THURSDAY, JULY 6, 2017 The Northern Echo 35 Walks what’son

Hawnby Hill. Follow the clear path At the track, follow the clear straight on across the broad ridge 4sunken path ahead bearing up Hawnby of Hawnby Hill, passing a cairn to the right across the boulder- Walks (ridge gradually narrows) and then strewn bank to soon reach a gate an old wall to eventually reach a in a wall at the top of the low bank pronounced ‘dip’ across the narrow (Easterside Hill ahead). Head Hill & ridge after 750 metres, and about through the gate then follow the 100 metres before the northern end narrow path straight on across the Walk information of Hawnby Hill. heather moorland, bearing very At this ‘dip’ across Hawnby Hill, slightly to the right, for 400 metres Distance: 8 km (5 miles) Easterside 2bear to the right and follow the to join a wall on your right, beside Time: Allow 2 - 3 hours clear path that slants gradually a gate in this wall (Easterside Hill down across the right-hand side of up to your right). Ignore this gate, Map: OS Explorer Sheet OL26 the steep hill to reach a flat shelf of and walk straight on alongside Parking: Small car park behind Hill land below the northern steep ‘nab’ this wall on your right (views of Hawnby village hall, near the of Hawnby Hill and a clear grassy unfold) and follow it as it village shop in ‘lower’ Hawnby. track across your path. Turn left bends round to the right heading Refreshments: Pub, shop and tea along this clear grassy track and across the flanks of Easterside Hill rooms at Hawnby. follow it for 275 metres to reach a through bracken and heather, with fence across your path. Turn right Bilsdale sweeping away to your Terrain:Country roads, clear along the grassy path just before left, then gently drop down (keep tracks, field and moorland paths this fence, and follow it straight close to the wall) to eventually all the way. The climbs to and from on across the rough moorland, reach a path junction and a stile to Hawnby Hill and Easterdaie Hill gradually bearing away from the your right after 1.25 km (signpost), are steep, and there are steep drops fence, for 450 metres to reach an just as you are coming to the end to the side of the path across the top unfenced moorland road beside a of Easterside Hill up to your right. of Hawnby Hill. Some of the paths cattle grid (Moor Gate) just to the Cross the stile then follow the path are overgrown, whilst the moorland through the overlying rock stratas. dome and can now only be found right of a small plantation. up alongside the fence on your paths are rough underfoot. This deep sea gradually became along the southern and western Cross the cattle grid then left then, where this fence bends How to get there: Hawnby can be shallower and rivers from the edges of the . 3immediately turn right along away after a short distance, carry reached via minor roads from the Scandinavian mountains flowed This erosion in the heart of the a stony track (ignore the track straight on along the sunken path B1257 to road. into it forming a vast river delta. North York Moors has exposed climbing steadily up onto the top These rivers brought down sand, the Ravenscar sandstone, through branching off to the right) and Please note: This walk includes of Easterside Hill. mud and silt from the mountains which rivers have cut deeply down follow this down, with a wall some road walking, as well as a As you reach the flat summit, which were then deposited in this into the underlying Lias rocks. The on your right at first, for 500 number of steep inclines, whilst the metres to reach a gate that leads 5follow the path straight on delta to form the sandstones of boundary between the Tabular Hills path across Hawnby Hill is narrow into Sportsman’s Hall Farm. Do across the top of the hill then, as the Ravenscar Group of rocks on and the central sandstone moors with steep drops. NOT head through this gate but you reach the other side, follow the top of the older Liassic shales; can be clearly seen from the top of turn left immediately before it clear path to the left slanting quite Points of interest these sandstone rocks now form Hawnby Hill. the central moorlands. Over time (signpost) and follow the rough steeply down across the hillside a warm shallow sea advanced to The walk path alongside the wall on your (waymarkers) to reach a stile at cover this river delta and countless right (moorland to your left) for the foot of the hill. Cross the stile HE distinctive flat-topped From the car park behind the 150 metres to reach a small gate tiny sea creatures fell to the seabed then head straight on across the hills that shelter Hawnby – 1Village Hall in ‘lower’ Hawnby in the wall to your right. After the field to reach a stile beside a gate Hawnby Hill and Easterside over millions of years to form near the bridge across the River gate, walk straight on across the that leads onto the road opposite THill – form part of the layers of limestone, calcareous Rye, (across the road from the field and through another gate the entrance to Easterside Farm. Tabular Hills, an extensive range grits and clays known as the Oolite village shop), turn right along (Sportsman’s Hall across to your At the road, head through the of predominantly limestone Group of rocks, which today form the road to quickly reach a road right), after which bear left down gate directly opposite just to the hills dissected by countless deep the Tabular and Hambleton Hills. junction where you turn left along across the rough field, over an old right of the entrance driveway to valleys that run along the southern These different groups of rocks – the road towards ‘Osmotherley’ wall/trees then down to reach a Easterside Farm (signpost), then boundary of the North York Moors. Lias, Ravenscar and Oolite – formed climbing quite steeply up to reach large gap in the bottom left corner head diagonally to the right across The views from the top of these thick bands of rocks on top of each a T-junction in ‘upper’ Hawnby of the field, where the broken wall the field to reach a stile hidden hills are extensive, and Hawnby Hill other; however, about 60 million beside the pub on your left. At this on your left comes down to meet away in trees in the far bottom offers a narrow ridge walk, a rarity years ago this landmass was raised T-junction, walk straight on up the an intact wall corner. After the gap corner of the field. Cross the stile on the North York Moors. out of the sea by tectonic action to steps just to the right-hand side of in the wall, head straight down the then walk straight on through The rocks of the North York Moors form a vast domed landform that the bus shelter (phone box to your field (wall on your right) to reach woodland to soon emerge from the are predominantly sedimentary stretched from the Pennines to the right), then follow the track straight a gate that leads into woodland. trees out onto a rough pasture. rocks formed during the Jurassic North Sea. This landmass tilted on rising up between the houses, After the gate, head to the left down Bear left down across the middle period that began over 210 million slightly towards the North Sea and then quite steeply up a tree-shaded through woodland (boggy ground) of the large rough field then, as years ago. The oldest are the Lias rivers soon carved valleys across track to reach a gate beside a to reach a footbridge across Ladhill you approach the bottom of the group of rocks that were formed these hills. It was the powerful dilapidated barn, with an open field Gill. After the footbridge, follow field, head to the left over a small over a 60 million year period when action of these rivers, assisted to ahead. After the gate, bear left up the clear path to the right heading drainage ditch then right down to silts and deposits were laid down a large degree by the effects of ice, across the field to a bridlegate in downstream for 100 metres to on the bed of a deep sea and were which created the Vale of York the top left corner of the steep field reach a gate to your left that leads Mark Reid gradually compressed into thick thus isolating the huge landmass (ignore the stile just down from out onto moorland. After the Walking Weekends 2017 walkingweekenders.co.uk layers of shale with some layers of the North York Moors. Over this). After the gate, follow the path gate, follow the path bearing very of ironstone and sandstone. These time wind, rain and ice have eroded climbing up through the bracken, slightly to the right up across the Unique corporate activity days, rocks underlie the entire North away the top layers of rocks so that then curving right heading straight gently rising moorland for 150 navigation skills and team building York Moors and can be seen along te limestone and calcareous grits up the broad ‘spur’ of Hawnby metres to reach a grassy track experiences in the great outdoors. the coast and valley sides where of the Oolite group of rocks have Hill, through another gate and across your path at the foot of a teamwalking.co.uk the sea and rivers have eroded gone completely from the central up onto the broad grassy top of steeper boulder-strewn bank.

Birdwatch By Ian Kerr

ORE good unseasonable were still present on Tuesday. It passed close at Whitburn and joined them. No doubt many breeding season. I’m afraid I rarities have featured The Slavonian grebe remained at was next seen drifting north off Scottish birders will be on the spoke too soon. In my own area M over the past week which the Farne Islands. It also passed Linton and the drake ruddy duck look-out. the bad weather took its toll. Four also saw periods of exciting sea was again at Bothal Pond. St Abbs Head and then Dunbar Last week’s bad weather broods, totally 19 young, perished passage, but disaster for some of before disappearing in the Firth from cold and starvation when Sea passage, prompted by those was disastrous for our fragile our breeding species. of Forth. Obviously this bird has adults could not catch enough food strong northerly winds and rain population of little terns whose been lingering in the North Sea in the chilly wet conditions. But Rarities included a male which marked the second half colony at Crimdon has already for several weeks, presumably swallows are tough. Within days red-backed shrike, pictured, of last week, included an early suffered badly this season around Cabin Rocks at the spending most of its time out of some bereaved pairs were relining pomarine skua at Whitburn. sight from land. after a dog caused widespread nests and preparing to try again. South Gare, a great white egret Manx shearwaters, little gulls, destruction. At the small colony at Greenabella Marsh, common velvet scoters and hundreds of On the rare occasions they turn on Lindisfarne, several pairs rosefinch at Blackhall Rocks kittiwakes were also on the move. up in the North Sea, albatrosses whose eggs were washed out by and last week’s Sabine’s gull are sometimes attracted to gannet a tidal surge in May, lost second remained at Nosterfield. A All were totally outclassed by colonies. Perhaps that was the clutches as seas again engulfed summer-plumaged white-winged a return of last month’s black case at Bempton. The Forth has black tern at Newton scrape on browed albatross. After being the Bass Rock, the world’s biggest their site. the Northumberland coast and found again off Bempton last colony with 150,000 gannets Last week I commented that an American wader, a pectoral Wednesday, the bird moved present in summer. It would be our swallows, after a slow start, sandpiper, at Druridge Pools, northwards the following day. no great surprise if the albatross seemed to be having a better Let’s hope they have more luck