The Bridestones – Medium Walk
Discover some mysterious rock formations, called the Bridestones in this walk in Dalby Forest. The walk can be short just to see The Bridestones or longer to include open moorland walking. This walk will guide you through the longer version. It will take approximately two hours to complete.
Getting ThereFrom Middlesbrough go up Ormesby Bank, then turn left onto Middlesbrough road. Follow the A171 to Whitby and then take the right turning to Sleights and stay on the A169. Look for the left turning indicated as Dalby Forest Drive. Stay on this road until you see another left turning to Dalby Forest. This will take you into Dalby Forest. You will reach a toll booth to enter the forest and there is a £7.00 charge to get into the forest.
The Bridestones Walk route
From the Bridestones car park northern side, commence the walk going past the National Trust marker. Take the right turn and then the left fork in the path.
Take the left path
You will now climb through the wood. At the right bear right through some birch
trees.
You will now reach open moorland and the Bridestones will be in sight. Make
your way towards them. There are two sets of Bridestones. The low Bride Stones are the ones on the path and you can follow the path further on to see the high Bridestones. The stones themselves are made from sandstone
and have been shaped due to weathering. The most distinguishable
stone is called the Pepper Pot.
Continue on until you reach the last of the low bridestones
and the path bears left. You can follow this path to reach the high Bridestones for a
detour. Otherwise carry on with your walk taking the moorland
route to the right.
Carry on this moorland track which eventually
meets a larger path to the edge of a regenerating
forest. Turn left and follow this path for another 800
metres.
When you reach the edge of the moor, turn left immediately
onto a track, keeping a wire fence on your right.
You will soon come to a pond. After the pond
climb a stile and onto turn left onto the farm track.
Follow this farm track until you come to a gate approach High Pastures Farm
Go through the gate and immediately to your right go through another gate and follow the fence on your left
Where the ground falls down
into a dip look for a gap on the left and follow the top edge of
the enclosure.
Towards the end of this
enclosure veer to the right and drop to a stile in the
bottom right corner
Climb diagonally through the next field to head for a gate
which will lead you onto a lane. Turn left and follow the lane to where it dips and beyond this
dip is a waymarked track to the left.
Keep ahead and through a gate into the Low Pastures Farmyard. Pass through the
farmyard and look for a signpost to the Bridestones.
Follow this path which descends through fields and into a
woodland. Over a stile carry on down and then follow a bend by
a cottage.
Go left past the front of the cottage, rising to walk away along a grassy path, which
later drops to cross a stream.
Continue by a fence to your left and you will eventually reach
the car park.