Yorkshire Walks

View from the car park at the bottom of White Horse Bank

Bridleway into the woods

After about 250m the access road turns left to Acre House farm but we continued straight ahead along a public bridleway. After another 500m we joined a forestry road which we followed for almost 1km to map ref. SE505818.

It was a fine clear sunny morning and my wife and I drove to a little car park at the bottom of White Horse Bank near Kilburn, map ref. SE514806. Just below the car park is a farm access road and we set off along this road at about 11.00am.

Setting off along Acre House farm access road

Forestry road between Hood Hill and the White Horse

Approaching the point where the path to Hood Grange leaves the forestry road

Hood Beck at Hood Grange

Here we continued along the farm access road to the A170 at map ref. SE500824.

Here, at a left hand bend in the forestry road, we continued straight on along the bridleway across the fields to Hood Grange farm.

Hood Grange

Footbridge over Hood Beck

Path across the fields near High Cleaves farm

Jew's Ear fungus on some dead Elder

Climbing the hill towards Gormire Lake

Beyond the farm at map ref. SE499831 we turned right to follow a footpath down the side of the field to a small stream and then up through some woods over the hill to Gormire Lake.

We crossed the main road and followed the bridleway up the access road towards High Cleaves Farm. After about 200m the bridleway turned right off the access road across the fields to by-pass the farm.

Rose Hips in the hedgerow

Fungus at the base of an oak tree - could be Trametes versicolor (Turkey Tail Fungus in the USA)

Dropping down to Gormire Lake

Boulder dislodged from Whitestone Cliff

Here it joins a public footpath coming down the hillside from the Cleveland way at the top of the escarpment.

We followed the muddy path around the edge of the lake to map ref. SE504832. Here there is a permissive path straight up the steep hill side for about 150m.

The climb up from Gormire Lake

The top of the climb up from Gormire Lake

Sculpture at the entrance to Sutton Bank Visitor Centre

After our break we continued along the path around the edge of the glider airfield on Roulston Scar with the amazing view across to the Yorkshire Dales away to our right. When we reached the Kilburn White Horse, cut into the hillside, we came down the long flight of steps at the side of the horse to the car park below at map ref. SE513811. From there we walked down White Horse Bank along the road back to our starting point at the bottom of the hill. The whole walk had been just under 10km and it had taken us about three and a half hours to walk including our break at the cafe.

We climbed up from the lakeside to the Cleveland way at the top, a steep climb of about 1km. There is a bench seat at the top with an excellent view out over the lake and the Vale of Mowbray to the Yorkshire Dales. After admiring the view we followed the Cleveland Way to the Sutton Bank Visitor Centre at map ref. SE516830. We stopped at the visitor centre cafe for a tasty bowl of homemade soup.

Whitestone Cliff and Gormire Lake from the path near the glider airfield

Heading back down White Horse Bank to the car park

Hereford cow in a field near the car park