Jo’s Monday walk : Osmotherley and beyond

Shall we share some fresh moorland air today?  Many of you in the UK will be having one last summer jaunt over the Bank Holiday weekend.  I hope the weather holds fair.  It’s a week or two since I was up on the York Moors but the colours were those wonderful shades of rose and lilac that I love.  The village of Osmotherley is just a 40 minute drive from me, less with a tail wind.  You need only turn right at the crossroads and, a little way beyond the village, you can find some delightful walking.  Come to think of it, the same applies if you turn left, but then I cannot guarantee heather.

Follow the footpath sign opposite the cottage, where refreshments used to be provided in the summer.  Maybe business wasn’t so good, or maybe year on year of baking lost its charm.  It’s a shame because I know you would have appreciated a warm scone.  I hope you’ve got water and a little something in your backpack.  And don’t forget to close the gate!

In seconds you’re surrounded.  Leggy Rosebay Willowherb wafts on the breeze, while sturdy heather hugs the contours of these wild spaces.  Clouds sweep across, plunging the landscape into shadow.  Sunlight blazes ahead over the fields.

The path drops down towards woodland and I step aside to let a tractor trundle past.  The driver nods cheerfully.  My husband remarks that he was carrying a gun.  “Was he?” I ask.  “We’d best behave!”  Not that we wouldn’t.

We follow the path into the woods, through dappled shade.  As we start to climb back out again we encounter a group of lady dog walkers, perched on a bit of wall for a picnic.  We exchange the look that says ‘we forgot again!’ and carry on.  They had the perfect spot, overlooking the reservoir.

Over the bridge we go and up the other side, not too sure if this is the right direction.  ‘Of course it is- it’s upwards!’  We clamber up, glad of the stone slabs, and pausing often to admire far reaching views.  At our feet, tiny flowers nestle in crevices, ferns patterning the time-whorled stones.

A little puffing and panting later, and we’ve reached the top.  It strikes me that I would rather have come gently up than descend this footpath.  And then we’re back amongst the heather.  A curious sheep looks on as we rejoin the road and head back towards the cottage.

I’m starting to feel nostalgic for the beauty of the English countryside, and I haven’t even left it yet!  Thank you for joining me.  Link up any time here on Jo’s Monday walk.  I’m always glad of company.  Kettle on now, because it’s sharing time again.

I can always rely on Debs to lift my spirits, as well as my eye level :

Views over Nimes

Lady Lee shares another beautiful weekend away :

Our weekend in Das Kranzbach

Let’s finish off that lovely walk with Janet :

Monday walk…around the lake 2

What does Jackie do every morning?

Rise and Shine

Eunice likes to get out and about too- mostly in lovely countryside like this :

Firwood Fold’s hidden lake

Call me soft, if you like, but this one scares me!  No thanks, Alice!  🙂

Okefenokee Swamp, natures treasure chest

Much happier in Rupali’s tranquil garden :

A short visit to botanical garden

No better place to linger than a sunset with Irene :

A Walk at Sunset

But if you want a climb with stunning views, this is the one!

Hiking: Harry’s Ridge

Lisa shares 2000 years of history with us on a walk through the fascinating city of Acre :

The Port City of Acre 

Cathy has been keeping me company with some awesome walks this past few weeks.  This one is no exception.  Simply phenomenal!

The Grand View Overlook Trail in Canyonlands

Looking back to see what I’d posted about Osmotherley and surrounds, I came upon this walk, from the other side of the village.  Off to Guisborough with the group today.  Sunny, too!  Have a great week!

125 comments

  5. I could almost smell the heather! 🙂 Such a glorious day for a walk. I can imagine the freedom and the lifting of any emotional burdens when walking in the open fields and taking in all that wonderful beauty. I hope you have a marvelous week, Jo. I would imagine you’ll be out on other “jaunts” throughout the week. 🙂

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    1. Jaunts are a little bit restricted at the moment as Mick is recovering from a spell of gout, but I’m quite capable of taking off on my own, Debbie. I’m hoping to go back down to the moors tomorrow. Today being a Bank Holiday in England, it would have been busy, and I unexpectedly had my son at home. 🙂 🙂 Thanks for your lovely company, hon!

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  6. Ah, for the soothing beauty of the English countryside…loved this saunter through the purple fields off Osmotherley. Just the sight of the river meandering through the green valley is healing. xx

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  8. The sort of walk I’d enjoy Jo, not too long and not too uppy by the looks of it, just lovely open countryside, wild flowers, nature all around and a blue sky. Perfect. Mick’s gout still troubling him? I do so hope it improves. My poor cousin is in a wheelchair because of gout. it can be very nasty.

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    1. The stepped part up was pretty steep but you could keep pausing to admire. Definitely at its best in August. 🙂 🙂 Scarecrow mission accomplished? He’s not been troubled for a while. Not sure if it was a clifftop ramble we did last week that set it off or his not too healthy diet. The man would live on custard creams and red wine if I let him! Rolls eyes! 🙂

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      1. There is a stepped up bit similar to that around the river in Ludlow. I always like to stop and ahem… take some photos on the way up. I share your hub’s taste in wine, he can keep the custard creams.

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      3. Gosh woman you are impatient! I have at least two posts to finish, but I will do a scarecrow one for you before you flit to the Algarve. Busy trying to work out how many spring bulbs I need want this year.

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      7. Oh, right! Silly me. A lot. Hundreds in fact as I want daffodils this year and some tulips – probably only 120 tulips. I hope some of the other bulbs come back next spring, but who knows. My bulbs tend to get nibbled by the slugs.

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      2. Funny old weekend! Mick’s troubled with gout again and we were at a ceilidh last night! At least he had an excuse to sit it out. 🙂 🙂 James turned up completely unexpectedly at teatime yesterday so today has been about feeding him and sending him on his way (lovely lady in tow 🙂 ). Mick managed to limp off to the match so I wandered up the beach a bit. Collapsed and thinking about tea now! And the US Open tennis 🙂

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      3. Ah, the gout, every morning my first job is to check the big toe! None since January so on borrowed time now! Need to get through September and our holiday to Italy!

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  11. Now that is a gorgeous walk! I would miss having that 40 minutes away, too, but you know there will also be lots of dreary gray days that you can skip once you are in sunny Portugal! I left my woodsy, cool, northern home to follow the sun, and now it’s even more fun to go back and visit!

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    1. Well, I do know that Portugal has grey days too, and forest fires in Summer, but life’s for living, wherever it takes you, Lexie. Speaking of grey days, today was very… mixed! I took some moody shots down at the beach. 🙂 🙂

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  13. Thanks for the link to your other walk at Osmotherley because it was confirmation that I wasn’t imagining that you had been here before. The other walk seems to have smoother paths. Some of the steps on this one looked like potential ankle twisters! Sheep, moors, and heather; what a wonderful day.

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  15. Love love love! You’re living a dream. Does being there make you feel inspired to write poetry? haha. I immediately think of all of those great English poets when I see images like this.

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  17. Pingback: Monday walk (cycle)…Moraine Hills State Park | This, that and the other thing

    1. Hi Janet 🙂 🙂 I’ve just done a cooked breakfast for my son and partner and sent them off home. I feel a bit of a fraud as there is no obvious gambolling going on here, yet I’m sure I used the word this week. Must have been in a comment! 🙂 Have a lovely week, hon, and thanks!

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  20. Wow, wow, wow, Jo! I love this countryside and your photos are phenomenal. You had such a lovely day! This is the kind of scenery I imagine when I read Wuthering Heights, except with dark brooding clouds overhead. I would adore this walk. Thanks for the link and have a great week. 🙂

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