Chop Gate

12:15pm Saturday 2nd February 2008

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CHOP Gate, pronounced locally "Chop Yat", has a very unusual name that is said to be derived from the old English words meaning peddler' and road'.

This scattered village lies at the head of Bilsdale encircled by the Cleveland Hills. Our route heads up on to Nab End Moor, which forms part of a vast swathe of heather moorland that separates Bilsdale from neighbouring Bransdale.

Nab End Moor narrows to form a finger of moorland known as Nab Ridge, with the deep cleft of Tripsdale falling away to your left.

At the end of this ridge is a conspicuous stone-built cairn, possibly prehistoric in origin, that stands sentinel high above Bilsdale with a superb view down the length of the valley. Just below this cairn is a ring of prehistoric standing stones. These are the Bride Stones, a circle of around 30 stones, some standing and some fallen, that once encircled a Bronze Age burial mound.

These stones, like many others throughout the North York Moors, are named after the ancient Celtic goddess of fertility and fire called Brigid, also known as Brig or Brid.

She was the worshipped by the Brigantes, an alliance of native Celtic tribes spread across northern England, who collectively were the most powerful of the Celtic tribes at the time of the Roman invasion of Britain in 43AD.

Directions

1 From Chop Gate village hall, head back to the main road and turn right along the road over the bridge across the River Seph then, after 150 yards, take the stile to the left immediately after the driveway towards Esp House (signpost). After the stile, head diagonally to the right up across the middle of the field to a stile in the top right corner that leads on to a track. Turn left along this track up to reach William Beck Farm.

2 As you reach the farmyard, follow the track to the right passing in front of the farmhouse and through a gate to its right-hand side, after which turn right along the rough enclosed track (signpost) that quickly leads to a gate. After the gate, follow the walled track bending gently round to the left, then heading up the hillside to soon reach a gate at the end of the walled track. After the gate head straight up the hillside to quickly reach another gate in the wall along the bottom edge Nab End Moor. Head through the gate and walk straight on along a narrow path heading up across the moorland alongside a small stream/hollow-way on your right for just over 0.25 miles to reach another gate in a wall, just beyond which you join a shooters' track across the top of Nab End Moor.

3 Turn right along this moorland track and follow it for 0.75 miles heading across Nab Ridge, with Tripsdale to your left and Bilsdale across to your right, to reach a stone-built cairn at the end of the moorland ridge (track begins to drop down), with the Bride Stones just below this cairn. At the cairn, carry straight on along the track gradually dropping down across the hillside then, as you approach the bottom of this moorland, the track becomes a narrow path which you follow straight on passing to the left-side of a wall corner to quickly reach a gate/stile tucked away in the bottom corner of the moorland.

4 After the gate, head straight down alongside the wall on your left to quickly reach a plantation on your left and the brow of a steep bank, where you follow the path steeply down to reach a track across your path after 100 yards where you turn left into the plantation. Follow the path through the forest, which soon emerges out to the right into a field of saplings where you head left to quickly reach the top of a grassy hollow-way. Follow this hollow-way down the hillside for 50 yards then, where the hollow-way opens out slightly, turn sharp right down another hollow-way to soon reach a gate in a wall (waymarker). Head through the gate and follow the path straight on alongside the stream/woodland on your left gently rising up then curving round to the left over the stream and passing an old gatepost, after which follow the path down (wall still on your left) to reach a barn. Carry straight on to reach a stile over a fence beside a wall at the bottom edge of a coniferous plantation. After the stile, head straight on alongside the wall on your left along the bottom of the small plantation then across open ground before heading along the bottom of another plantation to reach a gate in the corner at the end of this second plantation. Turn left through the field gate (ignore the bridlegate ahead) and head down across two fields (wall on your left) to reach the B1257 (stile hidden in the field corner).

5 Cross the road (take care) and cross the ladder-stile opposite to the left (signpost) then head down alongside the wall on your left to reach a stile in the bottom left field corner, after which carry straight on along an overgrown tumbledown wall to reach a solitary stone gatepost where you head to the right along a rough track to reach a footbridge across the River Seph. Cross the footbridge and follow the grassy track ahead keeping close to the field boundary on your left gently rising up to reach a wooden gate to your left at the top of this field, after which walk up alongside the fence/hedge on your right and follow this bending to the right to reach a gate that leads into the farmyard of High Crookleith Farm.

6 After this gate, turn immediately right through another gate and head down passing a large effluent pool on your left (give this a wide berth!) then straight down across the middle of the field to reach a footbridge across Hollow Bottom Beck hidden amongst trees at the bottom of the field. After this footbridge turn left along the track over a cattle grid just after which turn right (signpost) up along the track towards Low Crookleith Farm. Where the track bends left as you approach the farmhouse, head straight on for a few paces alongside the fence on your right to quickly reach a gate to your right just before the garden wall. Head through this gate and walk straight on alongside the hedge on your left passing a metal gate then on to reach two wooden gates (where the hedge curves right). Head through the left-hand gate and follow the hedge on your right heading up to reach a stile beside a gate at the top of the field, after which head straight on to reach Orterley Farm.

7 Walk into the farmyard to reach a T-junction' of tracks in the middle of the farmyard (farmhouse just ahead) where you head left then round to the right skirting around the farmhouse then, as you reach the small stable by the four drinking troughs, turn left through a wooden gate out of the farmyard. After this gate turn immediately right along a rough track and follow this to reach a gate across the track just after a derelict cottage (waymarker). Head through the gate and follow the track straight on alongside a fence on your right, gently rising up to reach a gate at the top of the field (derelict barn ahead). After this gate, carry straight on with the fence on your right to quickly reach a gate in a wall to your right. Head through this gate then turn left across the top of the field keeping close to the wall on your left passing the derelict barn. Just after this barn, the path becomes a grassy track which you follow straight on along the top of the field then down along a sunken track that leads to a bridlegate at the top of a small wooded ravine. After the bridlegate, head straight on for a few paces then turn right along a clear path alongside the wooded ravine on your right at first then down along an overgrown grassy hollow-way to join a track at the bottom of the field which you follow to the right back down to the car park.

Fact file

Distance: 5 miles. Time: 2 hours.

Maps: OS Explorer Sheet OL26 North York Moors Western Area.

Parking: Car park at Chop Gate Village Hall.

Toilets: Chop Gate car park.

Refreshments: The Buck Inn at Chop Gate. No facilities en route.

Terrain: Field paths, farm tracks and moorland paths lead up onto Nab End Moor, with a fairly steep climb onto the moor. A shooters' track is then followed across this moorland to reach the Bride Stones from where the track drops back down into Bilsdale. Field and woodland paths lead back to Chop Gate, with a number of muddy sections.

How to get there: Chop Gate lies on the B1257 between Stokesley and Helmsley.

Open access: This walk follows a shooters' track across Nab End Moor which crosses Open Access Land. See local signs for information or visit www.openaccess.gov.uk

Please note: This walk involves some steep sections to and from Nab End Moor. After the recent heavy rain, small streams may be difficult to cross and many paths will be boggy underfoot. Never try to cross a swollen stream or river - if in doubt, turn back. Take care crossing the B1257.

Map of the walk>>