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Here you can see the report from our latest walk and also some of the pictures that were taken.
Unless otherwise stated, report by Paul Coates and pictures by Keith Bilton.
Thursday 12th. March 2009
Great Edstone, Little Edstone, River Dove, Kirkby Mills, Keldholme Bridge, Spaunton Quarry, South Ings Barn, South Ings Lane, Appleton-Le-Moors, Dogcroft Hill, Bishop Hagg Wood, Sinnington (Fox & Hounds), Lane, Field Paths, Marton, Double Dikes, Quarry, Seven Oaks Farm, Great Edstone (11.5 miles).
Mostly cloudy. Mild in the morning, cool wind in the afternoon.
Our first visit to the North Yorkshire Moors since November 20th last year, spring must be around the corner. We weren't actually on the moors as such, but we could see them in the distance. Part of the route was in the North Yorkshire Moors National Park though so it nearly counts as a walk on the moors.
The area around Great Edstone is new ground for us. We soon found a parking spot in the village and once we'd got ourselves organised we were on our way. As spring approaches (from a distance) Ray was dressed accordingly. Underneath his fleece top his hairy chest was all that protected him from the elements. He did admit to having a t-shirt in his rucksack should the weather turn nasty. Ray Windle, hard man of the hills.
Crossing the River Dove at Keldholme Bridge Paul demonstrated his tenuous knowledge of the local wildlife by stating that the casual observer might spot various species of waterfowl such as Mallard and ordinary ducks! Just what difference there is between a Mallard and an ordinary duck he was unable to adequately explain, not without laughing anyway.
The area around Spaunton Quarry resembles a scene from the Apollo moon landings. An attempt has been made to landscape some of the old quarry workings with patchy grass and spindly trees, but it still looks like the sort of place Neil Armstrong would feel at home in.
We were back on familiar ground once in the Appleton-Le-Moors area. The path between Appleton and Sinnington via Bishop Hagg Wood has been trod many times by the FAC, in both directions. The track between the wood and Appleton village is usually a long steady climb and/or slog so beloved by Ray, allegedly. Today though we were walking it in the opposite direction downhill. Ray didn't appear to be too disappointed though.
We've only been visiting the Fox & Hounds at Sinnington for the last year or three (or four) but they always extend a friendly welcome. Absent Bob likes this pub as he reckons the landlady has more than a passing resemblance to Maggie Thatcher, but then again he used to think that all lollipop ladies looked like Meryl Streep so there's no accounting for taste.
The first thing to greet you as you enter the pub is a truly dreadful tartan carpet. Just which Scottish Clan it represents we couldn't hazard a guess at, but it's a safe bet that they were laughed out of the Highlands at an early date if they had dared to wear such kilts sporting this design, best described as 'vomit & custard'. Still it didn't put us off and we were soon ensconced. Keith was on form as he quaffed his way through 3 pints of IPA. At frequent intervals he delighted in telling Chris just how good his beer was. Chris, being one of today's drivers, had to make do with Coke & ice. He blamed Sherlock for this state of affairs. Sherlock had cried off with a bout of man-flu which meant that Chris became the replacement driver. If Sherlock's ears were burning around lunchtime it certainly wasn't just his flu symptoms.
Pud lover Stu was back with us after missing the last couple of walks. His choice of sweet today was chocolate and walnut and in keeping with tradition he requested just the one spoon. And just to make sure no one sampled any he had Chancellor Craggs sat alongside him acting as bodyguard.
Although the morning had been quite mild a cool wind had sprung up during the afternoon.
There were a number of field headlands to navigate along and with the lack of greenery, plus the cold wind blowing at us, the afternoon became a bit on the bleak side. Some of the paths had been ploughed up so there was much checking of the map and navigating by GPS to keep us on track.
Yet another field headland
Passing through Marton village we were surprised to see an emu grazing in a field, not an everyday sight in North Yorkshire. We also discovered that the pub in Marton opens on a lunchtime. We always like to try new pubs if we can so we made a note of it for a future walk.
Our afternoon grub stop was taken in a windswept field surrounded by mud, manure and polythene covered silage.
In fact we sheltered from the strengthening wind behind these huge bags of silage. We've been in worse places but nobody could think of any at the time. At least it wasn't raining!
The last part of our route was along yet more field paths, described by Chris as 'a bit non-descript'. It was a relief to reach the lane into Great Edstone. It was uphill into the village but as the sun had finally come out no one seemed to notice.
As we got back to the cars a local woman suddenly appeared asking "who had the map?". All fingers pointed at Paul. Had we trespassed over her land, had we parked outside her gate? No, she was just interested in what route we'd taken. Satisfied that we'd kept to official footpaths she returned to digging her garden. Was she burying the last walker who'd passed through here who had inadvertently strayed off route? We didn't wait to find out...............
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