A short stroll on the popular Lord Stones Circular Walk in the North Yorkshire Moors triggers thoughts about the human-impacted landscapes around us, and what Yorkshire’s natural landscape should really look like 🌿.
There’s something special about Sunday strolls 🌞, especially when, like a donkey trudging with a carrot dangling ahead, there’s a hearty Sunday lunch waiting for you at the end 🍽️.
One of my closest “walk and lunch” spots is the 3-mile / 5km Lord Stones Circular Walk in the North Yorkshire Moors National Park, near Middlesbrough, ending at Lord Stones Cafe ☕.
The 1.5-hour walk is very short, packed with stunning scenery, and gives you just enough energy to feel like you’ve earned your meal, without reaching the point of exhaustion 🥾.
The expansive views enjoyed on this walk are also thought-provoking for people like me, who are conscious of how our landscapes have been changing over the centuries due to human influence 🌿.
The Lord Stones Circular Walk: A Wonderful Panorama 🌄
Starting at the rear of the Lord Stones car park, I set off following the signs towards the Cleveland Way, soon passing the three majestic standing stones that define the perimeter of a Bronze Age burial mound 🪨.
The small ancient cemetery is set in a place where traditional boundaries, pathways, and gathering spots have existed for several millennia 🌿.
At the first fork where a dry stone wall begins, I branched left between a small cluster of trees 🌳.
Soon I was squelching along a muddy bridleway that cuts through the moorland, gradually making my way up the side of the hill 🥾.
A brilliantly sunny October afternoon ☀️.
The heather is dusky pink, the ferns undecided whether they’re green, orange, or red 🍂, and the sky is a stunning vibrant blue.
In short, a natural autumnal explosion of colors 🌟.
After a while, I took a sharp right to rejoin the Cleveland Way, following steep rocky steps up to the back of Cringle Moor, the third highest hill in the North York Moors, standing at 432m above sea level 🏞️.
This part is probably the most challenging section of the short walk due to the gradient, but it’s only a few hundred metres. Plus, a brief pause halfway up to catch your breath is a great idea if you turn around and take in the view behind you 👀.
It’s a vast patchwork quilt of fields, stitched together by the odd row of trees or hedgerows, abruptly ending at the northeast coastline 🌾.
Beyond there, the tiny container ships hovered between sea and sky, like a natural optical illusion 🌊✨.
Industrial Middlesbrough, noticeable as the largest urban cluster, was belching smoke ☁️. I imagined all the behind-the-scenes activities in those factories, like the tiny mechanical model cities and little imaginary inhabitants I used to obsess over as a child at Legoland Windsor 🏭.
A little further inland, the miniature villages of Great Ayton and Stokesley, which I know well in full size, appear before you as nothing more than an ant-sized housing estate 🐜.
Roseberry Topping to the west, one of the area’s most iconic natural landmarks, like a small bump rising from an otherwise smooth landscape 🌄.
While this complex view from the top of Cringle Moor is undoubtedly breathtaking 🌟, and will always impress with its sheer uninterrupted panorama, I couldn’t ignore the starkness of the endless, flat jumble of fields stretching out before me 🌾.
Natural Landscapes? 🌿 🌿
These fields, though beautiful in their own right, serve as a harsh reminder of just how unnatural the landscapes here really are 🌾. In short – all sterile. Grass, ploughed earth, and more grass.
We’ve been conditioned to romanticize fields of wheat and green pastures dotted with grazing cows 🐄.
And that’s not anyone’s fault 😌. Farmland is simply emblematic of the British countryside because there’s just so much of it. We’re proud to be a nation of farmers 🌾. The everyday heroes putting bread on our tables 🍞.
But really, what I should be seeing in a native world are vast stretches of woodland, wetlands, and perhaps even a bird of prey or two hovering over the tree canopies 🦅. Not forgetting, of course, small plots of mixed crops to support a local and more ecologically conscious population 🌱.
As I walked along Cringle Moor, a thought wouldn’t leave me 😔. How much of the UK’s natural woodland has been lost to agriculture and our ever-growing population?
Today, around 71% of the UK’s land area is dedicated to agriculture, and Yorkshire is no exception 🏞️.
In 2021, the average farm in Yorkshire was over 6 hectares larger than the national average 🌾.
This transformation of the landscape has had a profound and damaging effect on local ecosystems 🌿.
I pushed those thoughts out of my mind – at least for now 😌.
When the stone-paved section ended (I always wonder how on earth they managed to get those huge slabs up the steep hills) 🪨, a sandy path led me along the flat hilltop to the viewpoint. There stands a stone bench (or rather, a giant stone armchair, providing a wonderful windbreak) 🌬️. Right in front, there’s a large brass viewfinder mounted on a rock – aged to a beautiful teal color – erected in memory of a local rambler.
After a few moments of strong wind that made me twist a bit, and feeling my stomach grumble 😅, it was time for the gentle ascent back. I turned left and walked along the path beside a beautiful, clearly very old dry stone wall 🪨.
Tips for Walking the Lord Stones Circular 🥾:
I passed through the wooden bridle gate, soon reaching the same small fork I took at the start 🌳, then carried straight on toward the car park and into the welcoming warmth of Lord Stones Cafe for lunch — muddy boots and all 🥾.
Lord Stones Circular Walk Accessibility ♿
Although the walk is relatively short, bring layers and a wind- and rain-proof jacket, as the moorland is exposed and often very windy 🌬️.
Good waterproof walking boots are essential for tackling the muddy path after rain 🥾.
Make sure to visit Lord Stones Cafe after the walk to relax with a warm drink, or even a Sunday lunch like me 🍽️.
Although there are some steep sections, the walk isn’t too challenging, so it’s great for kids 👧👦. Those with mobility issues should take it at their own pace and bring a walking pole.
Dogs are allowed, but must be kept on a leash 🐕.
Fancy staying nearby within the National Park? There are glamping pods and a campground at Lord Stones Country Park 🌲.
Tips for Walking the Lord Stones Circular 🥾:
Due to the gradient and terrain, the Lord Stones Circular Walk isn’t suitable for wheelchairs or walkers 😕, but the route to the three standing stones is possible with a good off-road chair.
Lord Stones Cafe is also wheelchair friendly ♿☕.
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