NORTH EAST
19 NORTH YORKSHIRE BRIDESTONES & THE HOLE OF HORCUM
Distance: 8 miles/12.8km Time: 4 hours Grade: Moderate 
CHOSEN BY… ARNOLD UNDERWOOD
You can leave the car behind and ride the Coastliner 840 bus to the start of this walk high on the Tabular Hills of the North York Moors. It opens with a pleasant stroll along Old Wife’s Way, leading to the funky, teetering outcrops of Bridestones Moor - the remains of a Jurassic sandstone ‘cap’ that was originally much higher. For a finale, you walk into a vast natural cauldron 400 feet deep and over half a mile across. The Hole of Horcum was created by an erosive process called spring-sapping, though legend credits Wade the Giant, who angrily scooped out an enormous handful of earth to hurl at his wife. He missed by a mile and Blakey Topping was the result.
1 Start
Up road from car park/bus stop (N end), turn R through trees and through gate towards Newgate Foot. It’s an easy ½ mile stroll along this road, Old Wife’s Way, with Blakey Topping prominent L. Where road bears L continue ahead on track along Newgate Brow. The main track forks L but continue ahead through gate entering the National Trust’s Bridestones Moor. At next gate continue along track with forest L and moorland R for about ½ mile. Keep a lookout for a low way-marked post on R near bushes and silver birch trees. Turn R here onto a moorland path that picks its way across peaty ground between heather and scrub. This joins a surfaced path above Bridestone Gill. Across the Gill can be seen the weathered outcrops of the High Bride Stones. Explore the Low Bridestones before crossing the gill. It is a steep descent, but not so steep up the other side to the High Bridestones.
2 2¾ miles/4.5km
Head S along ridge and path, surfaced with rocks to reduce erosion. It descends to footbridge over beck, bringing you to a delightful secluded dale. Bear R on track across pasture to ford beck and come to buildings at Low Staindale. Pass buildings to join track through gate up to Low Pasture Farm. Go through gate and walk along lane (Pasture Road) passing Whitehorn.
3 4 miles/6.2km
At bend, pass High House Farm and Mount Pleasant Farm, and continue on road for 200yds. On R cross stile into field (with cattle), walk down field side to gate and follow path L down past quarries to stile onto verge of A169.
4 5¼ miles/8.5km
Carefully cross L into the dri
