MANY years ago on a dark, winter’s night, a strange object glowed red as it crossed the sky heading for a tiny village on the edge of the North York Moors.
The year is 1957, the village is Silpho. The red glowing object was noticed by three friends as they returned by car from the Mill Inn just a couple of miles away.
As the car approached the steep hill on its way to Silpho, it suddenly stalled. It was then the friends saw an object in the sky emitting a red glow as it descend to earth near Silpho village.
You might think this is a hoax as the facts so far are rather dubious – three men in a car returning from a drinking session at the local pub see a red glow in the sky which they think caused their car to stall. I will let you decide whether it is or not as I continue with this strange tale. The men headed off in the direction of the object. One of them climbed the hillside and found it laying in the grass.
It certainly looked like a flying saucer, and although it was only about 18 inches long, it was very heavy.
He went to fetch his friends to join him. As they walked back towards the object, two suspicious characters passed nearby from the direction of the UFO site.
Strange, two people in an isolated place in the middle of the night. This tale gets more bizarre. However, when the friends arrived at where the first man saw the object, it was gone.
After much publicity about the sighting, others were attracted to the Silpho area to search for evidence, but there was no trace until an anonymous person claimed to own it and was prepared to sell it saying he was the one who found it on the night it landed.
A deal was arranged and the UFO became available for inspection. When it was opened it was found to contain several copper sheets in the form of a scroll on which was engraved words in an unknown language.
Eventually, someone was located who said he could decipher the engraved words. He proclaimed the translated message was that the UFO had come from Mercury and the object was part of a larger spaceship that had deliberately dropped it to earth for us to find.
The mother ship was evidentially on its way to the south of England. This is where the trail goes cold as only one more report has surfaced since which is that it was sold for scrap.
So we will never know the real answer. But remember the three drinking men who found it? I think the answer lies with them.
Your route
Start from the left-hand side Reasty Bank car park when approached from Scarborough, cross the road and walk to the right hand corner of the second car park.
Take the path signed as ‘Moor to Sea’ cycle route near the escarpment edge. This path is multi-user and can be quite muddy at times. The alternative would be to take the road – not very inviting.
The path eventually exits onto a country road. Bear right here to the crossroads. Take the road opposite marked as ‘unsuitable for long vehicles’ which is also signed to Silpho.
At the T-junction, turn right to walk along the roadside to Silpho village.
Continue along into the village, then turn right onto a wide bridleway just before the pond and the pretty 17th century Pond Cottage which was once a longhouse with a byre. Inside the cottage, I am told, there is a witch post.
Continue along the wide track, then bear right whenever the track forks.
Keep on descending, then bear right again at the blue waymark to start a steep descent through a wood.
Enjoy the views into Whisperdales and Lowdales as you descend to a gate. Go through the gate to descend further soon to leave the wood. Turn right on a small path across the field which soon bends left into Lowdales.
Left here to soon cross two footbridges.
Go past the farms at Lowdales, then right at the sign for Highdales onto a country road.
You now start a long gentle climb, and in about a mile, go through a gate and pass a cottage. Just a few paces past the cottage, turn right at the blue waymark. At the bridleway sign, go through a small gate to start a long ascent through the wood to reach Broxa Forest at the top.
It is quite muddy at the start, but it soon becomes a good, dry path. As you ascend, look into beautiful Highdales on your left and its lone farm.
Continue upwards over a crossing of tracks as the trees from the wood become a forest of pines.
Eventually, after a long climb, you reach the top into a clearing, go right here, then at the forest road, go left.
The forest road re-enters the trees again as it veers right, then at a small clearing the road forks, follow the road around to the right here onto a long, straight road.
At the end of this road, at the T-junction, go left, then at the next T-junction, take the small path opposite into the Reasty car park.
The facts
Distance – 6 miles (10km)
Time – 2½ hours
Grading – Moderate
Start/grid ref – Reasty Bank car parks of which there are two, grid ref 965944
Best map – OS Outdoor Leisure 27
Parking – Reasty Bank car park
Refreshments – Occasionally an ice cream van during summer months in the car park
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