NORTH YORK MOORS - Sinnington to Hutton

Round via Hutton

Fact File

Distance	17km/10½ miles
Time	5 hours
Map	OS Explorer OL26 & 27 North York Moors Western & Eastern Areas (this route unfortunately overlaps the two maps)
Start/Parking	Park tidily by the green in Sinnington (honesty box for donations); grid ref: SE 744 858
Terrain	Undulating woodland paths, moorland and bridleways.
Grade	*** (moderate)
nearest Town	Pickering
Refreshments	Pubs in Sinnington, Appleton-le-Moors, and Hutton-le-Hole
Toilets	in Hutton-le-Hole
Public Transport	Scarborough & District 128 serves Sinnington, Moorsbus serves Hutton-le-Hole, Sundays (Easter – October) and daily in School summer holiday.
Suitable for	for everyone.
Stiles	5

1. (Start) From the village green in Sinnington cross the road bridge over the River Seven and then immediately turn right along a bridleway track in front of cottages. This track initially keeps by the river. As you approach woodland go through a gate on the right marked 'to Appleton'. Now the path climbs away from the river. Leave the woodland and cross a field to a gate and turn left up the side of the next field. Go through more gates and past a farm to emerge in Appleton-le-Moors.

2. (2.5km/1½ miles) Walk up the wide main street of the village - the Moors Inn is on the left. At the top of the village, just past Appleton Hall and opposite the church, turn left along a green lane (bridleway). In about ½ mile, at a junction, turn right through a gate to follow another green lane due north towards Spaunton. At the next junction turn left along Lingmoor Lane. At woodland turn right along the edge of the trees to follow the bridleway towards Hutton-le-Hole. This old lane is easy to follow as it zig-zags its way northwards, before finally dropping down to the road just below Hutton-le-Hole. Cross the road and walk up the lane on the opposite side of the beck past stone cottages to the village green. A footbridge takes you across the beck. The green, either side of the beck, is an ideal spot for a picnic, but there is also a pub and tearoom if you prefer.

3. (4.7km/3miles) On the opposite side of the road, adjacent to the Ryedale Folk Museum, a footpath sign indicates the way out of Hutton. Continue across pastures into a wooded area where a footbridge takes you over Fairy Call Beck cutting deeply into the rock. Walk along the road towards Lastingham for about ¼ mile. Go left up a track (footpath sign) and through a gate passing Mary Magdalene Well onto Spaunton Moor. Springs hereabouts result in it being wet underfoot. Bear right round by the wall and maintain direction alongside the wall passing above Camomile Farm. After dropping down to cross Hole Beck you arrive at a junction of paths by a seat above Lastingham.

4. (8km/5miles) Continue straight on, initially still with a wall on your right, but where this swings right, maintain direction to come alongside an enclosure on your left. Beyond this the path swings northeast and pick its way down through the heather to Tranmire Beck. Cross the stream and climb the bank, still maintaining a north-easterly bearing. As you gain the top of the ridge you come across a clear stony track heading north - south. Turn right here to head south along this track. At a gate you leave the moor and continue along a lane to meet the road from Lastingham at Lower Askew.

5. (10km/6½ miles) Walk down the road into Lower Askew and at the bend take the footpath straight ahead (the right-hand of two gates). Walk along the field side and enter the wooded hillside. Follow the narrow path, which picks its way through the trees along the side of the valley. The path climbs high above the river then descends and leaves the woodland, but keep to the field side by the wood round to a gate near Appleton Mill. Do not go through this gate, but turn left to follow the edge of the field round to a substantial footbridge over the River Seven. Continue up to a sign at a junction of paths.

6. (13km/8½miles) At the signpost turn right onto a bridleway, passing through a gate and climb steadily up through the trees. At the top, the path swings right to a junction of paths. Here, take to a narrow path almost straight ahead. This is a 'short cut', which drops steeply down the side of the valley to meet another track coming from the ford at Appleton Mill. This track keeps along the bottom of the valley until forced to climb by a loop of the river. At a fork, keep to the right after which the path again descends to the valley bottom. Enter open farmland and walk along the left-hand side below the woodland. Go through a gateway and soon the river, having made another wide loop, comes alongside once more. Pass below the rock face of an old quarry and re-enter Sinnington, walking between cottages to arrive back on the green (17km/10½miles).

   Along the Way

   Sinnington is a picturesque village at an ancient crossing point of the River Seven. In springtime the daffodils on the green rival those of nearby Farndale. Appleton-le-Moors is a typical moorland village, with a single broad street bordered by stone built houses. Hutton-le-Hole – a popular village, bustling with visitors at weekends, and home to the Ryedale Folk Museum. This museum depicts a thousand years of rural life in Ryedale and features thatched cottages, farm buildings, a manor house and workshops.

   Arnold Underwood & Caroline Gowthorpe (July 2004)