Chop Gate

A stone lintel is carved with a horseshoe and dated 1826 and the name Chop Gate means “pedlars’ way”. Before the days of the valley route, tracks favoured the drier ground of the high moors. We took Cold Moor Lane, old certainly, and started our two-mile climb.

We moved deep in a hollow-way, sunken and shaded for a distance and then burst on to Cold Moor into brilliant sunshine and purple heather.

After a while, at about 1,000ft, my navigator said this walk is “psychologically damaging”, a rare complaint. I looked around, Bilsdale seemed fine. Apparently it was the increasing evidence of the steepness of the far side of that valley that concerned her. It was indeed a circuit that was promising more and more work as we notched up the contours. I admired the painted lady butterflies, these successful oranges and red tinted beauties are long distance travellers and an example to us all. Nevertheless, route therapy was called for.

But not yet. Saddles in the hillsides were most uplifting. They hold bowls of views. One showed the rock pillars of the Wainstones, another cooling towers on the Cleveland Plains and another a classy angle on Roseberry Topping. Slightly disconcerting were the heather circles (like crop circles) cut on Cringle Moor, doubtless the work of mystic gamekeepers. At the crossroads near the top of Cold Moor we thought this is terrific, pondered the tracks on offer – north to the Cleveland Way, west into Raisdale and made our choice, east, a drop back into Bilsdale to find a valley crossing.

On the way down we skirted shale heaps from the jet mines that were a major business here during the 19th century and we met many, many pheasants that are a current Bilsdale business. At one little triangle of fencing and stiles, there were a dozen congregated or accidentally trapped and we had to wait a minute or two for them to clatter away.

We crossed the B1257, a favourite motorbike road, and did a little climb, the revised climb, crossed a couple of wooded gills with small becks and came to St Hilda’s, which stands by itself in the pastures and is big and sombre with a graveyard with a view.

The rest of the hamlet of Seave Green is a good looking farm, Bilsdale Hall and a few houses and it almost joins with Chop Gate. I’d hoped to catch the Buck Inn, but we were back too early. So much for therapy.

Fact file

Distance: Five miles.

General location: North York Moors.

Start: Chop Gate.

Right of way: Public, usage routes, and Open Access.

Dogs: Illegal.

Date walked: September, 2009.

Road route: From York via Helmsley or Stokesley. Moorsbus stop.

Car parking: Large free car park.

Lavatories: Car park.

Refreshments: Inn at Chop Gate.

Tourist and public transport information: Great Ayton TIC 01642 722835.

Map: Drawn from OS OL26 North York Moors western.

Terrain: Moor and valley.

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.

Directions

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

1 Left to pavement from car park.

2 First road left (Carlton in Cleveland), 20 yards, track on right (nearby sign), pass chapel. Uphill. Stile by fieldgate (waymark), fieldgate (waymark), gate (waymark), cross track.

3 Fieldgate to moorland path, 150 yards, angles gently away from wall.

4 At tracks crossroads, about 50 yards before ruined boundary wall, turn right, leads downhill.

5 Fieldgate in fence, track, joins wall for 20 yards, track on left 10 o’clock downhill to rejoin public right of way, left to track, 50 yards.

6 Sharp right to track, 20 yards, left downhill between shale heaps and angle right, 50 yards. Gate into pasture (waymark, diversion sign) I o’clock down to small gateway near garden.

7 Right (three-way fingerpost) wall to right. Fieldgate (waymark) bridge and left by gully, 2 stiles (waymark), right and below farm to stile by fieldgate after hen run (waymark) left to drive.

8 Cross main road to stile, 1 o clock, bridge, stream crossing, 1 o’clock uphill to wood corner (waymark). Path should go 1 o’clock over brow of pasture, but blocked by new fence, so follow this to a gate at far end and thru that, or climb wire fence.

9 Stile in fence (waymark) path down to cross stream, stile (waymark), cross field, gate in corner (waymark) and right by wall and fence.

10 Fieldgate and right to road, left at main road and pavement to start.