Hutton-le-Hole, Bank Top and Lastingham Walk

With the cancellation of the Great Yorkshire Show we we’d both taken a day off so were at a bit of a loose end and decided to try a new walking route out up on the moors and then visit Yorkshire’s Favourite Pub 2012

The route is a shortened version of a 20mile walk I had planned for a day when we have more time, it can easily be extended to visit Rosedale, Appleton Le Moors and Cropton.

There are also lots of options for paths once you hit Ana Cross some are boggier than others, we followed the wide sandy track due to all the rain we’ve been having lately.

Length: Just over 10 miles

Start/Finish: SE 706 903 (or the car park in Hutton-le-Hole at SE 705 901)

Refreshments: Tea rooms and the excellent Crown Inn at Hutton-le-Hole, Cafe’s and pubs if you walk down Chimney Bank into Rosedale and the cool Blacksmiths Arms at Lastingham.

Things to look out for: Old mine workings at bank top, the various crosses and stones of the North Yorkshire Moors like Ana Cross. There’s a lovely church at Lastingham too and Ryedale folk museum is also worth a visit if you have time.

Kit Taken: O/R rucksack, Salomon Speedcross 3 CS ,X-socks airforce trekking light, X-bionic baselayer pants,  Montane Terra Convert Pant, Rab Boreas pull on, Rab Super Dru Jacket, Montain Air Pant, First Aid Kit, Leatherman, Buff, Berghaus Tech T, 2 bottles of water, Iphone, Timex Expedition watch, Petzl Tikka Plus 2,  Garmin GPS 60 and paper maps.

Route: (click here to download the zipped gpx file)

From the start point head to the path at SE 705 903, go through the gate and follow the track along Hutton Ridge, you will soon reach a tarmac track at SE 706 913, as the path joins the road there should be a big stone telling you to follow the road for 400m until you reach a footpath sign as the road bends left, turn right and follow the footpath to the road at SE 717 939. Once you get to the road turn left and follow it to Chimney Bank, here we went straight on so we could have our sandwiches on the bench looking down the valley, this meant doubling back on our selves to SE 720 945, here we followed the path towards Ana Cross, Instead of going up to the cross we followed the sandy track south past Abraham’s Hut Cairn down to the Ford at SE 741 906.

We crossed the Ford, missed the path through the wood and followed the track to SE 729 909 where there’s a lovely stone Lastingham sign, from here we went through the gate followed the road past the hotel and down to the Blacksmith’s Arms opposite the church, here we stopped for a quick beer (Saltaire Blonde) before following the road towards Hutton-Le-Hole, we left the road at SE 713 903 following the path over the footbridge and down into Hutton-Le-Hole, where we had a delicious Riggwelter and Raisin Ice cream and did a bit of sunbathing on the green as the Crown was closed until 17:00. We then headed back up the hill to the car before driving across to the White Horse Inn at Rosedale for some food.

Photos (Click to view the bigger picture)