Cropton Bank Wood Walk
A short circular walk near to Cropton village – Approximately 1 mile.- Steep in certain places.
A good place to park your car for this walk is in the main street at Cropton. It is a very wide street and it can easily accommodate lots of cars. You need to walk up this street. When you get to the Well House take a left turn and head towards St.Gregory’s Church (You will see the church in the distance).
Instead of going through the main church gates, take the path to the right hand side of the gates and follow this route, straight ahead, for around 150 metres. You will have to go through the wooden gate at the end of the path and then take a sharp right. Another 50 metres and you will pass through a small hand gate. You are now through to the forest path and probably the best part of the walk. This wooded area is owned by the Woodland Trust and there is almost 9.5 hectares of mixed plantation woodland on these north west facing slopes.
This medieval path was once used by the Cropton villagers to collect water from a local spring. It must have been quite a task to carry the water back up this steep hill. This woodland contains numerous species of trees including Scots pine, Douglas Fir, Norway Spruce, Lawson Cypress, Red Oak and lots of native broadleaved varieties. Watch out for some wild animals on your walk because you will most likely see or hear some Squirrels and possibly see some of the local Deer population.
You must follow this fairly steep downward path to the bottom of the hill. During wet weather the lower end of this path can be a bit slippy so be careful. When you reach the bottom you must take the sharp left turn. This section is much flatter. To the right you can see glimpses of the moors and farm land through the trees. Just follow this path around the bottom of the hill and eventually you will arrive at another wooden gate.
Once you have reached this point you will see the main Cropton to Rosedale road on your right hand side. Just follow this road up the hill (Watch out for the traffic) and you will soon be back in Cropton village. When you reach the Chestnut tree, at the crossroads in the village, take a rest on the seat in front of the tree and admire the view over the North Yorkshire moors.
The walk normally takes about 30 to 40 minutes to complete, but take your time and listen to the birds singing and enjoy the tranquil setting of the woodland. Very therapeutic indeed! Why not take your dog with you?