10.4 miles
Explorer Map OL26, - North York Moors (Western Area)
A delightful walk at the Southern edge of the North York Moors
National Park that takes in the very well known villages of Appleton-le-Moors,
Lastingham, and Hutton-le-Hole.
The walk starts in the market town of Kirkbymoorside, which can
be a busy place.
For the most part the route is easy to follow, with plenty of
sign posts and footpaths.
There are no especially steep gradients. The route follows field
footpaths and country lanes, though there is some road walking.
For a Memory Map overlay of the walk described, please select the
above link.
(Overlay made with Version 5 of Memory
Map)
Some new mapping software is now availabe which you may want to try, - QUO mapping. You can download the software for free from the link below, complete with demonstration maps. Having installed QUO, you can import and export Memory Map overlays. Thus YOU DON'T NEED Memory Map to use any of the overlays provided on the Grey Panthers website, - just use QUO!!
Start Point : The long stay car park in Kirkbymoorside
(fee to pay), - SE69568 86619.
Head South down the High Street then turn left at Howe End along Old
Road. Turn left along Swineherd Lane. Continue to the footpath on
your right that takes you across meadows to Keldholme.
Cross Keldholme Bridge and turn left on the road (which can be busy).
Almost immediately, there is a footpath on your right which crosses
farmland to arrive at Spaunton Quarry. Make sure that you follow the
footpath signs and the map.
At Spaunton Quarry the path continues to be signposted, though the
path up a bank and then through some trees needs to be watched out
for.
Once out of the trees on the other side of Spaunton Quarry, you cross
a field to arrive at the point where the Ings Balk track (a country
lane) meets the road to Appleton-le-Moors. Here there is a memorial
to Catherine McDougall.
Head North up the Ings Balk track until you come to the South Ings
Lane on your right.
Continue along this lane to Appleton-le-Moors.
Turn left along the road and then take the minor road on your right
(Hamley Lane). Continue along this country road, now Howldale Lane
until at a slight bend in the road, just past the woodland, there
is a footpath to Lastingham.
Follow this field footpath into Lastingham.
Continue past the village Green and St. Mary's Church. On your right
is a track up to Camomile Farm.
Past the farm, turn left and follow the field footpath to where it
meets the road at St. Mary's Well.
Turn right and follow the road until (South of Bainwood Head Farm)
there is a footpath to Hutton-le-Hole.
In Hutton-le-Hole follow the road South to Oxclose Lane.
Continue along this lane until you come to the field footpath (somewhat
obscured by vegetation) at SE709 890.
Take this footpath down to the Hutton-le-Hole - Keldholme Road. Fololow
the road South for a couple of hundred yards until you come to the
track signposted to Douthwaite Dale.
Follow this track all the way past the footbridge over the River Dove
and past Ravenswick Farm to the Back of Parks Road.
Here turn left then almost immediately take the footpath on your right
which returns you to Kirkbymoorside.