Sunday 1st July 2001
Weather:
Mainly cloudy but warm
Today's Walk: Sutton Bank - Cold Kirby - Nettle Dale - Whitestone Cliff
( 9 miles )
Today's walk begins and ends at the Sutton Bank National Park Centre (Grid Ref: 516 831)
. 
Leaving the car
park in an easterly direction, cross the Cleave Dyke using the
little wooden footbridge
then turn left on the footpath (signposted Hambleton House),
following the edge of the forest.
Keep to the track until the signpost (above left) where a fallen
tree offers no other option than
to continue following the directions left and through a young
plantation
. 
On meeting a wider track turn left and soon you'll reach the entrance to the racing stables at Hambleton House (above)
Hambleton House has
a special place in the history of British horseracing
- it is the highest training centre in Great Britain and is one
of the oldest.
In 1740 an Act of
Parliament decreed that racing could only take place at
Hambleton, York and Newmarket.
Hambleton ceased to be a racecourse in 1755 but there are still
signs of it if you know where to look - the present occupant,
Les Eyre, still utilisies parts of the old course which boasts
some of the finest natural training gallops in Europe.
In 1997, 'Far Ahead', trained by Les, was a very popular local
winner of the Ebor Handicap at the Knavesmire, York
You will notice from the signposts that you are now on part of the Cleveland Way as you pass to the right of the farm
As you can see from
the above photograph, many of our countryside footpaths are fast
becoming overgrown
through lack of use due to the Foot & Mouth epidemic -
fortunately for us, today's paths are clear
About a mile past Hambleton House we arrive at the pretty stone cottages in the picturesque village of Cold Kirby
Continuing along
the road through Cold Kirby we follow the path down through a
small valley then up the other side
before joining Low Field Lane which leads us straight and gently
downhill towards Nettle Dale . . .
. . . passing
fields of potatoes - reminding me well of the back-breaking days
of ' tatie picking ' in my youth . . .
( 10-bob-a-day, a bucket full of ' taties', and a ride back to
the farm on a tractor and trailer )
Further down the lane the countryside is a joy to behold
The typical English
landscape of the Hambleton Hills has changed greatly over the
years
- there was a gradual decline in drystone walls and hedges as the
tractor replaced the horse and plough
The National Park
is keen to conserve the mosaic of fields and boundaries and works
closely with local farmers
- grants are available to maintain and repair the walls and
hedges to ensure this unique landscape remains special
. 
At the bottom of
the lane we are warned of the danger of adders as we enter the
forested area of Nettle Dale
( by the way, we never saw any sign of them, adders that is,
there were plently of nettles though . . . )
At this point ( Grid Ref: 552 848 ) where recently sheared sheep graze in peace we turn sharp left . . .
. . . and follow the forest track in a north-westerly direction for about a mile
The gradual climb up the track and out of the forest is the only strenuous part of the walk
As we emerge from Nettle Dale, then so does the sun from behind the clouds
Nowadays, the
fields of the Hambleton Hills have cereals and grassland growing
in them
- in the middle ages the scene would have been much different as
the monks from the great abbeys
of nearby Rievaulx and Byland established pastures for their
flocks of sheep
From Nettle Dale we
walk a short distance along a narrow surfaced road before
crossing a stile to our right
and then taking a bridleway across the edge of three fields of
cereal crops before emerging onto another quiet country road,
Wethercote Lane, turning left and following it in a westerly
direction, for about a mile, passing Wethercote Farm
At a T-junction, we turn left for about 200 yards along 'Cleveland Road' then right along another bridleway past disused quarries
As we near the
western escarpment of the Hambleton Hills we look north to
familiar landmarks for Cleveland Way walkers
- on the left between the trees is High Barn and further right,
in the far distance, lies High Paradise Farm
On reaching the
edge of the escarpment we turn left (south) onto the Cleveland
Way path
enjoying wonderful views to the west across the Vale of Mowbray
towards Thirsk and the Pennines
Here we get our first glimpse of Whitestone Cliff and in the distance, Hood Hill
A couple of hundred
yards further on and we get our first glimpse of Gormire Lake
where we enjoyed a lovely walk last September
From the edge of Whitestone Cliff - another view of Gormire Lake
Finally, a little further along, we enjoy the view south to Roulston Scar and Hood Hill
From this point it was only a few hundred yards back to the start of our walk at Sutton Bank Information Centre
back to top of
page
go to Homepage
or to my Archives Page