Yorkshire Walks

The parking area is next to the Whinstone Ridge. This is a line of volcanic rock no more than 30m wide that runs for about 5km across the moor. Or at least it used to be, but the rock has been excavated for road stone many years ago leaving a trench, now reclaimed by the moorland vegitation.

The weather forcast for today was for rain, but better in the east of the country. We decided on a forest walk with lots of shelter, and drove out to a parking area off the A169, Pickering to Whitby road near Goathland at map ref.NZ852028. There was thick low grey cloud looking quite threatening but no rain so far.

Track by the A169 by the Whinstone Ridge

Boundary stones by the Whinstone Ridge

We came to a pair of boundary stones on a tumulus by the track. The taller of the two bore the inscription "Sneaton, Liberty, Assizes, 1784. I think this was the start of legal moves to establish the Goathland Parish Boundary, but I don't know why the boundary should have been in any doubt.

From the car park we set off heading south east on a track following the Whinstone Ridge across the A169 and going out towards Lilla Howe.

"Sneaton Liberty Assizes 1784"

Birdsfoot trefoil by the path

Heading for the fire break route into the forest

It joins a stone forest access road about 150m into the plantation. It's probably a few years since I was last here and the whole place has changed completely.

After about 1.5km we were alongside a large forest plantation with a wide firebreak at map ref. NZ869020. There is a well walked path through the fire break.

Track along the Whinstone Ridge with the forest on our left

Cotton grass on a boggy patch

One of a group of four Swaledale tupps grazing in the forest

Here we turned right and continued along the forest road for another few hundred metres to a fork in the road at map ref. NZ884010. This time we took the left fork. Again we continued along the forest road for about 400m to map ref. NZ891009, where we turned left off the road on to a footpath.

A vast area of the forest has been felled and much of it replanted with some areas starting to regrow so it must be seven or eight years since I was here. We followed the forest road for about 1.5km to a 't'-junction at map ref. NZ884015.

Wild strawberries by the path

Fire fighting pond by the forest track

The start of the path to John Bond's Sheep House

Path crossing a forest road

The path crossed the road at an oblique angle and it took us a moment to spot the continuation of the path on the other side of the road. We followed the path to John Bond's Sheep House, a ruined shepherd's cottage beside Blea Hill Beck

Here for the first time we were amongst the trees. Up to this point the whole area had been felled. Still no rain despite the threatening sky.We followed the path across another stone forest road (not marked on our map)

Path to John Bond's Sheep House

John Bonds Sheep House

Following Blea Hill Beck downstream

We could now see a fine drizzle blowing across the trees but little of it seemed to reach us on our seat beneath the branches.

We followed a path by the beck donstream towards the May Beck car park. Afterabout 400m we came to a seat by the beck in a very pleasant clearing where we stopped for our lunch break.

Wood Sorrel by the beck

Waterfall on Blea Hill Beck

We followed the path along the eastern bank of the beck to the bridge over the beck at Falling Foss.

After our break we continued to the May Beck car park where we took the path along the east bank of the beck.

Lunch by the beck

The path from May Beck car park

Path through Foss Plantation

We continued across the fields to the corner of the pond at map ref. NZ879031.

We crossed the bridge and walked up the hill along the track past Foss Farm.

Path through Foss Plantation