Friday 6th May 2005
Weather: Sunny & pleasant
Littlebeck - Falling Foss - May Beck - John Cross
( 7 miles )
. 
Today's walk starts
at the picturesque hamlet of Littlebeck (Grid. Ref. 880 049), 6 miles south of Whitby.
( Park near the village hall )
Go downhill then turn left at the above footpath sign to go through the gate and follow the woodland path keeping left of the beck
. 
.
The path can be
quite muddy and very slippery after rain
- follow it for about a mile, steadily climbing until reaching a
huge, hollowed-out boulder (GR 886 041)
It's called 'The
Hermitage' and is thought to have been hewn out of a single rock
in 1790 (inscribed above the doorway)
reputedly by a George Chubb whose initials are also carved above
the door.
. 
Climb on top of the
boulder to find two ' wishing chairs' also carved out of the rock
- it is said that if you make a
wish in one you must then sit in the other to make the wish come
true.
. 
Ignore a path down
to the right and continue ahead and gently uphill past The
Hermitage until the path forks
- follow the Coast to Coast path down to the right . . .
.
. 
. . . at this time of year the woodland floor is carpeted with spring flowers.
. 
As you descend the path you'll hear it, before you see it, a very pretty waterfall - Falling Foss (approx 30 feet high).
Falling Foss is
partially hidden by foliage but can be quite spectacular after
heavy rainfall -
to get a better view you need to be almost a mountaineer to
scramble very carefully down a steep slope.
Just past Falling Foss is the currently derelict building of Midge Hall, a former keeper's cottage, then a museum.
(On the day of the
walk the building was 'For Sale' - the shaded woodland setting is
superb
though quite a bit of DIY will be required - I hope next time I
pass it's been restored to its former glory!)
Continue ahead past Midge Hall and cross the beck via a wooden footbridge . . .
. 
. . . then 50 yards further on go across a stone road bridge, then turn right to follow the stream on the other side.
On a day like today this is a lovely woodland walk - continue ahead with the main stream on your right . . .
. 
. . . parts of the path are stepped amongst the tangled tree roots.
At Grid Ref 893 024
you arrive at the popular picnic and beauty spot of May Beck,
accessible via a narrow minor road which leads to the nearby car
park
On a fine summer's day you'll find it crowded here with visitors - though is there any wonder?
Continue the walk ahead, crossing the road and keeping to the left of the left-hand stream (Blea Hill Beck) . . .
. 
. . . though further upstream a series of small stones and slabs criss-cross the beck.
The path is sheltered and very picturesque on this part of the walk.
About a mile beyond May Beck picnic spot the path approaches an old sheepfold . . .
. . . on the OS map it's referred to as John Bond's Sheep House
John Bond was a
local shepherd - the stone-walled enclosures were used for
sorting sheep at shearing times
and for collecting the flock prior to bringing the sheep down
from the moor to the farm.
. 
Just past the sheep
house cross a small wooden footbridge (seen above left - looking
back)
then follow the path to the left along the eastern edge of the
forest (Newton House Plantation).
At Grid Ref 898 016 cross a stile to the right onto a moorland track and follow this in a roughly northerly direction.
. 
At Grid Ref 901 021
the path reaches Cross Dyke running west to east on Sneaton Low
Moor
Near here, a few yards to the left of the path, half-hidden
amongst the deep heather are a couple of standing stones
- the larger one is known as Old Wife's Neck for obvious reasons!
Continue along the
track (Old Robin Hood's Bay Road) in a north-easterly direction
for another ½ a mile to the signpost (above)
- from here is an excellent view of the North Sea at Robin Hood's
Bay and Brow Moor to the right near Ravenscar
. 
At the signpost
take the track to the left, walking in a westerly direction
- soon, near a gate, you come to the remains of John Cross where the track joins the Old Salt or Fish
Road from Saltersgate.
"Cemented into
the socket is a two foot four inch broken boundary marker with
'C' inscribed on the south face
which marked the boundary of the Cholmley Estate. The initial 'C'
refers to George Cholmley Esq., of Whitby Abbey,
his ancestor Sir Richard Cholmley the first Lord of Whitby was a
descendent of Hugh Cholmondeley
whose family can be traced at least as far back as the Norman
Conquest.
It is thought that the cross probably received its name from John
de Steyngrave,
who was Abbot of Whitby from 1245 until 1258."
('An Illustrated Guide to the Crosses on the North Yorkshire Moors' - Elizabeth Ogilvie & Audrey Sleightholme)
. 
From John Cross go
through the wooden gate and follow the farm track across the
field
- it bears right and eventually reaches a surfaced road (the
access road to May Beck picnic area) near some farm buildings.
Turn left down the
road then on a bend look for a public footpath sign to the right
- cross the stile and follow the path down to a footbridge and go
across the beck and uphill to the left.
. 
Follow the path and climb over a dry-stone wall stile into a wood - continue through the wood then along the top edge . . .
. . . with occasional panoramic views west across May Beck valley towards Newton House Plantation . . .
. . . and Sneaton High Moor
. 
At this time of year it's nice to see the young lambs playing - summer's almost here!
Continue to head north, with the field walls on your left passing Newton Farm - the path eventually reaches a surfaced road.
Turn left and walk
down the road which leads back to Littlebeck and the starting
point of the walk
- the road is very steep in parts and you'll be glad you're going
downhill!
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