THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2014 The Northern Echo 35 Walks what’son upstream). Cross the footbridge, and follow the track to the left heading A journey through Farndale up out of the valley to join a wall corner, where you follow the track Walks bending to the right alongside the wall on your left and follow this on for 100 metres to reach a wall authority of the Church. This meant corner (where the wall on your Walk information that they were denied churchyard Distance: 7.3 km (4.5 miles) left bends sharply in front of you). burials and so they established Bear left through a large gap in this Time: 3 hours their own burial grounds in remote wall corner and follow the clear areas. This burial ground was in Maps: OS Explorer Sheet OL26 path across the rough moorland to use from 1675 until 1854 and 114 ‘North York Moors Western Area’ reach a gate in a wall, after which Quakers are buried here. From the continue straight on heading across Start/Parking: Small gravel Burial Ground, our route heads the middle of the rough heather parking area at Lowna, just down through woodland and alongside the moorland towards the far corner from the Farndale turning along the delightful River Dove before climbing where you head through a narrow Gillamoor to Hutton-le-Hole road. up onto the glorious Harland Moor, belt of pine woodland to reach a gate Grid Ref: SE 685 909 with its blooming heather. Just 50 that leads onto a road. metres from the road just on the Refreshments: None en route. right of the track are the remains Facilities at Gillamoor and Hutton- of a prehistoric cairn with a semi- 5. Turn left along the road and follow le-Hole circle of standing stones, which is it down passing Hope Inn Farm How to get there: From Hutton-le- well worth seeking out. Our route (small postbox) then Sykes House Hole, follow the moorland road out of then drops down to Harland Beck, and then a road turning (‘Dead the village towards Castleton then, where the stream runs orange as End’ sign) then continue along the after 600 metres, take the turning to just upstream of the footbridge is a road down into a ‘dip’ passing the the left towards Gillamoor. Follow powerful chalybeate (iron) spring. entrance to Grays Farm, after which continue along the road gently this down over Lowna Bridge across rising up for 200 metres then, as the River Dove just beyond which is the road begins to steepen (with the parking area on the right (just The walk woodland on your right) take the down from the Farndale turning). 1. From the gravel parking area at bridleway to your left through a gate Terrain: A mixture of woodland and Lowna (Grid Ref: Se 685 909), walk (signpost). After the gate, walk down moorland paths and tracks, some away from the road across the along a narrow and very overgrown on your right). At the track, cross the field alongside the fence/hedge of which are very overgrown with parking area and along the enclosed path (following the line of electricity straight over and follow the narrow on your left to reach the bottom left ferns, and also head through dense grassy track at the far end of the poles), heading up through the valley path straight on up across the corner of the field, where you turn woodland. Rough paths in places, car park. Follow this track straight through bracken and scattered trees moorland to very quickly join a clear right (do not head through the gate) with a fairly steep climb up through on into woodland then down over a (clear but overgrown path) for about stony track across your path. Turn and follow the clear enclosed grassy woodland. A stretch of road walking. ford/footbridge across Harland Beck 400 metres before the path gradually right along this track for 50 metres track straight on through a couple (side-stream). After the footbridge, drops down through woodland to then take the narrow path branching of gates (track soon becomes much Caution: Take care walking along follow the path to the right alongside join the banks of the River Dove on off to the left up across the heather clearer) for 650 metres to reach a the roads. Some of the paths are the stream to quickly reach a path your right, which you follow for 200 moorland (small cairn beside a junction of tracks in woodland, overgrown, muddy and rough junction, where you turn left towards metres to reach Dale End Bridge large birch tree). Follow this clear marked by a signpost (tracks become underfoot and quite steep in places. ‘Quaker Burial Ground’ (Farndale (footbridge) across the river. path slanting up across the heather stony). Follow the clear track Nature Reserve’ sign). Follow this moorland for 175 metres to reach a straight on through woodland for 125 clear wide path straight on through wall corner on your right. Continue metres to emerge from the woods at Points of interest woodland alongside a wall on your 3. Do not cross the footbridge but along the path (wall on your right) an obvious fork in the track. Take right for 150 metres to reach the turn sharp left up the path heading gently rising up (view of Farndale the right-hand clear track and follow THE river that flows through Burial Ground just up to your left. up the steep wooded hillside. You across to your right) to soon reach a this straight on for 450 metres to Farndale is not, as you might expect, soon join a fence on your left, which grassy track, which you follow to the reach Faddell Rigg Farm, where called the River Farn but is the you follow heading up through left to quickly join a road at a grassy you carry on down along the clear River Dove. The reason for these two 2. As you reach the Quaker Burial woodland (wall on your right) to parking area. track for 175 metres to reach the names is due to the first settlers in Ground, continue along the clear emerge into a small clearing and road. Turn left along the road (take this area for ‘farn’ comes from the track with the wall on your right, a grassy track across your path care) and follow it round passing the old Celtic word for ‘alder trees’ as in heading up through the valley of (electricity poles). Cross the stile in 4. Turn right along the road for 75 Farndale turning back down to the prehistoric times much of the valley Farndale. The path soon becomes front of you, and continue along the metres then take the track to the left, parking area. floor would have been swamp, whilst narrower and slightly overgrown narrow path up through woodland marked by a signpost. Follow the ‘dove’ comes from the Celtic word for – continue along this clear path (dense woodland in places), to emerge very clear track straight on across ‘black’ possibly due to the peaty river through woodland and undergrowth from the trees into a small area of the heather moorland of Harland Mark Reid water. keeping close to the wall on your heather and bilberries. Follow the Moor for 875 metres then, just above Walking Weekends 2014 Hidden away in woodland in the right for 400 metres to reach a path up across the heather then, the wooded banks of Harland Beck, Peak District, Yorkshire Dales, heart of Farndale is Lowna Burial kissing-gate across your path, where just before you re-enter the dense follow the track bending down to the Lake District & Snowdonia Ground. The years following the the wall on your right turns sharp woodland you come to an indistinct right to soon reach a gate/ladder walkingweekenders.co.uk English Civil War in the 1640s and right. After the gate, turn sharp fork in the path, where you bear stile in a wall (Harland Beck just 1650s, Quakers were persecuted right (signpost) down alongside the to the right up through the dense to your left). After the gate, walk Unique corporate activity days, straight on for 75 metres then bear and imprisoned as they threatened wall for about 100 metres to reach woodland to soon reach a stile over a navigation skills and team building authority and horrified the a junction of paths just above the fence at the top of the woodland that left down to reach a ford/footbridge across the orange coloured Harland experiences in the great outdoors. Establishment as they refused to wooded banks of the River Dove leads onto a grassy track along the teamwalking.co.uk acknowledge authority, including the (waymarker post). Turn left here foot of heather moorland (old gate Beck (chalybeate spring just Countrydiary By Phil Gates Birdwatch By Ian Kerr URN over any large stone or rotting that protect delicate HE first trickle of autumn rarities The RSPB has used the centenary of log in the countryside and it’s almost wings that are tightly has excited birders with the prospect the death of the last American passenger T certain that a beetle will scurry out. T folded inside. Perhaps of more now we are into September. pigeon, once the most numerous birds These little armoured insects, which spend this is why devil’s Barred warblers from eastern Europe and on earth, to highlight the plight of our most of their lives hidden from view, play coach-horses prefer Asia were at the South Gare, The Leas at migratory turtle doves whose breeding an important role in our ecosystems.