Out & About …

… on the North York Moors, or wherever I happen to be.

Category: Little Fryup Dale

  • An Overcast Day on Ainthorpe Rigg — A Dark Chapter in American History — Can Horrific Reprisals ever be Justified?

    An Overcast Day on Ainthorpe Rigg — A Dark Chapter in American History — Can Horrific Reprisals ever be Justified?

    On a dreary day, I trudged over the wet moorland across Ainthorpe Rigg, under a dull and overcast sky. Reaching the edge, I found myself looking down at Little Fryup Dale, with Crossley Side sprawled below me. In the history of events that happened on this day, this morning, I had come across a chilling…

  • Fryup Heads

    Fryup Heads

    An “isolated eminence”, according to the Rev. Canon Atkinson, seems an elegant way of describing the hill known as Heads, which separates the dales of Little and Great Fryup. Although designated ‘Open Access Land‘ there are few ways up onto the hill, consequently, it seems quiet and little walked. But historically it has been well…

  • High Lane, Little Fryup Dale

    High Lane, Little Fryup Dale

    The fields of the eastern side of Little Fryup Dale are accessed by the enclosed High Lane, which has only been designated as a Public Bridleway for about half its length. Looking down the valley towards the 299 metre high Danby Beacon.

  • Little Fryup Dale

    Little Fryup Dale

    The Rev. J.C. Atkinson, writing in the late 19th-century, had a fascination for Little Fryup Dale, or rather the folklore associated with the area around the little knoll on the right, Fairy Cross Plain. It’s might seem odd that a man of the cloth should be so preoccupied with fairies, elves and hobs but belief…

  • Danby Rigg, flanked by Little Fryup Dale and Danby Dale

    Danby Rigg, flanked by Little Fryup Dale and Danby Dale

    The sunshine made a refreshing change from the low cloud and mizzle of the last few days. This is taken on the descent from Danby Beacon looking due south. Just left of centre is Danby Castle, a partially ruined 14th-century pile built by the Latimer family, now part of a working farm with Court Leet…

  • Now that’s what I call a green lane …

    Now that’s what I call a green lane …

    … but not what most folks usually associate with the term, an off-road route for motorbikes and 4wd vehicles. Actually, the term ‘green lane’ has no legal significance. An unsurfaced route for vehicles would be a ‘byway open to all traffic’ or a BOAT. This is, in fact, a Public Bridleway providing access rights for…

  • Stanch Bullen and Round Hill

    Stanch Bullen and Round Hill

    I’ve always thought this was Fairy Cross Plain but that is not strictly correct. That name belongs to the col just off to the right, where Little Fryup Dale becomes Great Fryup Dale, where the myth persisted through the centuries as the home of elves and fairies. The small rounded knoll has a more descriptive…

  • Little Fryup Dale

    Little Fryup Dale

    Thanks to Martyn, a slight diversion to investigate the site of Fryup Church. I must have cycled up this lane to the Yorkshire Cycle Hub dozens of times and I never knew there was once a church in this field opposite Stonebeck Gate Farm. But the evidence is there. The wall this side of the…

  • Little Fryup Dale

    Little Fryup Dale

    It’s been a few months since I’ve been up on the Heads, that elongated hill separating the two Fryup Dales. This is the head of the smaller dale. The buildings on the far left are named on the map as Fairy Cross Plain. There are two cottages, one is relatively modern but the other has…

  • Jack Sledge Road

    Jack Sledge Road

    Ever get that feeling of lethargy during the dark winter months. It hit me today. Must have melatonin to spare. And a wee sniffle didn’t help. So a potter around Danby Rigg. This is the Jack Sledge Road as it descends into Little Fryup Dale. It must be an ancient track linking the dale with…