Walks 11 what’son

Schematic Walks , Skelton map – take OS Explorer OL27 with you Tower and

Walk Information out over 10,000 years ago by great walk along the road away from the torrents of water thundering station and over a cattle grid, just down this once small valley. This beyond which (as the road climbs Distance: 7.25 km (4.5 miles) is known as a “misfit” valley as up) take the path to the right Time: Allow 2 – 3 hours the tiny stream of immediately after the house on Map: OS Explorer Sheet OL27 is obviously too small to have the right (signpost Levisham), Start/Parking: Levisham station created such a vast valley by itself over a stream and through a gate or village. – it had to have had help by into woodland. A clear path leads Refreshments: Horseshoe Inn, melting glaciers. up through woods to reach a gate Levisham that brings you out on the open Terrain: Clear moorland and Threading its way along the floor hillside then head straight uphill, woodland paths and tracks almost of this valley is the North bearing slightly to the right, to all the way, with a number of Moors Railway. This reach a stile next to a gate that steep inclines. historic line was completed in 1836 leads onto a grassy track. Turn Steam Railway: Why not start and between Pickering with , right along the track then almost finish this walk in style aboard a built to provide a stimulus for its immediately head up the wide, steam train on the North flagging whaling and shipbuilding grassy path that branches up to Yorkshire Moors Railway. Trains industries. Designed by George the left slanting up the hillside run daily until the end of October. Stephenson, the Father of the (signpost ‘Village’). The path Check train times before you set Railways, this was one of the first gradually climbs up across the out: nymr.co.uk Fares apply. passenger railways in the world, hillside for 0.5km (superb views Alternatively, you can start this although the carriages were across Newton Dale to your right) walk from Levisham village. initially horse-drawn. George then levels out (beside a bench) How to get there: From the A169 Hudson, the Railway King bought and bends round to the left into between Whitby and Pickering, the line in 1845 and set about the side-valley of Keldgate Slack). turn off through then upgrading it for locomotive use. At the head of this side-valley turn head down and up a steep road He built new bridges, tunnels, right along a narrow path that into Levisham (SE 833 905). stations and connected the railway traverses this valley up to a wall Caution: Some of the paths are with the main Scarborough to stile. Cross the stile then turn left quite steep. York line. Following the Beeching alongside the wall on your left Report, the section between across two large fields to join a Points of interest Grosmont and Pickering was road, which you follow straight on controversially closed in 1965, into Levisham. There is no doubt about it, this is a although the Esk Valley line from Side Brow). A clear track slants bearing slightly right along the beautiful walk. In fact, I would go Middlesbrough to Whitby As you emerge onto the village down this bank to the right then sloping edge of the escarpment as far as to say that the view from remained open thanks to 2green in the centre of levels out and heads across a shelf (heading towards the arrow- Skelton Tower across the dramatic concerted local campaigning. The Levisham, turn left along the road of moorland to reach Skelton straight railway line and Newton Newton Dale is one of the finest Moors Railway and follow it passing immediately Tower (ruin) overlooking Newton Dale in the distance) for a further anywhere, and the Horseshoe at Preservation Society was formed to the left of the Horseshoe Inn Dale. 200 metres (waymarker posts) Levisham is one of my favourite in 1967 and subsequently bought towards Levisham Station. Follow then, as you approach some pubs. All of which combines to back the line from British the road out of Levisham for 0.5 As you reach Skelton Tower, woodland, follow the path curving create a great walk. Railways, reopening it fully to the km then, where it turns sharp left 3turn left back on yourself to the left across the flat moorland public in 1973 as a preserved steam towards Levisham Station, slightly following the rim of the (away from Newton Dale) for 600 The village of Levisham was first railway. The evocative sound of continue straight on along the wooded escarpment on your right. metres to join an unfenced road settled by a Saxon farmer called the steam engine’s whistle echoing lane (Braygate Lane). Follow this Follow the narrow path straight just down from a hair-pin bend. Leofgeat over a thousand years down Newton Dale as well as the lane straight on for 0.75 km (lane on across the flat moorland, with Turn right along this road and ago, Levisham has retained its rhythmic chuff-chuff from its becomes a rough track) to reach a the rim of the escarpment on your follow it quite steeply down back medieval layout with houses funnel are some of the highlights gate at the end of the enclosed right, for 300 metres to join a wall to Levisham Station. clustered around a central green. of this walk. It is always a joy to track, with the open moorland of on your right (and Yorfalls Wood). From Levisham, a lane and then a sit at Skelton Tower waiting for a Levisham Moor ahead (signpost Continue straight on along the Mark Reid track leads across Levisham Moor steam train far below, or even ). Head through the narrow path (waymarker Author of The Inn Way to reach Skelton Tower, which better, wait at Levisham Station gate and follow the grassy track Levisham Station Walk) alongside guidebooks stands sentinel on a promontory for a closer look at the powerful straight on across heather this wall and woodland for 800 www.innway.co.uk of land overlooking Newton Dale. engines, all powered by fire, water moorland keeping close to the metres then, just before the end of This tower was built in 1850 by and steam. stone wall on your left (signpost the wall and woodland, carry Robert Skelton, Rector of ‘Bridleway’) then, where this wall straight on along the narrow path Levisham as a folly where he bends away to the left after 0.5 km, (ignore the bridlegate in the wall Unique corporate activity days, could clear his mind and write Walk continue straight on along this to your right). The path now leads navigation skills and team building sermons. Newton Dale is the finest From Levisham Station (with track over open moorland to reach straight on, leaving the wall and experiences in the Great Outdoors. example of a glacial meltwater 1 your back to the level crossing the crest of a steep bank (West woodland behind, very gently teamwalking.co.uk channel in this country, scoured and the signal box on your right), Countrydiary Birdwatch

OW that evenings are drawing in, influence. These are particularly long and ORE evidence is emerging about The remaining 13 pairs fledged 22 young. the lights are going on a little earlier well developed in a crane-fly, making them the impact on our breeding birds That compared with 12 pairs and 24 young N every week and are attracting very easy to see. The value of these Mof the wettest spring and summer in 2011 after a very hard winter when it insects into houses through open windows stabilisers is best displayed in the fast- since records began. Data from the RSPB was thought that many kites were in poor – just when the “daddy-longlegs” season is flying hoverflies, where they allow the suggests that among garden species condition. Hopes were high that after the upon us. insect to maintain a perfectly stationary Blackbirds and Robins had poor breeding comparatively mild winter of 2011-2012 When a “daddy longlegs”, or crane-fly as hover, despite the furious beating of its success and Song Thrushes suffered worst they would do better. it’s more formally known, enters a room wings. of all with a 27 per cent drop in fledged All breeding attempts were again in the and settles on a wall it’s worth taking a Crane-flies’ other notable characteristic is young compared with last year. Wet and core area of the Derwent Valley and close look because these insects clearly their tendency to shed legs very easily. As cold weather made it harder for adults to adjacent areas of Durham. Apart from reveal one of the features that allows flies autumn progresses many end up with less find food and extra time spend in pairs around Derwent Reservoir- with only one pair of wings to maintain than their full complement of six, but searching left chicks vulnerable to Muggleswick and Hamsterley Forest, level flight. When insects flap a single pair maybe there is some advantage in chilling and predation. there was no real evidence of kites of wings there should be a tendency for shedding legs so readily. Crane-flies lay Larger more spectacular species also had colonising new areas. Unlike most large their owner’s body to move their eggs near the roots of grasses, so fly a poor year. I reported recently how some raptors, kites are gregarious and seem upwards on the wing low over pastures that are often festooned Peregrines failed when floodwater reluctant to move until forced out by a downstroke, and vice versa. with spiders’ webs. Perhaps the ability to cascaded down on cliff ledges and washed lack of suitable breeding sites which But they maintain level flight shed a snared leg or two as a away eggs or small young. Now, a new presumably has yet to occur in our local thanks to a pair of club-shaped last resort allows many report reveals that Red Kites also had a population. Wandering, presumably appendages called halteres individuals to escape capture, disappointing year. In warm and sunny non-breeding birds were also seen during that are located behind the survive a little longer and lay more March, a record total of 26 pairs the season at Darlington and Hetton wings and beat in eggs – if they don’t fall victim to the last of established territories and 18 pairs went Bogs and in western areas at opposition the swallows that skim low over the fields on to lay eggs. Friends of Red Kites Bollihope, Romaldkirk, St Johns Chapel to the wing’s and feed on crane-flies, to fuel their long (FoRK), which monitors the population, and Tunstall Reservoir. direction of movement, southwards migration. says that during wet April and May five counterbalancing their nests failed with eggs or small young. Phil Gates Ian Kerr