Cleveland Way: Kepwick Quarry to Osmotherley

Directions

This leg starts off at the end of a public road above the disused Kepwick Quarry at SE489915.

Join the unsurfaced drove road on top of the moors and follow it as it heads northwards. It soon passes a series of lumps and bumps on the right that mark the site of an old quarry. The track climbs gently for another mile, passing through a gate at SE490922 before reaching a cattle grid above White Gill Head at SE490931.

Here the track curves to the left at the head of a small valley to take a more northwesterly course; when the track immediately curves to the right, head straight on along a rougher track. This is an easy walk that gently climbs for a mile to reach Hambleton Head. Almost immediately the track fall steeply northwards; this piece of track is perhaps the most difficult of this stretch of trail. It parallels some woodland on the left and the gradient slackens as the trees end. The track goes through a pedestrian gate beside a field gate and continues on to reach a sharp bend in a road at SE479959, with a small car park to the right.

At the road, turn immediately left down another footpath, part of which runs along flagstones. The gradient steepens as it descends; after a quarter of a mile the track curves to the right through a semi-wooded area to reach a footbridge over a stream. On the other side of the footbridge the track curves to the left to head west, with a reservoir away to the left. It passes the dam and then rises up to a field gate through a stone wall; go through this and follow the track past Oak Dale Farm on the right. The track then descends to reach a pedestrian gate beside a cattle grid, with another reservoir just off to the left. It crosses a little bridge and then curves to the right and climbs steeply uphill through trees. It emerges from the trees and continues climbing, before levelling out as it continues northwestwards between fences to reach a bridleway gate beside a field gate. Go through this to reach a road at SE464968.

Turn left down the road for a few yards, and then right to join a gravel track that heads north. Ignore a couple of gates off to the left; shortly after the second turn left through a stone squeeze-stile to enter a field. A path leads downhill for a short distance to join a track that heads towards Whitehouse Farm; when the hedge on the right ends before the farm, turn right to head diagonally across a field, aiming for a corner of a hedge ahead. The path curves to the left past the hedge and descends past a stone wall on the right to reach a field gate. Go through this and continue downhill to a pedestrian gate. Pass a bench on the right and continue descending to reach a track.

Cross the track and continue downhill to a footbridge over a stream. On the other side the path steeply ascends (sometimes on steps), and at the top goes through a squeeze stile. A few yards further on it goes through a clapper gate and follows a flagstone path between fences. Go through another squeeze stile and clapper gate combination, and then several more squeeze stiles before the path descends some steps to reach a road in Osmotherley. Cross the road and head straight on along a path that curves to the right and then left, before heading under a building to reach a road near Helmsley church at SE456972.

Places of interest

Transport

The road at Kepwick Quarry has no public transport connections.

Ostmotherley has the best public transport connections available since Helmsley; it has many services running towards Romanby (Northallerton, which has a train station) and Stokesley.

For more public transport information, see the Travelline website.

Map information

Landranger (1:50,000)				Outdoor Leisure (1:25,000)
Landranger 100 (Malton & Pickering, Helmsley & Easingwold)	and	Landranger 99 (Northallerton & Ripon, Pateley Bridge & Leyburn)	or	Outdoor Leisure 26 (North York Moors - Western Area)