Route: Lastingham to Hutton-le-Hole
Area: North Yorkshire
Date of walk: 18th March 2017
Walkers: Andrew and Gilly
Distance: 5.1 miles
Weather: cloudy
We parked near The Green in the village of Lastingham, described by Bede in the 8th century as ‘more fitted as a place of robbers and the haunt of wild animals than somewhere fit for man to live’. It’s now an unspoilt village on the edge of the North York Moors and a good starting place for several walks in the area. The village church of St Mary’s with its 11th century crypt is well worth a visit
After leaving Lastingham and walking uphill along the edge of woodland we joined the road leading to the single village street of Spaunton, lined with cottages and farmhouses from the 17th century
From here we walked across the fields to the picture postcard village of Hutton-le-Hole, one of the prettiest in the county. After a short wander around, and coffee and flapjack in the excellent Forge Tea Rooms, we set out on the return leg of the walk, which took us through a mixture of fields, woodland and open moorland
We’ve walked in this area several times before, but today’s route was a new one for us – which I’m sure we’ll repeat in the future as it was enjoyable every step of the way
On the way to the start of the walk we’d stopped at Birdwatcher’s Car Park in Forge Valley, a national nature reserve, and a good place to spot a number of woodland species at close quarters, using the car as a hide. The photos show some of our sightings in the space of a few minutes….
Click on the icon below for the route map (subscribers to OS Maps can view detailed maps of the route, visualise it in aerial 3D, and download the GPX file. Non-subscribers will see a base map)
Scroll down – or click on any photo to enlarge it and you can then view as a slideshow
A nuthatch (some of the birds are ringed to enable data to be collected)
Blue tit
Chaffinch (also ringed)
Great spotted woodpecker
The red crest on the back of its neck identifies this one as a male
A short while later we start today’s walk from The Green in Lastingham
Leaving the village
We follow a path round the edge of Hagg Wood
Lastingham, with Spaunton Moor beyond
Looking back down the path
At the top of the path this wonky roadsign points us towards Spaunton
We pass by the pinfold at the end of the village - stray sheep would be kept here and released on payment of a fine to the village pindar
Spaunton Moor ahead, but we turn left here at Grange farm to follow a track across the fields…
Views of the moor on our right…
…and the Vale of Pickering on our left
Start of the descent into Hutton-le-Hole
We follow a path which descends gently through woodland at Austin Head
After rounding Austin Head we arrive in Hutton-le-Hole
Hutton Beck which runs through the village
The sheep haven’t arrived yet, but every spring they descend from the surrounding land to graze in the village
Ryedale Folk Museum
Time for a pit stop at the excellent Forge Tea Rooms
We leave the village along a path by the side of the bowling green
A last look back to Hutton-le-Hole
A treecreeper in a small patch of woodland beyond the village
We walk across the fields, passing through a series of gates
We emerge onto a road at the edge of Spaunton Moor
We turn left off the road just before this bridge - anyone wanting to shorten the walk here could continue along the road into Lastingham
The path runs round the edge of the moor - looking rather bleak in this weather and at this time of the year
Looking towards Spaunton
We descend into the hollow below and ford Hole Beck
Toads in the beck
The Millennium Stone, with two dates - AD654 when the original Lastingham monastery was founded by St Cedd, and AD2000
Lastingham seen from the uncarved side of the stone
Back to the start of a grand walk
