Hazel Head

1:35pm Saturday 26th April 2008

Comments (0)   Have your say »

HAZEL Head is an out-of-the-way spot on a back road through the North York Moors. The Romans used to march hereabouts. We had parked up on the grass where the Tarmac fords a beck and the land rises steep to three points of the compass.

A woman with her dogs said, "We can't change the weather." I said, "I thought we're trying our best". But soon we hit some light, and a view around to moorland and north east along a valley that in a mile or so sinks to Goathland. There may be a sea view.

Said village was not for us, but the valley was for a couple of miles, the farm lanes, lambs gambolling, sheepdog skulking, cows munching, foxgloves leafing and, near Julian Park Farm, the scything flight of a sparrowhawk through birch trees.

That was pleasant, as too was the larch plantation where wood sorrel freshened the ground.

A steam train chugged unseen and a steep ravine appeared to one side. Into this we descended in part on stone trod flagstones to reach the bottom where West Beck flowed strong and tea coloured.

Or more appropriately beer coloured, because we'd taken a detour to visit the tiny pub at Beck Hole.

Still sober, only half way round, we retraced our steps, straddled Randy Rigg where there are horses and hounds and entered a very sweet, damp valley where birch saplings sprout and old oaks mark out the exit climb.

Luckily sober, we had made the moor, and had a sit down and a pow-wow about what to do next. This was the situation - we were sat by the corner of the last bit of dry-stone wall. Immediately ahead was a boggy bit. And rising from that, the moor we had to cross.

The line of the bridleway was clear on the OS map. Also on the map is marked a curve called Park Dike. We could have followed the dike by right-to-roaming, but it would have soon lead us astray and looked a rough groove, so we decided to try the bridleway, and this would make the route legal for dogs.

Immediately I got a boot full of water. The path kind of petered out for a while, but we reached the flat of the moor. Out came the satellite navigator - bang on route, on the bridleway made invisible by the cycle of heather burning combined with the lack of waymarking. Out came the compass and whoopee, at the far side of the moor, half a mile away, was a lone target tree.

We picked up a stream, probably the bridleway made wet, then with a bit of zigzagging followed a good thin path that took us right to the tree, a pine.

With such a focus we hardy noticed Fylingdales radar station spookily catching the light. A blade of a stone stands on the quiet onetime Roman road back into Hazel Head.

Fact file

Distance: Six miles.

General location: North York Moors.

Start: By Wheeldale Beck GR. SE801992.

Right of way: Public.

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

Dogs: Legal.

Date walked: April, 2008.

Road route: Via Pickering.

Car parking: Free grass area with info board.

Lavatories: None.

Refreshments: Inn at Beck Hole.

Tourist and public transport information: Pickering TIC 01751 473791.

Terrain: Valley and moor.

Points of interest: Park Dike.

Difficulty: Compass walk.

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

Directions

When in doubt look at the map. Check your position at each point.

Keep straight on unless otherwise directed.

1. From footbridge at parking area, right to road and uphill 300 yards, path on right (footpath sign) up to corner of wire fence, then grassy track angling away from fence, stile/fieldgate into field.

2. Left to farm road (fingerpost Goathland), fieldgate.

3. Fieldgate into farmyard and left to dead-end road.

4. Left to road at Julian Park Farm, 100 yards, fieldgate to track on right (sign) that swings left by farmyard, ignore a left fork.

5. Fieldgate (waymark), 25 yards, step stream, 25 yards, and leave main track for grassy track by wall to your left (fingerpost), left at field corner, downhill, stile/fieldgate into wood (waymark), path. Ignore a right 25 yards before stile/fieldgate (waymarked post), out of wood and keep by wire fence on path downhill, step stream, gate into wood.

6. Three yards of fencing on right (broken fingerpost), downhill, sandstone paving, right-hand bend (fingerpost Beck Hole and waymarked post), steps, duckboard, footbridge, 100 yards across grass, fieldgate to track, left to road into Beck Hole. Retrace steps to No 6 where right uphill at fencing, gate out of wood, by fence, 100 yards, gate, path and footbridge, gate and left (fingerpost), uphill by farm, join track uphill.

7. Cross road, fieldgate to path in wood (sign) 200 yards. At corner path angles 50 yards away (waymarked post in bog), then roughly parallel to wall to your right to cross boggy valley to clear path angling up other side under oaks.

8. Fieldgate (waymark) out of trees, cross field, fieldgate (waymark) and left by wall/wire fence. From wall end, path zigzags across bog for 100 yards.

9. Narrow path angles up moorland hillside, passing above two fields.

10. Path fades out, turn right uphill c220 degrees magnetic. Aim for tree on horizon and look out for path. Pass tree, left to road.

Terrington walk

After George's walk at Terrington, in February, the parish council has asked us to say that while the village is always delighted to welcome walkers, they would prefer if visitors parked at the village hall car park, on Mowthorpe Lane, and not on the main street. Also, there are public toilets in the village, at the hall.

Map of the walk>>