The Grey Panthers

A delightful walk, especially in good weather and in the Summer.
The walk starts in Pickering, where time can be taken to visit the Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul with its Mediaeval wall paintings or the Beck isle Museum.
From Pickering the walk heads Northwards close to the North York Moors Railway track, with opportunities to see the trains using the line.
The route crosses woodland and farmland before coming down to Thornton-le-Dale, which is a very popular village with visitors.
The route is fairly straightforward to follow, though a 1 : 25000 OS map is very useful for following field patterns.
There are some ascents and descents, though these should not present to much difficulty.

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 available 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 web site, - just use QUO!!

Park in the long stay car park in Pickering (SE79987 83860). Fee payable.
Head Westwards towards the Parish Church and then onwards to the railway station and the Beck Isle Museum.
Immediately past the Museum take the footpath beside the Pickering Beck that heads Northwards to the level crossing at New Bridge.
(The footpath may have "branches", but as long as you keep roughly parallel to the railway line you will be O.K.)
At New Bridge take the minor road that runs parallel to the railway, and then continue along the farm track. Do not branch to the left when you come to a fork but continue ahead.
At SE823861, there is a footpath crossing of the railway line.
This takes you into Little Park Wood.
Initially head South along a clear footpath. When you reach a forestry track, turn right and after a short distance take the footpath that leaves the track and heads uphill. You need to look out for footpath as it is not completely obvious.
Take the footpath until it emerges out of the woodland at SE822 858.
Now take the footpath that runs in a South South Easterly direction, past farmland, over the A169, past Scalla Moor Plantation into Howl Dale.
In Howl Dale, turn left and follow the track for a short distance. Where there is then a track on the right take this and head uphill.
Where the track emerges from the woodland, follow the farm footpath initially South Eastwards and then Eastwards to meet a farm track.
Turn right and follow the farm track to the minor road. Turn right and follow the road to the junction with the Dalby Forest Drive. (These roads proved to be surprisingly busy, so care is need.)
On a bend in the Dalby Forest Drive, a footpath leads off the road and heads due South through woodland (heading downhill along a farm track).
This footpath takes you to the church at Ellerburn.
From the church, take the footpath beside the Thornton Beck into Thornton-le-Dale.
In Thornton-le-dale, head Westwards along the A170 main road. This road heads uphill as it leaves Thornton-le-Dale. At the brow of this hill, the footpath back to Pickering is on the right.
Head Westwards across arable land (the footpath is clearly waymarked) to Hagg House.
Continue Westwards past Hagg House on the field footpath until you reach the lane that leads into Pickering.