Route C 03 Harland Moor: Map & directions
Route C 03 Lower Farndale and Harland Moor from Lowna, Farndale
This 5-mile walk was shown to me by somebody who found it in a book of walks, but in the opposite direction. It passes through a variety of scenery (fields, moorland and wooded valley) with some good distant views from high ground in sunny weather. May be muddy in places after wet weather. Mainly gentle gradients with a couple of very short steep bits. Daffodils in Farndale at the end of March (this is not the popular “daffodil walk”).
Start from a small car park on a track about 150 yards west of Lowna Bridge (OS Explorer OL26 “North York Moors (West)”, ref SE685910).
Walk directions
1. Leaving the car park (map ref. 685910) turn right onto the road and follow this for 400m to the apex of a large left-hand bend then turn right onto a public bridleway that is the drive to Faddell Rigg Farm. Follow this solid track, passing the farm, a footpath, a wood and then a bridleway on the right. Continue along the narrower grassy track between hedgerow and fence to a gate. [total 1800m]
2. (668913) Go through the gate* and cross the field to Gray’s Farm then follow the path slightly left towards the road. Turn right onto the road and walk along the road for 700m to a footpath sign on the right just beyond a low point on the road. [1100m]
*Alternative: follow the bridleway to the left and turn right onto the road for 1100m
3. (662920) Turn right through a wooden gate and along a woodland footpath (some muddy patches). Out of the wood into an unkempt grass field then through a gate and slightly right, following a narrow path through heather and grass and bear right again to follow the right of two stone “walls” and down to a stream. [700m]
4. (666925) Go down the steps and cross the stream by the footbridge then keep right on a track then continue to a ladder stile. Go over the stile (or through gate) and follow the narrow path through the heather (distant views) eventually to a road. [1000m]
5. (676926) Cross the road into a narrow path through hawthorns and heather, crossing a wider path and continuing for 300m, past the outer corner of a walled enclosure, on a winding route through heather downhill to a farm track beside a silver birch with multiple trunks. [300m]
Note: There have recently been forest works in this area.
6. (679928) Turn right onto the farm track and shortly left onto a forest track downhill then look for a narrow waymarked path on the right. Follow this winding forest path to a stile. Over the stile, cross a grassy track and continue for 150m to Dale End Bridge. Do not cross the bridge but turn right alongside the River Dove for 700m to another wooden sign. [1100m]
7. (685919) The path along the right bank of the river is temporarily closed so, at the wooden sign, turn right uphill for about 80m then turn left through a wooden gate alongside a wall for 600m, passing a Quaker burial ground to reach a path junction beside a beck. [700m]
8. (687913) Turn right alongside the stream to a footbridge. Cross the bridge and continue along a track for 250m to the car park. [300m]
