The Public Bridleway from the hamlet of Urra winds its way up to another Right of Way that follows Billy’s Dyke, that Bronze Age boundary fortification of earth and stone. This grand construction supposedly gets its name from Billy Norman, better known elsewhere as William the Conqueror, who apparently managed to get lost in a storm while harrying the North. His furthest venture in this direction supposedly ended at Botton Head on Urra Moor, where he expressed his frustration by yelling obscenities into a blizzard.
Judging by the depth of this hollow-way, it must have been in use for centuries. The gully continues beyond the dyke, although for some bureaucratic reason, it has not been designated as a Right of Way. The oldest Ordnance Survey map shows the track reaching Round Hill, the highest point, though it could never have been much of a long-distance route. Given the level of erosion, it is likely that the people of Urra spent generations sledding peat turves for their fuel and heather for thatching down the slope.
There is some debate over the name “Urra.” The simplest explanation is that it derives from the Norse haugr, meaning a hill. A less flattering theory suggests it comes from the Old English words for dirty—horheht, horhig, or horuweg—reflecting the bleak and dismal nature of the landscape. For full effect, one is apparently meant to pronounce these words while making as little effort as possible to articulate the consonants. Urra is perhaps better known for its moor, which has gathered a fine reputation as a place of witches and witch-horses.
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