Lowna Bridge

He tipped me off that the daffodils in the woods by the river Dove upstream from Lowna are excellent this year. That's why we're here for our alternative Farndale daffodil walk. We set off just after 10.30 and walked down the road from the car park over the river Dove towards Hutton-le-Hole.

A large field is used as a temporary car park for the short daffodil season. We did not want to get embroiled in all of this. My walking companion last Wednesday, Max, is a volunteer ranger with the North York Moors National Park.

Woodland daffodils

Woodland daffodils

For the next kilometer the woods and river bank were full of wild daffodils all in full flower. There were probably more flowers than on the official daffodil walk and to my eye they make a prettier show in the woodland setting.

About 100m beyond the bridge, on the crown of a bend in the road we turned left at map ref. SE688909 onto a track heading up the valley. After about 200m we took the left fork in the track signposted to Low Mill.

Woodland daffodils

Wild daffodils in the woods

Then on to Ewe Cote and Underhill Farm and out to the road near Tenter Hill at map ref. SE681944.

We continued along the same track past Birch Hagg House and Hagg End Farm.

The track up to Ewe Cote farm

A creche of lambs

At the village we made use of the public toilet facilities and had a very nice cup of tea and a cake at the WI tea shop in the village hall.

At the road we turned left to follow the road for about 700m to a junction where we turned left across the River Dove to Low Mill.

Not the prettiest daffodil we saw

Horn ridge from the road above Low Mill

Then across a lane and some pasture, then through a small wood to map ref. SE665946. Here at the top edge of the wood we turned left to follow a path climbing up the rocky hillside to the open moor.

From Low Mill we followed the road up the western side of the valley to Kneysbeck, map ref. SE669948. Here we took the path on the rightt straight up the hillside, through a cottage garden.

Heading up the hillside through the woods above Low Mill

Path back down to the river Dove

We walked along the road for about 100m and turned left off the road to follow a path down the valley side to the river Dove at map ref. SE682925.

We continued along this path across the moor for about 1.5 km to join a track at map ref. SE671930. We walked along the track for about 400m to the road at map ref. SE674928.

Path back down to the river Dove

Wood anenomies by the river Dove

We were very pleased with our alternative Farndale daffodil walk. Thanks for the tip Max - it was a great day out. The whole route had been 11km and had taken us four and a half hours to walk including our stop in Low Mill and our lunch stop on the edge of the moor.

From here we walked along the riverside path for about 1.5km back to the car park. This final part of the walk was through woodland full of daffodils. It was an amazing sight.

Track back to the car park at Lowna