Yorkshire Walks

The car park entrance

Kingcups by the River Derwent

Wild garlic by the path

Here there is a footbridge over the river to a boardwalk on the other side. It's a very pretty valley and this wheelchair friendly boardwalk goes for about 2km through the woods along the riverside. We crossed the footbridge and turned right to follow the boardwalk.

This morning my mate, Jim, and I drove to Forge Valley a few kilometers from East Ayton, just inland from Scarborough. There are a series of small car parks next to the River Derwent along this wooded valley and now each of them has a name. We parked at the one called "Old Man's Mouth" at map ref. SE983874.

Leaving the car park just after 10.00am

The boardwalk by the River Derwent

Wood anemones by the path

Herons' nests in the tree tops

The path is on the river side of a small low flood bank and we came through a gate to rejoin the public footpath at map ref. SE979877. To our right two herons took off from the tree tops and we could see the large untidy nests where they had been standing. We continued along the top of the flood bank around the edge of the field past the sluices at the start of the Sea Cut. This is an overflow channel for the River Derwent. It takes the river water out to the sea at Scalby Ness in Scarborough North Bay.

The boardwalk ends where the path comes out of the wood on to pasture land at map ref. SE981875. The first field is very boggy and although there are no diversion signs the path seems to have been diverted from the route shown on my OS map. From the stile into the field we turned right to walk down the edge of the field to a stile at the end into another field. Over this stile we turned left and followed the fence around the edge of the field.

Path to Wrench Green

One of several anglers' access ladders

For easier walking for the last kilometer into Wrench Green we climbed up the hillside to join a farm access track from map ref. SE969885.

We continued along the public footpath to the hamlet of Wrench Green.

Farm track heading for Wrench Green

Path to Wrench Green

Farm track heading for Wrench Green

Farm track heading for Wrench Green

Path by the River Derwent at Wrench Green

Footbridge over the Derwent near Wrench Green

Immediately before the bridge we crossed the stile on the left hand side of the road and followed the footpath along the river bank for about 400m to a footbridge at map ref. SE967896. We crossed the bridge and followed the path out to the road.

At the first road junction in Wrench Green, at map ref. SE96892, we turned right and followed the road for about 200m to the road bridge over the river.

Road bridge over the Derwent at Wrench Green

Road bridge over the Derwent at Wrench Green

Path by the River Derwent at Wrench Green

Path through the woods above Hackness

Hackness Hall

After our break we continued around the edge of the wood overlooking Hackness Hall which is the residence of Lord Derwent. The hall and grounds are not open to the public.

We crossed the road and followed the path opposite straight up the steep grassy hillside to the edge of the wood. There was a bench by the path here and we sat for a drink with a lovely view over Hackness and up the River Derwent valley.

Path through the woods above Hackness

Looking over Hackness Hall to Lowdales Beck valley

The road between Hackness and Suffield

The path led us to the road at map ref. SE975906. You don't have to go right to the road, there is a path about 30m away from the road and parallel to it. This path brings you to a footpath that crosses the road at map ref. SE976906.

Large sycamore tree by the path

We followed this path southwards up a narrow wooded valley full of wild garlic and other wild flowers. At the top of this valley we passed an old lime kiln at map ref. SE978901.

Path heading south to Suffield Ings farm

Path heading south to Suffield Ings farm

Cuckoo Pint by the path

Approaching Suffield Ings farm

We followed the footpath beyond Suffield Ings and down through some woods.

From the top of the wood we followed a farm track for almost 1km to Suffield Ings farm which seems to have been converted into some rather nice holiday cottages.

Tower in a field near Suffield Ings farm

Bluebells by the path

Heading down the hill to Mowthorpe Farm

There was a pleasant view out to Scarborough down the Sea Cut and across the valley to Raincliffe Woods.

At the bottom edge of the woods we sat on a low bank for our lunch.

Heading down the hill to Mowthorpe Farm

Farm machinery store

Footbridge over a stream next to the Sea Cut

After about 700m we turned right to follow a path down the flood bank and across a small footbridge over a stream. The path joined a farm track at map ref. SE989885, which led us out to the road at map ref. SE992886.

After our lunch we continued down the path to the road at Mowthorpe Farm, map ref. SE980883. We turned left to walk past the farm and over the road bridge across the Sea Cut. We then turned left again off the road to walk along the flood bank beside the Sea Cut.

Path on the flood bank by the Sea Cut

Farm track to the road from the Sea Cut

Path in Raincliffe wood

Path in Raincliffe wood

We continued along this path through two small car parks until we came to a car park at map ref. SE984875 near the road junction.

We crossed the road into Raincliffe Woods and turned onto a path that followed the road at a distance of around 50m into the wood.

Path in Raincliffe wood

Climbing up from the car park near the road junction

The steep path down to the road at the end of our walk

Here we turned right off the path to walk down the side of the steep gully. There is an indistinct path that became more defined as we descended the steep hillside. We came to the road down some slippery stone steps beside a stone water trough where the water from the gully pours out through a hole in the stone wall. This is opposite the entrance to the "Old Man's Mouth" car park where we started our walk. The whole walk had been about 11km and it had taken us a little over four hours to walk including our breaks.

From here we took a track climbing up the hillside through the woods in a southerly direction. There were several forks in the track and we kept to the right hand forks to contour round the hill. The track gradually became a narrow path. Several small gullies cross the path and at one of them is an old metal tank on the right of the path. After another 150m at map ref. SE984873 there is another small gully. This is only about 250m from the last car park but it seemed longer.

Water from the gully pours out through a hole in the stone wall