Boltby ~ Medium Walk

Distance Covered: 5.5  miles   Time to complete walk: 3 hours

Safety Tips: Take a walking stick as the route can get very muddy.
Bulls may be in the field you are walking in- there are signs to make you aware. The way back is on a minor road which doesn't get busy, but be aware of traffic.

Starting at the village of Boltby beside a stream and then a detour to Gormire Lake, this walk then returns to Boltby  via a quiet country road.

 

The Boltby Walk

Getting There

 

From Middlesbrough join the A19 southbound and look for a left turn off before Thirsk which is Moor Road then shortly after turn right and follow the narrow road. Turn left onto Whinmoor Hill Lane and then right onto Knowle Lane then left onto Wandhill Lane then left into Boltby. Parking is on the roadside and free.

 

 

Map of the Boltby Walk

 

The Walk

 

Look for a small humpback bridge in the village- this is the start of the walk.

 

 

 

Humpback Bridge

 

Start the walk to the right of the bridge by following the track to the first gate.

 

 

 

Head towards the gate 

 

Walk beside the stream for a while through three more gates and over a footbridge.

 

 

Follow the stream

 

Go over the footbridge

 

Go over a stile and then over a gated footbridge.

 

 

 

Go over gated footbridge

 

Head over another stile and through a gate.

  

 

Go over the stile

 

 

Go through the gate

 

Go over the other side of the stream where the stream passes through a pipe tunnel.

 

 

Cross over to the other side of the stream

 

 

Keep following the waymarks through gates and a double gated stile.

 

 

 

Follow the waymarks

 

Go through the double gate and stile

   

Head on towards Tang Hall and turn left onto the farm track. Instead following the farm track over the cattle grid turn right and go through the gate with the waymark on it.

 

 

 

Turn left onto the farm track

 

Head through the waymarked gate

  

Head diagonally in the field and through another gate in the direction of the waymarks. Go through the gate and keep to the right of the fence ahead.

 

 

Keep to the right of the wire fence 

 

Turn left at another gate and follow the path on the field down

 

 

Turn left through the gate

 

 

Follow the path on the field down

 

Look for a waymark and follow this keeping to the right of the hedge.

 

 

 

Keep to the right of the hedge

 

Keep in the direction of the waymark heading to the path ahead

 

 

 

Head towards a path ahead

 

Head through the gate and near the gate to Southwoods Hall.

 

 

Gate to Southwoods Hall

 

Continue ahead to another gate and go through this through a wooded area until you come to another gate.

 

 

Follow the track through a gate

 

Go through another gate

 

 

For the detour to Gormire Lake turn left and follow the forest track to the lake by taking the lower track to the right.

 

 

Head to the left and onto the forest track

 

Gormire Lake

 

After stopping at the lake, return back to the gate you turned left on and keep on it ahead to Southwoods Lodge.

 

Keep on the country road and before you enter the village of Thirlby look for a right turning signed to Felixkirk. Keep on the road and at a junction turn right to Boltby. Keep to the left shortly afterwards and keep on the road for a while until you come to a junction. Turn right which will take you into Boltby.

 

Boltby

 

Boltby is a village and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England. It is on the edge of the North York Moors National Park at 140 m, and about six miles north-east of Thirsk. According to the 2011 census, it had a population of 143.

Boltby is mentioned in the Domesday Book as Boltebi in the Yalestre hundred. After the Norman invasion, the land was owned by Hugh, son of Baldric. He granted Lordship of the local manor to Gerald of Boltby. Previously the Lord of the manor was Sumarlithi, son of Karli.
Although now without a public house, it had four during the building of a reservoir and water supply to Thirsk. The last of these, The Johnstone Arms, is now a farm and riding stables. Fewer than five new houses have been built in the village in the 20th century, giving a total of 43 in 2005.
One oddity of the village is a deed giving free water 'in perpetuity' to the buildings in the area. This dates from the late 19th century when the new reservoir was built and water piped through the land of Ravensthorp manor.
The eastern part of the village was badly affected by the flooding in 2005 when the Gurtof Beck overflowed and damaged or destroyed several buildings. The local reports were of water levels between 2-3m deep.
According to the 1881 UK Census, the population was 317. The 2001 UK Census recorded the population as 149, of which 124 were over the age of sixteen with 81 in employment. There are 70 dwellings of which 52 are detached.The population at the 2011 Census had reduced slightly to 143.
The low level geology of the area is of Devensian clay on beds of lower Jurassic lias.
The village lies 1.4 miles (2.3 km) west of the Cleveland Way National Trails. It is also 1.2 miles (1.9 km) south-east of Boltby Reservoir, which was built in 1882. The reservoir is 14.1 metres (46 ft) deep and covers an area of 3.1 hectares (7.7 acres) from a catchment are of 3.41 square kilometres (1.32 sq mi)
The village is located 1.3 miles (2.1 km) south-east of Kirby Knowle; 1.8 miles (2.9 km) north-east of Felixkirk; 1.6 miles (2.6 km) north of Thirlby and 3 miles (4.8 km) north-west of Cold Kirby which are the nearest settlements.
There is one church in the village, dedicated to the Holy Trinity. The modern building was rebuilt around 1856 on the site of the earlier churches, re-built around 1409 and 1802 respectively. Parish registers date from around 1600.

 

 

Gormire Lake

 

 

Gormire Lake is a natural lowland lake that lies at the foot of Whitestone Cliff, a western escapment of the Hambleton Hills in the North York Moors National Park. The lake is 1.2 miles (2 km) east of the village of Sutton-under-Whitestonecliffe in North Yorkshire, England. Gormire has no inflow or major outflow of water. It is thought to be fed by an underground spring and drained by a limestone channel so the water finds a way out through the base of the cliff face to the east of the lake. The lake is also known as the White Mere,Lake Gormire, or more simply, Gormire. The name Gormire translates as filthy swamp.
The lake was formed over 20,000 years ago by glacial erosion. When an ice sheet pushed its way between the Pennines and the North York Moors, it bulldozed the soft earth away and carved the cliffs at Whitestone and in turn the mud leftover stopped the water's egress and formed the glacial lake.Gormire Lake was a result of this process and is fourth largest of the natural lakes in Yorkshire (the other three being Hornsea Mere, Malham Tarn and Semerwater).The lake was first designated as an SSSI in 1954; however, in 1985 the area surrounding the lake was incorporated into the SSSI status with the new area being 133.5 acres (54.03 ha). The new designation incorporates the broadleaf woodlands of Garbutt Wood which encroach right up to the water's edge.
The lake is the setting of several myths; one being of a knight known as Sir Harry Scriven who conned the Abbot of Rievaulx Abbey into letting him ride his horse (a white mare, the so called derivation of White Mare Cliff (another name for Whitestonecliff)). The knight and the abbot rode on from an inn and as they did so, it turned into a race. The abbot then changed into the devil, which caused such panic in the knight that he couldn't stop the horse and himself plunging into Gormire Lake from the clifftop. The 'devil' was then seen to jump into the lake after them and the boiling effect of the devil in the water is what is said to have caused the darkness of the lake to this day.
Other myths are that the lake is bottomless, that the bottom of the lake is the entrance to hell, there is submerged village underneath the water and that a goose once disappeared in the lake to emerge in a well at Kirkbymoorside stripped of all its feathers.
Gormire Lake is popular with wild swimmers as it has no streams feeding it so there is very little current and the waters are described as being 'warm'. Swimmers have reported that it is seething with leeches.



 

 

 

 



 

 





Mulgrave Castle ~ Easy Walk

Distance Covered: 5 miles   Time to complete walk: 2.5 hours

Safety Tips: After heavy rain the fast-flowing stream can be dangerous- take care. Also the woodland path can get muddy after rain - take a walking stick with you.

From the small coastal village of Sandsend, this walk takes you through Mulgrave Woods and to the secret castle ruins of Mulgrave Castle. The woods are only open Wednesday, Saturday and Sundays and are closed in May.

 

The Mulgrave Castle walk

Getting There

 

From Middlesbrough go up Ormesby Bank and take the left turning at the roundabout at the top of the bank. Follow the signs to Whitby on the A171 and then look for a left turning to Sandsend. Parking is limited near the woods so it would be better to opt for the main car park as you enter Sandsend. It is only a short distance from the start of the walk.

 

 

Map of the Mulgrave Castle walk

 

If starting from the main car park in Sandsend, follow the path near the sea wall going past the Tides café. Cross the road and walk into the small car park towards the gate into Mulgrave Woods.

 

Sandsend Main Car Park

 

 

Follow the path near the sea wall

 

Mulgrave Woods car park

 

Go through the gate into Mulgrave Woods and follow the clear path into the woods.

 

 

Gate into Mulgrave Woods

 

Go through a yard keeping to the path and keeping the stream to your left.

 

 

Go through a yard and keep to the path ahead. Follow the path to a shed in the distance.

 

 

Head for the shed in the distance. Keep to the left on the path which passes a bench on the grass.

 

Shed near the path

 

Bench on the grass

 

 

Keep to the path on the left

 

 

Further along when the path forks take the path to the left which passes a white footbridge. Do not cross over the footbridge.

 

 

Take the left fork in the path

 

Pass by the footbridge - do not cross over it.

 

 

At the next fork keep right.

 

 

 

Take the right fork in the path



 

When you come to a green bench and a tunnel, keep ahead to the left and keep your eyes pealed for some steps on your right which will take you up to the hidden castle.

 

 

When you come to the green bench and tunnel keep ahead on the path

 

Follow the path ahead

 

Look for some steps to the right which take you up to the castle

 

Mulgrave Castle is now in view and turning left after the steps look for an information panel and some more steps on your right to take you up to the castle where you can explore to your hearts content!.

 

 

Information panel on Mulgrave Castle

 

Steps up to the castle

 

Be careful if climbing onto the ruins as the stone can be slippy.

 

 

 

 

Views of Mulgrave Castle

 

 

Leave the castle and turn right and then immediately left and keep on this gravel track. Ignore any turn offs and keep on the track as it curves to the left.

 

 

 

Follow the path as it curves to the left

 

 

Take the higher path to the left

 

 

This is the path you were on with the green bench and tunnel and the steps up to the castle. When you come to the green bench and tunnel retrace your path back into Sandsend and the car park.

 

 

 

Sandsend beach



 

Mulgrave Castle

 

 

Mulgrave Castle refers to one of three structures on the same property in Lythe, near Whitby, Yorkshire, England. One of these, known as the "old" or "ancient" castle, was by legend founded by Wada, a 6th-century ruler of Hälsingland. The second castle,

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 caput of the feudal barony of Mulgrave, was of Norman construction and remained active until destroyed by order of Parliament in 1647. The third is a country house which was constructed by Lady Catherine Darnley and passed in 1718 by marriage into the Phipps family, when her daughter Lady Catherine Annesley married William Phipps. The Phipps family later held the titles of Baron Mulgrave, Earl of Mulgrave and Marquess of Normanby.

Ancient castle

The 19th century "Handbook for Travellers in Yorkshire and for Residents in the County" recounts that the ancient castle was built by Wada, ruler of Hälsingland. Leandin his "Itineraries", circa 1545, refers to several local legends supposing Wada to have been a giant who built many castles and roads in Yorkshire.

Second castle 

A second castle, which occupied the entire width of the ridge, seems to have been Norman, presumably constructed by Nigel Fossard (d. about 1120), who obtained the property after the Norman Conquest. Fossard is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as a tenant of 114 manors, all in Yorkshire, including under Robert, Count of Mortain of "Grif", identified as Mulgrave in the hundred of Langbaurgh. He became himself a tenant-in-chief of the king in 1088, and a holder of the large feudal barony whose caput was t Mulgrave, hence known as the barony of Mulgrave, which according to the Cartae Baronum return made in 1166 comprised 33 1/2 knight's fees.The main approach was located on the west, with two stone towers overlooking the entrance. Moats prohibited approach from the east and ensured that western approach was by means of a drawbridge. Differing levels of land surrounding the containing walls caused the wall to bulge outwards, which required buttressing. Some of the bricks used in the structure are clearly Roman.

Nigel Fossard's son Robert died c.1135, Robert's son William I d. c. 1170, leaving a son William II who died in 1195 leaving an heiress Joan, who brought the barony and castle to her husband Robert de Turnham (d.1211). Their only surviving child and heiress was Isabel de Turnham who brought the barony and castle to Peter de Mauley (or Maulay) (d.1241) to whom she had been granted in marriage by King John on the escheatment of the barony. De Mauley was a native of Poitou, whose marriage to this wealthy heiress is said to have been his reward for having murdered in 1203 Prince Arthur, the son of John's elder brother who threatened his succession to the throne.He was governor of Corfe Castle in Dorset where he acted as jailer of Eleanor, Arthur's sister. Peter I's heir was Peter II de Mauley (1226–1279), who married Joan de Brus (d.1243), one of five sisters of Peter III de Brus (d.1272), feudal baron of Skelton, Yorkshire, who was his brother-in-law, having married Hilary de Mauley, Peter II's sister. In the time of Peter II the barony was held by knight service of supplying two knights in time of war in the king's presence for 40 days per annum. Peter II's heir was Peter III de Mauley (d.1308), who married Nicole de Ghent (d. before 1302), sister and in her issue co-heir (in a 1/3rd share) to Gilbert V de Ghent (d.1298), feudal baron of Folkingham, Lincolnshire.Peter III was summoned to parliament by writ dated 23 June 1296,creating him the 1st Baron de Mauley.Peter III's seal can be seen as one of 72 appended to the Barons' Letter, 1301 to the Pope"sealed at the Parliament of Lincoln in January 1301, and shows him on the reverse in the usual pose for early seals holding sword and shield astride his galloping war-horse, with the tails of his surcoat swept back by the wind. His arms within a heater-shaped escutcheon show a bend with a field diapered with scroll-work, which are blazoned as borne by him on the Falkirk Roll (1298) as: Or, a bend sable.His heir was Peter IV de Mauley (d.1348).Camden states that the first Peter was succeeded by 7 others bearing his name.
The castle passed to Sir John Bigot (c.1376-1426/7) of Settrington, Yorks.,on his marriage to Constance de Mauley (c.1385-15/12/1450), eldest daughter & co-heiress of Peter VII de Mauley (d.1378), whose son Peter VIII had died in 1415 without issue, when the Barony de Mauley by writ became extinct. Bigot was 5th in descent from Hugh Bigod, 3rd Earl of Norfolk (d.1225).
The property passed to the Radcliffes on the marriage of Dorothy Bigot into that family, before settling in 1625 on Lord Sheffield of Butterwick, later to be titled Earl of Mulgrave by Charles I. There is evidence that the initial construction by the Fossards was updated and altered by subsequent residents. The castle was garrisoned by royalists during the English Civil War. Subsequently, it was dismantled by Parliamentary order in 1647; the lie of bricks from the destruction suggest that gunpowder might have been employed for this purpose.