Hall Wood, Farndale

A pleasant little wander around Farndale on another bitterly cold  morning. The route, regrettably, was largely tarmac, because the North York Moors, in their wisdom, provides very few Public Rights of Way in the dale bottom away from the ever popular daffodil trail. By chance, we came across Hall Wood, a rather unpretentious National Trust property lurking along the dead-end road on the eastern side of Farndale.

Hall Wood is one of three patches of ancient woodland, which is to say it has been there since at least the late 1700s¹NYMNPA HER Records (Monuments) HER No: 9600 HALL WOOD | HER No: 9599 SIKEHILL WOOD | HER No: 9598 Boundary at Sonley Wood 
. The thirty acres were handed over to the National Trust in 1991 in memory of Francis Ritchie (1916–1983), an enthusiastic defender of national parks. He was also a national executive member of the Ramblers Association, which no doubt involved many serious discussions about footpaths. The three woods—Sikehill, Sonley, and Hall—were acquired through a collaborative effort involving the Council for National Parks, the Ramblers Association, the Council for the Protection of Rural England, and the Open Spaces Society, with help from the Countryside Commission²Scarborough Evening News – Friday 13 September 1991. “Beauty spot land sold off”..

Hall Wood also boasts a nineteenth-century saw pit, once connected to Hall Farm. A fine reward for those who enjoy gazing at holes in the ground³NYMNPA HER Records (Monuments) HER No: 7489 Sawpit northwest of Hall Farm .

• 1
  NYMNPA HER Records (Monuments) HER No: 9600 HALL WOOD | HER No: 9599 SIKEHILL WOOD | HER No: 9598 Boundary at Sonley Wood 

• 2
  Scarborough Evening News – Friday 13 September 1991. “Beauty spot land sold off”.
• 3
  NYMNPA HER Records (Monuments) HER No: 7489 Sawpit northwest of Hall Farm