Horcum Hole

After a cool night (!) we all set off for what the book said was a 6.5 mile walk. But first we had to brave the 1/2 mile up the very busy road to the start. There was minimal space at the side of the road so it was a scary walk to the viewpoint and start of the walk.

After that it was lovely. The sun came and went throughout the day. We walked over open moorland meeting only 3 horses (and riders) till we reached the pretty village of Levisham. White stone cottages of the “roses round the door” type. Then we entered shaded woodland with pretty flowers that like those damp dank conditions. The path was quite slippery and very undulating till we felt it had gone gone long enough.

We were ready for lunch but it wasn’t a nice place to stop. Suddenly the path opened out to a little grassy dale where there was a signpost. We stopped by a little stream and the sun came out perfectly for the picnic.

We were now in the valley bottom which meant at first a gradual climb to a lovely open meadow. But it was a tiring traverse along the hillside which my arthritic foot was complaining about.. My arthritic seems to manage better on steep uphills - which we needed to do to get out of Horcum Hole - not created as local folklore would have it, by a giant scooping it out to make his home - but in fact the dramatic steep and smooth-sided ravine was formed as a result of erosion by debris-laden torrents of melt water from a great ice-blocked lake that filled Esk Dale towards the end of the Ice Age.

It was a steep climb and though Sheila and Mike were able to walk quickly on the flat meadow where I struggled, she had to stop as her heart rate had gone up to170. We waited with her, glad of a breather too, but for me the steep bits were good as the weight was going on my heel and not the toe so I made good progress and was able to call back to tell the others that at last we’d reached the road. It ended up as almost 10 miles.

We had a cup of tea as the sun disappeared. Mike did a bbq which was delicious and I did lemon garlic potatoes and the pudding was last year’s nectarines which had been soaked in brandy for a year. Very warming! Especially welcome as again we were seated at a distance under the awning sheltering from the rain.

We had to retreat to our vans by 8.30 as we were all too cold. Not sure where we’ll go tomorrow as the Goathland walk is 9 miles and my foot might not cope. Also it is raining and the book says not to attempt it in slippy conditions. But I’m loving the area which I’d not been to for 30 years.


























































.