Your Day Out: Wave of welcome in village of Burniston

I understand that in the time of Queen Victoria’s jubilee, there was so much food provided here for the children’s party, that they had to return after school for a week to eat it all!

Burniston once had a Methodist Church and a Baptist Chapel, but the latter was demolished.

Smuggling used to take place in Burniston and Cloughton, and a smuggling murder took place in 1823, in a cottage situated in the High Street, William Mead shot James Law of Staintondale from an upstairs window of his home.

Employment for local workmen was in quarrying for sandstone. Lime kilns also operated here. Lime was obtained from Suffield (near Hackness). This was mixed with coal and wood, and burnt in kilns, leaving slaked lime for fertiliser.

Start from The Three Jolly Sailors, where you may choose to enjoy a hearty meal before departure.

Leaving, turn right to continue up Scalby Road and beyond the BMW Garage, turn left near traffic lights, along Limestone Road, passing Lindhead School to your right almost immediately.

At a forking of lanes keep left on Limestone Road between properties. Continue rising up the hill, passing bungalows and Limestone Way to your right, overlooking fields. Also observed are Applegrove Country Park; then Harmony Country Lodge B&B, and stables beyond.

Near the brow of the hill turn left as signed to Scalby. This narrow country lane traverses arable land with several trees in the vicinity. You may find a sales table off left selling logs and eggs. From here you have fine, open views across green fields extending to the sea. You may also see barn owls.

On the four occasions we’ve explored this route as dusk descended, we’ve been delighted to view barn owls quartering fields and hedge boundaries for prey, such as mice, voles, and rats. It appears a ghostly white in flight, but at rest has mainly golden brown plumage. Its call is a long, blood-curdling screech. It also hisses, snores, and barks. Do look out for it on an early evening stroll.

Reaching the hilltop is a road junction sign. Keep straight on to Scalby, descending the hedged lane by tall pine and holly hedging etc to pass Barmoor House. Beyond is Barmoor Grange, with Wrea Head almost opposite, and Barmoor Farm House.

As the hedged lane levels, and enters the 30mph zone, Wrea Head Cottages feature off right, and then Foulsyke Cottages. Then, to your left is Foulsyke Farm; the Foulsyke Coffee House, and Foulsyke Stables, before the ford is reached. No doubt you’ll be longing for refreshment at the coffee house, if you see a notice board outside. Then, feeling refreshed, cross the ford ahead and maybe feed the welcoming Canada geese and mallard by the pond.

Ascending Barmoor Lane you pass a row of bungalows to your right, and re-enter the A171 Scalby Road. Either turn left to walk alongside the road back to The Three Jolly Sailors, or catch a bus nearby to return to your original departure point.

NB should the weather and ground conditions be suitable, there’s an alternate return arrowed green on the map. Just walk about halfway northwards beside Scalby Road as far as Swarthlands Lane. Here, near a bus stop, turn off left towards a farm, and then turn right across fields, and a final public footpath to the right returns you to a point opposite The Three Jolly Sailors.

Access: Ordnance Survey map provides details: Explorer Map OL27 North York Moors eastern area. Scale 2.5 inches to 1 mile.

Distance: 3.5-4 miles.

Refreshment: Three Jolly Sailors and Foulsyke Coffee House.

Transport: East Yorkshire bus services; Arriva 93 Whitby; 15 Cloughton and 115 Ravenscar.