Langdale End is a tiny village deep in the countryside not far from Scarborough. The landscape is quite energetic, you'll delve into four valleys small to medium, climb perky hills and will need to keep an eye on the map. That said, it's delightful and interesting.

In a season super lush we disturbed a colony of snails on the first stile and dropped into the scented woods, the ash and oak, the ferns and foxgloves, with Black Beck clear.

The first climb, through blue vetch and brown butterflies brought us to half a dozen wooden houses.

A stone track led to valley number two, a larger one. We had sandwiches, watched processional sheep, and moved on. Mists condensed in the still air and blurred the vigorous shapes and almost made soft rain.

A herd of cows lined up and watched us; a farmyard was full of battered beasts of the 4x4 variety, owned by a firm that hires them out for fun in nearby Dalby Forest.

From said farm our route descends on pasture to a beck, and for the hundred yards you'd never guess that you're on a 'public highway Ratione Tenurae', that is a 'public highway maintainable at private expense by reason of tenure'. You might be irritated by barbed wire.

But then there was a lovely track of a thousand orchids to a house set in a riot of opium poppies.

By now the intimate and juxtaposed valleys, the twists and turns and the dense steaming woods set the scene for potential disorientation.

However the next climb through forest opened out to a reassuring viewpoint, albeit one enjoyed by a dozen caravans.

After that there was half a mile on the flat. A bull with Schwarzenegger shoulders gave us the look and St Swithin's Day rain pattered the leaves.

The descent is pleasant and finishes at an old stone bridge over a beck. Yards away, this beck joins the young River Derwent.

Directions:

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

Road through village, pass pub, then Methodist chapel, out of village (mostly verge). At junction (signed Birch Hall), stile on left, 50 yards downhill, stile into wood, path for 100 yards, left-hand bend, ten yards, path on right by large holly angling downhill to right. T-junction at bottom, left, 25 yards, footbridge, stile and straight uphill through field, stile to left of telegraph pole.

Left to road, track on right after last garden (signed). At first bend, track on right, 25 yards, second of two fieldgates on left (waymark), field-edge path, fieldgate, straight down to stile (waymark).

Footbridge over beck, stile, uphill to gate (waymark), 11 o'clock for 100 yards to stile on left by old shed (waymark).

Contour along side of valley until Bickley Rigg Farm at direction No 6. That is, straight across field footbridge and stile to left of gorse, pass cottage and keep up by fence to right.

Stile by broken gateway on right (waymark on post on ground) and gently uphill towards farm (fence to left), 150 yards, stile on left, cross field, stile, stile near farm by metal fieldgate.

No waymarks until direction No 8. In pasture below Bickley Rigg Farm house/garden, turn down field (no obvious path), then cut back left downhill towards bottom corner. Wire fence into next field, 50 yards to stream where it's bridged by stone slabs, ten yards to wire fence, track uphill for 20 yards into woods.

Left and immediately track forks, take the right-hand fork gently uphill. Pass 'Danger Overhead Cables' sign, 50 yards, track curves up and right, through Deepdale Farm yard, fieldgate, stay on track.

Left at junction by houses to track downhill, beck, uphill, merge with track from right, 50 yards, path on right angles uphill (waymarked post). At first junction, left uphill (waymarked post).

At top of hill, straight across tracks junction, cross track and join path through tall conifers, gate, cross field, join track. Just before house, fieldgate on left to track which becomes grassy, keep fences to right (two fieldgates, waymarks).

Gate on right into wood and immediately left to path (waymark), 50 yards, ignore left fork and follow waymark, straight over at tracks crossroads (field to right, waymarked post), path gently descends through heather, birch, short open slope for 50 yards, cross track (waymarked post) to stay on track downhill.

Gate/fieldgate and immediately left to field edge (diversion signs, margin overgrown), 100 yards, single-plank footbridge over stream to stile in field corner, two o'clock downhill to stile by elder tree, path at ten o'clock down hillside through bracken, stile behind thorn trees to left of two old gates (waymark), straight on (wire fence to right), arched stone bridge on right, through field and yard (fieldgates) and left to road (narrow verge).

Fact file:

Distance: Four and a half miles.

Time: Three hours.

General location: North York Moors, near Scarborough.

Start: Langdale End village, Grid Reference SE 940 915.

Right of way: The complete route is along public rights of way and in open access areas.

Date walked: Thursday July 15, 2004.

Road route: From East Ayton on the A170, north on road signed 'Forge Valley, Hackness 4' then left at Hackness, two miles.

Car parking: Roadside south of and in Langdale End and small free car park.

Lavatories: None.

Refreshments: The Moorcock Inn at Langdale End 01723 882268.

Tourist and public transport information: Scarborough TIC 01723 373333.

Map: Based on OS Explorer OL27 North York Moors eastern area.

Terrain: Small hills and valleys.

Points of interest: Ratione Tenurae information from Land Charges at North Yorkshire County Council.

Difficulty: Intricate navigation, two barbed wire fences (one is avoidable). Mostly well waymarked.

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

Click here to view a map of the walk

Updated: 16:29 Friday, July 30, 2004