Hutton-le-Hole Walk: Route to Lastingham and Appleton-le-Moors

Discover Lastingham on the Hutton-le-Hole Walk in the North York Moors

Begin your Hutton-le-Hole walk by parking in the North York Moors National Park car park just north of the village centre. It’s a well-maintained pay-and-display car park with around 80 spaces and excellent toilet facilities. From here, turn left and walk downhill towards The Old School House Deli and Bakery.

At the end of the road, turn left again and continue into the heart of Hutton-le-Hole. Pass the Ryedale Folk Museum on your left, then walk past the cafés and shops until you reach St Chad’s Church, also on the left. Just after the church, and directly opposite the village hall, turn left onto a public footpath.

This path passes Hutton-le-Hole Bowling Club and leads into open fields. Follow the clear public footpath through meadowland and woodland for just over half a mile. When you reach the main road, turn right and walk uphill in the direction of Lastingham for half a mile. Although it’s a road walk, the wide grassy verges make this a safe and pleasant section. As you go, pass High Cross House and High Cross Cottage on your right.

Just before the road crosses a small bridge, turn left onto a stone track heading north. This is a public footpath leading out onto open moorland. The path curves to the right, running alongside a dry stone wall. Keep the wall on your right and follow the well-defined track, with wide views of the moor opening up to your left.

Look out for a wooden public footpath signpost and a smaller post with a yellow waymarker. These guide you leftwards, towards the bend of a dry stone wall. Take care not to follow the track that leads into the field corner at Camomile Farm. Instead, continue with the wall on your right, gradually descending into a shallow valley.

Cross Hole Beck using the wooden footbridge known as Jennie’s Bridge, then climb the opposite bank. At the top, you’ll find a bench, a wooden signpost, and a large weathered stone pillar engraved with a cross and the word ‘Lastingham’. Turn right here and follow the stone track downhill, which soon becomes a tarmac road called High Street.

Continue along High Street into Lastingham, passing Lastingham Grange Country House Hotel on your left. At the bottom, you’ll reach a T-junction. You’ll return to this point shortly, but for now, turn right onto Front Street to visit the historic Church of St Mary and The Blacksmiths Arms pub. Along the way, you’ll pass a stone well on your right, then cross the bridge over Hole Beck.

After visiting the church and pub, retrace your steps along Front Street, following signs for Cropton, Pickering, and Rosedale. Cross back over the bridge, pass the well once more, and return to the T-junction at the base of High Street. Now turn right again onto Low Street, still following signs for Cropton, Pickering, and Rosedale.

Stay on Low Street as it heads south through the village. When the main road bends left, take the narrower road to the right, which crosses a single-arched stone bridge. Bear left immediately after and continue along a quiet lane past a row of cottages on the right: Littlebeck, Stone Cottage, Holbeck House, and Brook Cottage. Brook Farm Cottage appears on your left shortly afterwards.

As the road bends left, continue straight ahead on a gravel public footpath that climbs steeply into Hagg Wood. Ascend through the woodland until you reach a quiet road at the top. Turn right, then follow the road as it bends left towards Spaunton. Walk through the village, which is essentially a single street.

At the far end of Spaunton, reach a T-junction and turn left onto a wide stone track known as Spauntons Lane. Continue south for about three-quarters of a mile. At a slightly hidden crossroads, take the bridleway straight ahead. This path is part of the Tabular Hills Walk and is called Ings Balk.

After another half a mile, reach a more obvious crossroads. Go through the gate and turn left onto South Ings Lane, continuing on the Tabular Hills Walk. Follow this broad track for over half a mile until it meets the road in Appleton-le-Moors, with Christ Church directly in front of you. Turn right and walk through the village.

As you leave Appleton-le-Moors, the road bends to the right and becomes Headlands Road. This is a quiet road with wide grassy verges, making it safe to walk. After about two-thirds of a mile, look out for a wooden post on the right with a yellow public footpath waymarker. Leave the road here and veer right towards a small clump of trees with a bench beneath them.

Turn right onto a stone track and head north until you return to the earlier crossroads. Turn left here, following the sign marked ‘public footpath’. Continue along the track past an open quarry on your left. The path swings sharply to the right, narrows between hedgerows, then turns sharply left and then right again.

The path becomes tree-lined. Follow it north for about a third of a mile until you reach open farmland. Go through a gate and continue straight ahead, following the public footpath markers. The path soon meets a bridleway called Lingmoor Lane, which also forms part of the Tabular Hills Walk.

Turn left onto Lingmoor Lane and follow it past a line of mature oak, horse chestnut, and sycamore trees. Enter the woodland and take the right-hand path. Continue through the woods until you emerge at a crossroads. Go straight ahead along the bridleway. At the next junction, turn right onto a wide stone track called Bottomfields Lane.

Follow Bottomfields Lane north for about a third of a mile, ignoring any side paths. When you reach a bend, turn left towards a line of distant trees. The track narrows and leads into woodland. Follow the bridleway downhill through the trees until you emerge onto a narrow road at the bottom.

Turn right here, signposted for Gillamoor. When you reach the main road, cross over and turn right again onto a small tarmac lane. This final stretch leads you back into Hutton-le-Hole and returns you to the car park, completing your Hutton-le-Hole walk.

Hutton-le-Hole Walk: Distance, Duration, Statistics

Recommended Ordnance Survey Map

The best map to use on this walk is the Ordnance Survey map of the North York Moors Western Area, reference OS Explorer OL26, scale 1:25,000. It clearly displays footpaths, rights of way, open access land and vegetation on the ground, making it ideal for walking, running and hiking. The map can be purchased from Amazon in either a standard, paper version or a weatherproof, laminated version, as shown below.

About Hutton-le-Hole

Hutton-le-Hole is a small village in North Yorkshire, around seven miles north-west of Pickering. It’s a well-loved spot in the North York Moors National Park, known for its charm and scenery. The village appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as ‘Hoton’, and over the centuries it’s been called names such as ‘Hege-Hoton’, ‘Hoton under Heg’, and ‘Hewton’. The name ‘Hutton-le-Hole’ means ‘place of the burial ground near the hollow’, though this full version only became common in the 19th century.

Towards the end of the 13th century, the village was granted to St Mary’s Abbey in York.

In the 1600s, Hutton-le-Hole was mainly home to Quakers who worked either as weavers or in farming. One of the most notable was the Quaker preacher John Richardson, who died here in 1753 at the age of 87. Around four miles away, in Kirkbymoorside, stands an old building that began life as a Quaker Meeting House in 1690. It was altered in 1790 and extended again in about 1810. It’s now a Grade II listed building, and John Richardson was buried at its burial ground. Hutton-le-Hole had its own Meeting House too, built in 1698. It became a private home in 1859, though interments continued there until 1868.

By 1831, Hutton-le-Hole was part of the Anglican parish of Lastingham. In 1914, the township was receiving educational support from a charitable trust set up by John Stockton. The first village schoolhouse was built in 1845 and later replaced in 1875 by the building that stands today. It’s now Grade II listed and used as a holiday let.

By 1901, the Zion Chapel building was still standing, although no longer in use. The village bought it and demolished it in 1934, making way for a new church—St Chad’s—which is still in use today and forms part of the Benefice of Lastingham. You’ll visit this church on the Hutton-le-Hole walk. Before the chapel and church were built, services had been held in the schoolhouse.

The village has 29 buildings that are historically listed as Grade II, many dating from the 18th century. Among them are a classic red K6 telephone kiosk, designed in 1935, and a sundial from 1833.

In Victorian times, some members of the gentry were less than complimentary about the village, calling it ‘ill-planned and untidy’, with ‘overcrowded homes of weavers, smallholders and labourers’. They noted that ‘manure was piled everywhere and the beck was the common sewer’.

These days, Hutton-le-Hole is considered one of the most picturesque places in the UK. Condé Nast Traveler even included it in their list of the ‘20 most beautiful villages in the UK and Ireland’. It remains a favourite with visitors. The National Park Authority recommends popping into the Hutton-le-Hole Craft Workshops and the Ryedale Folk Museum.

The museum is home to 13 rescued and reconstructed historic buildings, including an Iron Age roundhouse, period shops, thatched cottages, an Elizabethan manor house, barns, and workshops. They show how everyday people lived across the centuries. There’s also a café, a shop, a gift shop, and seasonal craft demonstrations. One special feature is the photographic studio of William Hayes, thought to be the oldest surviving daylight photographic studio in England. It was originally built in Monkgate, York, in 1902 and was donated to the museum in 1991.

Hutton-le-Hole sits in the district of Ryedale on the southern edge of the North York Moors, just 2½ miles north of Kirkbymoorside. The nearby hamlet of Lastingham lies 1½ miles to the north-east, and the Tabular Hills Walk runs through both places. Lastingham is included on the route of this Hutton-le-Hole walk described on the page.

Hutton Beck, the stream that winds through the middle of the village, is criss-crossed by footpaths and wooden bridges. One of these bridges was replaced in 2002 by the National Park Authority after foot traffic increased significantly when the village green was designated as a public right of way. The stream runs through the green, which is kept neatly trimmed by grazing sheep—a well-known and much-loved feature of the village.

Hutton-le-Hole Walk: My Photos

I begin my Hutton-le-Hole walk at the North York Moors National Park car park, located just north of the village centre. Directly opposite the car park, I spot Hutton-le-Hole Pinfold, a Grade II listed structure built in the 1700s. At one time, most towns and villages had a pinfold, or pound, though only a few hundred still exist today. The Pinder, or Pound Keeper, was appointed by the Lord of the Manor of Spaunton. It was the Pinder’s duty to impound stray livestock—usually sheep and calves rather than breeding stock—belonging to owners who had failed to pay a fine. The animals were held until the fine was settled, including the Pinder’s fee, or until they were sold. During the 1800s, pinfolds also served to gather sheep that had strayed from their usual grazing ground, known as their heft. After this period, the practice fell into disuse. Remarkably, the Manor of Spaunton Court Leet still appoints a Pinder to this day, preserving the tradition.

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Heading south from the car park, I walk into the heart of the village. Soon, I pass the entrance to Ryedale Folk Museum, a key feature of the Hutton-le-Hole walk. This open-air museum showcases the lives and stories of local people from prehistoric times to the present day. Spanning six acres, the museum is home to around twenty buildings saved from nearby villages and rebuilt here. Alongside the historic structures are examples of agricultural machinery and live farm animals. Although the museum officially opened in 1964, its roots stretch further back. Wilfred Crosland originally assembled the collection, and after his death, his sisters, Helen and Hannah, carried on his work. They appointed Bertram Frank—known as Bert—as the first curator. Bert was supported by his wife Evelyn and a team of devoted volunteers. Interestingly, the first public display of Wilfred’s collection took place in 1935.

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As I continue along the road, I glance to my right and admire the village in all its charm. Hutton-le-Hole must surely be one of the most picturesque villages in the North York Moors National Park. With its well-kept village greens, gently flowing streams, white-painted fencing, and traditional limestone cottages, it feels like something out of a picture postcard. Most of the buildings date from between 1650 and 1750, a time of increasing prosperity. Over the centuries, they’ve been attractively restored and maintained. Once, these cottages were overcrowded homes for weavers, spinners, smallholders, and labourers.

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I cross the road briefly to take a closer look at the memorial cross on one of the village greens. The monument is a plain Latin sandstone cross, set on a square plinth with a three-stepped base. The inscriptions commemorate local servicemen from the two world wars. From the First World War (1914–1918), twenty-seven names appear: twenty-five who served and returned, and two who died. The Second World War (1939–1945) is represented by one name, a soldier who did not return.

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St Chad’s Church, Hutton-le-Hole

Today’s Hutton-le-Hole walk takes me to three churches within the ancient parish of Lastingham. The first is St Chad’s Church, right here in Hutton-le-Hole. This church is a chapel-of-ease—essentially a daughter church—of St Mary’s in Lastingham, and remains under the care of its Vicar and Parochial Church Council. Records show that services were once held in the village schoolroom at the end of the 19th century. In 1901, a disused Congregationalist chapel, known as Zion Chapel and located next to the current site, was purchased and rededicated to St Chad. In 1934, this building was replaced with the present structure, again dedicated to St Chad, and it continues to serve the local community.

St Chad, for whom the church is named, was one of four brothers, including the better-known St Cedd of Lindisfarne. In 654, Cedd founded the original church at Lastingham as a Celtic monastery. After Cedd’s death in 664, Chad succeeded him as Abbot of Lastingham before later becoming Bishop of Lichfield. His feast day is observed on 2nd March. Inside the church are several notable features: a wooden altar with a stone mensa, an elegant oak reredos originally from Welburn Hall, and altar rails crafted by the celebrated Robert ‘Mouseman’ Thompson. The font and lectern came from Ryton Church, while the pews once stood in All Saints, Kirkbymoorside. The sanctuary contains post-war stained glass, depicting St Chad on the north side and, on the south, scenes of the Crucifixion and the Annunciation. A one-manual organ, built in the 1860s and believed to have started life as a chamber organ in a private home, was later used in a Methodist chapel in Scarborough.

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After spending time at St Chad’s, I leave the village behind and head across open fields and peaceful farmland. The path winds gently through woodland and eventually joins a quiet country lane leading towards Lastingham. I leave the road again and continue along a charming footpath that cuts across the moor. It’s an easy route to follow and a thoroughly enjoyable section of the walk.

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As I press on along the moorland path, the route dips briefly into a shallow valley before climbing steadily on the other side. The gradient is gentle, and the terrain is easy underfoot, making it accessible and pleasant. The weather is fine, and I pass several other walkers, all clearly enjoying their own versions of this scenic route.

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At the base of the valley, I cross a newly installed footbridge named Jennie’s Bridge. From there, the path climbs once again on the opposite bank. The bridge spans Hole Beck, a small stream that begins its course on Spaunton Moor a couple of miles to the north. Today, the stream runs shallow and clear—there’s been little recent rainfall—but I’ve seen it much livelier on wetter days.

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Climbing out of the valley, I arrive at a crossroads. It’s a popular resting point with a well-placed bench and far-reaching views. I take a few minutes to rest and enjoy a coffee. This spot lies roughly a third of a mile north of Lastingham, my next destination on this walk through the North York Moors.

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Also situated at the crossroads is a large, weathered stone marker. Carved into its face is a recessed cross, with inscriptions etched into the arms. The word ‘LASTINGHAM’ is prominently engraved across the horizontal bar. Above and below it are the dates AD 654 and AD 2000. I take this to mark the founding of Lastingham as a religious settlement in the 7th century, with the stone likely installed in 2000 to commemorate 1346 years of continuous Christian heritage.

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I follow a narrow road heading downhill to the south, known as High Street. As I walk, I pass the Lastingham Grange Country House Hotel on my left. Originally a 17th-century farmhouse, the building was transformed in the early 1920s into the elegant country house we see today. It adds a touch of refinement to this leg of my Hutton-le-Hole walk.

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At the foot of High Street, I reach a junction and turn right onto Front Street. My goal is to visit the Church of St Mary, as well as The Blacksmiths Arms, which sits nearby. Both are central to the historic heart of Lastingham and offer much to see and learn.

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Walking west along Front Street, I pass St Cedd’s Well. A small wooden plaque nearby bears the following inscription:

CEDD
Founder of Lastingham Abbey
AD 654
Died AD 664 and is buried in the church on the right side of the altar

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Church of St Mary, Lastingham

I soon arrive at the second of the three churches I plan to visit during this Hutton-le-Hole walk. This is the Church of St Mary, located at the centre of Lastingham. The church stands on the site of a Catholic monastery founded in AD 654. The current building, however, dates to the late 11th century and was later converted to an Anglican place of worship during the Reformation. Renowned for its religious significance and unique crypt, St Mary’s has long been a destination for pilgrims and those drawn to the region’s rich Christian heritage.

According to the Venerable Bede, monks established a wooden monastery at Lastingham in AD 654, on land granted by the King of Deira. St Cedd was appointed the first abbot, but he died of plague in 664. Initially buried in the open, his remains were later placed inside a church built around his grave. That early structure was eventually destroyed during centuries of Danish invasions. After Cedd’s death, his brother St Chad took over briefly as abbot before moving on to Lichfield. The relics of both brothers were later transferred to Lichfield, though it is believed that most of St Cedd’s remains still lie at Lastingham.

In 1078, William the Conqueror granted permission for a new church to be built on the site. Benedictine monks from Whitby began construction, but they abandoned the project after a decade—likely discouraged by the area’s isolation. Despite this, the church still stands as a rare example of Romanesque architecture with a clearly defined construction period. It was later converted to Anglicanism during the Reformation, but much of the original character remains intact.

From inside the church, I descend into the crypt—perhaps the most remarkable feature of St Mary’s. The crypt is built with three-foot-thick walls and is thought to be the oldest Norman crypt in existence that includes a nave, apse, and side aisles. It occupies the same footprint as the church above and is accessed by a staircase leading down from the nave. Inside, I find a square shaft indented with a piscina and four stone pillars, believed to predate the Norman Conquest. Astonishingly, historians think the crypt has remained unchanged since the time of William the Conqueror. Curiously, in the 18th century, cockfighting is said to have taken place here—though whether the clergy were aware of it is anyone’s guess.

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From the churchyard, I look across to The Blacksmiths Arms, a striking 17th-century pub still recognisable as a former row of cottages. Inside, low timber beams hang with pewter tankards, and a beautifully preserved York range sits at the heart of the bar, surrounded by polished copper pans. There are four distinct dining areas, including a snug, two formal rooms, a private space for up to six, and a secluded garden at the rear. The pub is known for its cask ales and rotating guest ciders. It has twice won York CAMRA’s Country Pub of the Season. There’s a warm, welcoming atmosphere here, and it’s always a pleasure to see fellow walkers enjoying a pint—another highlight on this Hutton-le-Hole walk.

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I return to the junction of High Street and Front Street, then continue south through Lastingham along Low Street. It’s a beautiful stretch, and the village itself is steeped in history. The name Lastingham first appears in Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English People as laestinga eu. This Old English name likely derives from a personal name, Læst, combined with -ing (denoting a group or descendants) and ēg, meaning ‘island’. Although the site isn’t a literal island, the name may refer to an ‘island’ of good land within surrounding moorland. Later, the element ēg was replaced by hām, a term used north of the Humber when places gained monasteries—examples include Hexham and Coldingham. The updated form, Lestingham or Lestinaham, first appears in the Domesday Book of 1086.

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I continue walking south through Lastingham, still following Low Street. This stretch through the village is one of the most scenic parts of the walk. As I approach the end of the street, I notice a white gate on my left. It leads across a small bridge into a beautifully kept garden.

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The garden is called Little Lime Pit Garth. The name suggests this may once have been the site of a lime kiln, used to burn limestone and produce quicklime. Quicklime was commonly used in agriculture and building, particularly for whitewashing cottage walls before modern emulsion paint became available. The stone crossing into the garden is a clapper bridge—a single slab of stone laid across the beck.

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Leaving Lastingham behind, I climb gently through Hagg Wood, then follow a quiet lane into the hamlet of Spaunton. According to the 2011 census, the population here was under 100. The name Spaunton comes from Old Norse and refers to a farmstead or settlement with shingle roofs. From 1974 to 2023, it was part of Ryedale district; it now falls under the unitary authority of North Yorkshire Council. Spaunton still maintains a Court Leet, a rare surviving example of this traditional form of manorial governance. Each October, the court meets to resolve cases involving encroachment onto common land and to impose fines where necessary. Its full name is the Manor of Spaunton Court Leet and Court Baron with View of Frankpledge. A tragic event in the village’s more recent history occurred on 7 October 1943, when a Lancaster bomber from No. 408 Squadron RCAF crashed into Spaunton with a full load of ordnance. One of the bombs detonated, killing a local resident, George Strickland, who had gone to investigate the noise. He is buried in Lastingham churchyard.

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At the western end of Spaunton, I come across another village pinfold. Like the one in Hutton-le-Hole, this structure was used to confine stray livestock until their owners reclaimed them—usually upon paying a fine to the village Pinder. Although pinfolds date back to the medieval period, this particular one is believed to be from the 18th century. It was restored in 2012 and is now a Grade II listed building.

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I leave Spaunton and head south along Spauntons Lane, a three-quarter-mile stretch across open countryside. The track is flat, easy to follow, and very enjoyable underfoot. With no major navigation challenges, it provides a peaceful and relaxing interlude within my wider Hutton-le-Hole walk.

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As I follow Spauntons Lane southward, the landscape to my right opens up with expansive views across the surrounding countryside. Despite the flat terrain, it’s a classic English summer scene. A golden crop sways gently in the breeze, neatly divided by the lines of a tractor’s path. Beyond, a patchwork of green fields unfolds, bordered by hedgerows and dotted with mature trees that break up the wide, open farmland.

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At the end of Spauntons Lane, I continue south along another rural track named Ings Balk, which stretches for about half a mile. This section is also flat and easy to follow. Ings Balk forms part of the Tabular Hills Walk, a 48-mile route linking the Cleveland Way between Helmsley and Scarborough. The Tabular Hills define the southern edge of the North York Moors National Park. Their name refers to their distinct table-like appearance—broad, level tops that rise gently from the south and then drop off sharply into steep, north-facing slopes.

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After Ings Balk, I turn east along South Ings Lane, a short third-of-a-mile track that also forms part of the Tabular Hills Walk. This pleasant stretch continues across farmland and eventually leads to the edge of Appleton-le-Moors. The peaceful scenery and clear route make this part of the journey another enjoyable segment of my Hutton-le-Hole walk.

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Christ Church, Appleton-le-Moors

As I near the end of South Ings Lane, I’m greeted by a striking, head-on view of Christ Church in Appleton-le-Moors. Built in the 19th century, the church was designed in meticulous detail by the acclaimed architect J. L. Pearson. Remarkably, the building has remained largely unchanged since its construction. Pearson is best known for designing Truro Cathedral and also led the extensive restoration of Lastingham Church in 1879.

Pearson was a deeply spiritual man, and his faith is evident in every aspect of Christ Church’s design. The Archbishop of York, William Thompson, once referred to it as “this little gem of moorland churches.” In English Parish Churches, architect George Pace described it as a church “finely conceived within and without by J. L. Pearson,” highlighting the distinctive apsidal chancel and the tower with its elegant spire. Constructed mainly from local stone, the church features striking external shafts made of red Mansfield stone and decorative bands of Rosedale ironstone. The layout includes a nave, aisles, and an apse at the east end—perhaps inspired by the mother church at Lastingham. An unusual feature is the narthex, or west porch, which opens into the building through twin doors flanking a Caenstone font. On either side are miniature pews designed for children, symbolising the early stages of a journey of faith. After baptism at the font, children would progress through Sunday School in these pews, then move to the nave, and eventually to the altar rail for full communion. The symbolism of this layout, and the fact that the original features remain in place, make Christ Church exceptionally rare.

At the east end of the north aisle is a chapel that was never completed, but may have been intended to house an altar-tomb with a recumbent effigy of Joseph Shepherd. The church’s tower and spire, which rise to 90 feet, are unusually positioned at the east end of the south aisle. Inside the tower is a fine peal of six bells, crafted by Mears and Stainbank—now known as the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. They are currently in need of restoration. The clock, labelled Boxell of Brighton but made by Smiths of Clerkenwell, was funded through public subscription in 1870. Construction of the church was carried out by local Appleton craftsmen: Messrs Smith, builders, and Messrs Tomlinson, joiners. The organ, made by Forster & Andrews, dates back to 1866 and remains a fine example of Victorian workmanship.

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From the church, I continue along the main road through the village of Appleton-le-Moors. Immaculately kept and rich in history, the village had a population of 183 at the 2001 census, falling to 164 by 2011. Historically part of the North Riding of Yorkshire, it became part of Ryedale in 1974 and now falls under the jurisdiction of North Yorkshire Council. Appleton-le-Moors is listed in the Domesday Book and still retains its mediaeval layout. The area is of archaeological interest, with finds including flint tools, Roman coins, and the remains of a mediaeval oven. The church and village hall, formerly the village school, were both built by Mary Shepherd, widow of Joseph Shepherd (1804–62). Born in Appleton-le-Moors, Joseph went to sea and eventually became a wealthy shipowner. He and Mary are buried in Lastingham churchyard. Joseph also built a house opposite the current church, which later became a country hotel in the 1980s and 1990s, before returning to use as a private residence. In the 1840s, Joseph briefly funded a teacher for village children, but this ceased after his sister Ann and her family emigrated to South Australia in 1843. Ann and her husband, Robert Shepherd, took twelve children with them.

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Leaving the centre of the village, I follow Headlands Road and pass by the Appleton Reading Room. Buildings like this were once found across the British Empire between the 1880s and the 1930s. They served multiple purposes, from chapels and sports clubs to temporary hospitals. The Appleton Reading Room was designed as a sober social space for the community—offering books, newspapers, and a three-quarter-sized billiard table. Built in 1911 by Speirs & Co, a Scottish firm specialising in prefabricated galvanised iron and timber structures, the building cost £75 to construct. Funding came from local donations—villagers contributed not just money, but also labour and materials. By the 1980s, however, the building had fallen into disuse. With numbers declining, the electricity was cut off and the doors locked. Around fifteen years ago, a group of committed locals restored the building. Supported by a National Park grant, they repainted it, replaced the roof, laid new carpet, and installed a stove. The rotten doors and windows were replaced with faithful reproductions. A further grant from Ryedale District Council provided new seating, blinds, a projection screen, and speakers. Thanks to this effort, the Reading Room is once again a vibrant community asset. It’s a fascinating and unexpected discovery on my Hutton-le-Hole walk.

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From Headlands Road, I climb gently towards South Hill and pass Spaunton Quarry on my left. Still within the bounds of the North York Moors National Park, the quarry lies to the west of Appleton-le-Moors. It was worked for limestone for over 170 years. Now that quarrying has ended, the Spaunton Estate is actively involved in restoring and improving the site, part of a broader effort to enhance the landscape and ecological value of the area.

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A short distance further along Lingmoor Lane, I find a peaceful rural scene. A line of mature deciduous trees stands beside a gently sloping meadow. Among them are oak, horse chestnut, and sycamore—each tree looking splendid and full of life. It’s a timeless stretch of countryside and a quiet moment that contrasts beautifully with the historical landmarks I’ve visited earlier in my Hutton-le-Hole walk.

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After another mile and a half across the open countryside, I finally return to the village of Hutton-le-Hole. It’s a fitting conclusion to my Hutton-le-Hole walk. The route through the village is tranquil and picturesque. Hutton Beck winds its clear waters through neatly mown grassy banks, splitting the village green in two. Sheep graze freely, keeping the grass short and adding to the idyllic charm. Hutton Beck eventually flows into the River Rye, via Catter Beck and the River Seven, forming part of the wider hydrological network of the North York Moors.

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At the top end of the village, I reach The Old School House Deli and Bakery. This family-run business is a welcome sight after a long day’s walk. The deli offers homemade breads, baked meats, cakes, scones, specialist cheeses, and continental delicacies, with options for vegans, vegetarians, and those requiring gluten-free produce. The building itself was originally the village schoolhouse, constructed in the 19th century and later extended in the early 20th. A charming bellcote still crowns the roof—a clear nod to the building’s original purpose, once used to signal the start of school sessions. It’s the perfect place to round off my Hutton-le-Hole walk with a well-earned treat.

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