The ‘Needs to Know’
Distance: 5.66 miles (9.11km)
Time to walk: It took me 3 hours as I just needed to keep stopping to admire the amazing views
Difficulty: All off road. Dogs should be kept on leads at all times as there are sheep & cattle grazing on the moors & sometimes it’s hard to spot them. Plus adders are present
Parking: In the car park on the main road from Pickering to Whitby. what3 words is ‘game.outhouse.suiting’
Public toilets: None
Map of the route:
We visit the North Yorkshire Moors on a regular basis, always staying in Levisham at the wonderful Horseshoe Pub
You can find several other walks we’ve done in this are on my website – the best place to find them is by clicking on the ‘Interactive Maps’ tab & selecting the ‘Walks outside Northamptonshire’ tab
But I’ve always wanted to walk around & inside this amazing ‘crater’ & boy…did it not disappoint!
The hollow is 400 feet deep & about 1 mile across. The Hole was created by a process called spring-sapping, where water welling up from the hillside gradually undermined the slopes above, eating the rocks away grain by grain. In this way, over thousands of years, a once narrow valley widened & deepened into an enormous cauldron
That process continues today
Local legend has it that the “Devil’s Punchbowl” amphitheatre, was formed when Wade the Giant scooped up a handful of earth to throw at his wife during an argument – he must have had very big hands!!
Shall we go & have a look then?
Let’s Walk!
1. We park up on the main road to Whitby. The easiest way to find this is by using the ‘what3words’ above which is ‘game.outhouse.suiting’
Walk across the car park & carefully the road…love the inscription before you cross
2. Once across the road, turn right & you get your first view of this amazing place & the rim you’re going to walk around…
Continue right where there’s some amazing views
3. Be careful along this stretch as it passes close to a hairpin bend of the road…
Stop for a moment to admire the view across to the coast near Whitby. You can also spot RAF Fylingdales on the horizon
Situated on Snod Hill its motto is “We are watching”
It’s a radar base & is also part of the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS). As part of intelligence-sharing arrangements between the United States & United Kingdom, data collected at RAF Fylingdales is shared between the two countries
Its primary purpose is to give the British & US governments warning of an impending ballistic missile attack (part of the so-called four minute warning during the Cold War)
A secondary role is the detection & tracking of orbiting objects. As well as its early warning & space tracking roles, Fylingdales has a third function…the Satellite Warning Service for the UK
It keeps track of spy satellites used by other countries, so that secret activities in the UK can be carried out when they are not overhead. The armed services, defence manufacturers & research organisations, including universities, take advantage of this facility
4. Pass through the gate…
…then it’s just a case of keep following the path for a few miles, keeping an eye out for livestock &…adders
The views into “the Hole” are amazing & we’ll be walking down there soon…
5. Eventually the path arrives at a crossroads…turn left
Now the path starts to descend into the “Hole” &, if you’re lucky the Highland Cattle may be there…
6. This truly is spectacular walking as the path descends…
…down into the depths of the valley. At the signpost at the bottom turn left…
7. Cross the stream & continue ahead…
…& then over the bridge – the path is easy to follow with the stream now on your left
8. Shortly the Path opens up…& what a view!
Pass through a gate & walk along the boardwalk & then through another gate
9. The views just keep getting better & better…
Head to the left of the house…you can see the climb to get out of the ‘Hole’ ahead of you
10. Ignore the gate on the right & continue ahead down the slope & through the gate. And now it’s time to start the climb out of the ‘Hole’…
Take your time as the path is steep & sometimes narrow, so if you meet anyone coming down one of you will have to stand aside. This does give you the option to take time to have a look back down the valley behind you
11. At the top pass through the gate…
…& bear right, retracing your steps around the rim & across the road back to the car pak where we started this walk
And that’s it!
I’ve wanted to do this for a while & it was certainly worth the wait
If you’re in the North Yorkshire Moors it’s certainly worth giving it a go…you won’t be disappointed so…
Go Walk!