Newton-on-Rawcliffe

12:18pm Saturday 5th January 2008

Newton-on-Rawcliffe was indeed raw, the village pond muddy, the ducks sheltering in the rushes, the Mucky Duck closed till lunchtime. A filthy sheepdog posed on a garden wall, a group of female walkers set off for a hike across the North York Moors to Goathland, and we took a track past the messiest cattle shed. Then things improved.

A sunken path led down Newton Banks greening with moss, there was a glimpse of Skelton Tower, our target, a beck to step over and then Stony Moor that is pleasant. This moor is semi-scrubland with bilberry, heather, rush and rocks, some pines and many silver birch saplings. All the little birds were at a feeding station by an isolated cottage. Woodland anthills were damp, red and pink oak leaves made a vivid carpet.

In Rain Dale I took a detour to look up some old acquaintances. As I approached their cottage I worried for their wellbeing, indeed their survival, as there were pheasants about and they or rather the gamekeepers boded ill. But there they were, just as ten years back, a dozen or more snuggled around some old farm machinery. There was a difference, there had been an infiltration, a decade ago all the cats were black and white, now there were other colours. No rat would stand a chance.

I was much cheered for a while, three BMW off road motorcycles chugged by, then a shooting party rumbled up and we hurried on.

Now we had reached the bottom of Newton Dale's valley and the track of the North York Moors Railway. A wait, a hoot and a steam train, but pushing some tender or whatever so not with the prettiest face.

Soon after that there was the climb up the other side of Newton Dale, up through the claggy clay to shale and sandstone to a large plateau of heather. At one end stood Skelton Tower in silhouette.

It was a shooting lodge and now is a super sandwich spot. Its remnants of walls gave shelter from the winds and a bird's eye view down the dale. Imagine Newton Dale carved out by ice age meltwater. Another train snaked its way. Weirdly the steam from the locos was caught in a curve of the slopes and lingered thick and eddying for a long time.

We walked the open access heather plateau, note that the National Park owns this so dogs are legal. Then we dropped to Levisham Station, cheerful with railway stuff. The tea-shed opens sometimes and here supped another group of female walkers - the hills are alive to the sound of women.

The last climb out of Newton Dale made us yet muddier, no complaints though, a good walk, and these days well waymarked by the National Park.

Directions

When in doubt look at the map. Check your position at each point. Keep straight on unless otherwise directed.

1 North through village, track on right before bend (fingerpost Cropton 6 miles), ignore an immediate right. Gate (waymark), downhill, ford beck, ten yards, ignore a left fork by beck, path through scrub.

2 Fieldgate by house (waymark), path through trees, straight on at 4-way junction (fingerpost), snickelgate and downhill through wood.

3 Right to forest road/track through Rain Dale.

4 Right at junction, 50 yards, near houses to right, left to carefully cross North York Moors Railway Line gated either side, 50 yards uphill.

5 Left at junction in wood to grassy path (waymarked post, horse trail sign).

6 Fieldgate after scrub/wood, 200 yards uphill, path on right before old wall (waymark post) and uphill, path joins fence/wall.

7 Left at top of hill on moor to path a few hundred yards to Tower. Retrace steps then keep near wall to your right then top edge of hillside. Mostly good paths.

8 As you near Levisham Station, path kinks left towards trees for 100 yards then right to bankside path downhill above road, drops through trees, right to road, gate/cattlegrid.

9 Cross North York Moors Railway Line with care, 50 yards on forest road, gated footbridge into field (waymark), uphill, becomes sunken path and ignore a left fork. At edge of trees, 11 o'clock uphill on slightly sunken grass path for 200 yards, ignore first waymarked stile on left, steps to stile/fieldgate (waymark) to sunken path uphill in wood. Right at top of hill, 25 yards, fenced path on left (fingerpost) and into village by Mucky Duck pub.

Fact file

Distance: Five miles.

General Location: North York Moors.

Start: Newton-on-Rawcliffe.

Right of Way: Public and Open Access.

Map: Drawn from OS Explorer OL27 North York Moors eastern area.

Dogs: Legal.

Date walked: December 2007.

Road Route: North through Pickering passing railway station, five miles.

Car Parking: Roadside in Newton-on-Rawcliffe.

Lavatories: Levisham Station.

Refreshments: The Mucky Duck at Newton-on-Rawcliffe and seasonal tea shed at Levisham Station.

Tourist & Public Transport Information: Pickering TIC 01751 473791.

Terrain: Valleys and moors.

Points of interest: Steam trains.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Please observe the Country Code and park sensibly. While every effort is made to provide accurate information, walkers set out at their own risk.

Map of the walk>>

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