Danby Rigg (Slate Hill)

Trip No.32  Entry No.1  Date Added: 5th Jul 2017
Site Type: Marker Stone Country: England (Yorkshire (North))
Visited: Yes on 2nd Jul 2017. My rating: Condition 4 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Marker/Standing Stone & Trig Point, Danby Rigg, North Yorkshire: Not marked on the OS map, this stone sits within a couple of metres of Trig Point TP2728 (Danby Moor). It is sited almost on the eastern edge of Danby Rigg, where the ridge starts to slope sharply down to Little Fryup Dale. There is no information recorded about it on Pastscape, although their information for the area indicates a number of way markers, some scheduled, which mark the route of a medieval footpath which runs from Slate Head to Ainthorpe. Other way markers (such as this) mark out two separate footpaths from Little Fryup Dale in the east to Danby Dale at the western most side of the ridge. This sits at the side of the western most track, continuing the farm track east-west over the ridge.

The area has a long history and plays host to many features, including cairn cemeteries, cross dykes, cairn circles and round cairns, many dating to the Bronze Age and possibly Neolithic.

The easiest way to reach this stone and trig point is to walk from (or park at) the cross roads just to the south of Slate Hill House (where Castle Lane, New Way and Slate Hill meet). There is a farm track and a footpath starting almost from the same point up to the top of Danby Rigg. The footpath is somewhat overgrown and steep towards the top, so we followed the well used farm track which heads almost directly west then tracks north east up the slope. Almost as soon as the path levels out, you see the stone and the trig point. The views back towards where Little Fryup Dale meets Great Fryup Dale. The views across these valleys and northwards back towards Ainthorpe are stunning.

Danby Rigg Marker Stones

Trip No.32  Entry No.2  Date Added: 10th Jul 2017
Site Type: Marker Stone Country: England (Yorkshire (North))
Visited: Yes on 2nd Jul 2017. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Danby Rigg Marker Stones, North Yorkshire: I was really surprised to find these marker stones on top of the moor, running from the Standing Stone and trig point in line with Slate Hill to Danby Dale.

We didn't walk to all of them, as we wanted to get across to the cross dyke, round cairn and ring cairn on the northern side of the ridge.

As an olden-day traveller, particularly in winter months, I would have been grateful to have seen these stones marking the way. Beautiful views.

Danby Rigg Cross Dyke (Crossley Side)

Trip No.32  Entry No.3  Date Added: 5th Jul 2017
Site Type: Misc. Earthwork Country: England (Yorkshire (North))
Visited: Yes on 2nd Jul 2017. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Danby Rigg Cross Dyke (Crossley Side), North Yorkshire: From the standing stone (marker stone) and trig point, we walked along the footpath leading approx. north east along the eastern side of the ridge towards the large round cairn. I confess to having walked past this at first, almost reaching the round cairn, but turned round and spotted the long, low hump rising out of the heather.

Walking along the earthwork, it is made of earth and stones and feels substantial under the feet. What a view down to Lower Fryup Dale and Crossley House Farm below.

I was keen to photograph this and the cairn and move onto the 'stone circle'. So much to see on this ridge - it's a very complex Bronze Age landscape. I had no idea how much was here until we started walking. A very beautiful part of the world.

Danby Rigg (Crossley Gate)

Trip No.32  Entry No.4  Date Added: 5th Jul 2017
Site Type: Cairn Country: England (Yorkshire (North))
Visited: Yes on 2nd Jul 2017. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Round cairn overlooking Crossley Gate, Danby Rigg, North Yorkshire: From the other marker stones along the track between Little Fryup Dale and Danby Dale, we walked back to the trig point, then took the footpath (mountain bike track) headed north east along the path that runs along the eastern edge of Danby Rigg. There are great views down to Lower Fryup Dale below. Even I managed this path. There was a steady breeze, which got stronger as the afternoon progressed, but it was warm and relatively easy walking until we headed off into the heather.

We first saw the long, low cross dyke just before the cairn. This mound was largely hidden in the tall heather, which had just started to flower, attracting the steady buzz of the worker bees. I could make out the stones in the mound.

This cairn is just to the north of this cross dyke and is prominent with its stoney mound surrounded by bright green growth which shows up the circular nature of the feature. On the horizon to the west it looks as if other low cairns pop up out of the heather.

Danby Rigg Marker Stone (Crossley Gate)

Trip No.32  Entry No.5  Date Added: 10th Jul 2017
Site Type: Marker Stone Country: England (Yorkshire (North))
Visited: Yes on 2nd Jul 2017. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Danby Rigg Marker Stone (Crossley Gate), North Yorkshire: this isn't marked on the OS map, but it is scheduled and listed on Pastscape. It is in a beautiful spot looking east to Lower Fryup Dale and marks the junction of two paths - one which comes up from the valley to the east, the track that runs along the eastern side of the rigg, and the northern most track that leads across the rigg from Lower Fryup Dale to Danby Dale, leading past the ring cairn with standing stone.

The stone working markings on the stone make it look like a modern replica, although Pastscape says it's medieval. Being so close to the nearby cross-dyke and round cairn, it is very much like walking in the footsteps of the people who lived on the ridge all those many years ago.

Danby Rigg Cairn With Standing Stone

Trip No.32  Entry No.6  Date Added: 5th Jul 2017
Site Type: Ring Cairn Country: England (Yorkshire (North))
Visited: Yes on 2nd Jul 2017. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 3

Log Text: Danby Rigg Ring Cairn with Standing Stone, North Yorkshire: Of all the sites on Danby Rigg, this was the one I wanted to see most of all, especially after seeing the photos on the Portal, and I wasn't disappointed, although rather than a stone circle, I found a ring cairn with standing stone. The views to the west to Danby Dale and Little Fryup Dale were lovely on this cloudy, but warm, afternoon.

I was very aware of being in a very ancient landscape and there appeared to be many cairns popping out of the ground (where the heather had been burnt away) and vegetation covered low mounds everywhere.

The cairn is recorded on Pastscape (Monument ID 28809) and also Historic England, where the whole Danby Rigg landscape is recorded 'en masse'. The latter says: "The northernmost, which incorporates a standing stone, was excavated by Atkinson in 1863 and re-excavated in 1986-89. At the centre of the ring cairn there was a 1.7m by 1.1m pit containing two Bronze Age cremation urns and a large quantity of burnt bone. The stones of the ring bank were uncovered but not removed during the excavation and further archaeological remains are expected to survive underneath."

There was a further way marker along the track to the west towards Danby Dale.

Black Hill Cross (Glaisdale Rigg)

Trip No.32  Entry No.7  Date Added: 5th Jul 2017
Site Type: Ancient Cross Country: England (Yorkshire (North))
Visited: Yes on 2nd Jul 2017. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: Black Hill Cross, Glaisdale Rigg: From Danby Rigg, we made our way to Glaisdale Rigg. I’ve been to some surprisingly beautiful parts of England before, but this was Pretty with a capital ‘P’. We needed the map to follow the surprisingly windy (and hilly) roads through Street village to Glaisdale Rigg.

Whilst described as a standing stone on the OS map this is clearly an old cross base with a more recent cross shaft wedged in. It must have been a very welcome sight to travellers, especially during winter months, in this very isolated piece of moorland. Well worth stopping to appreciate the views, especially as it was on our way to Hart Leap.

Glaisdale Rigg Tall Cairn

Trip No.32  Entry No.8  Date Added: 5th Jul 2017
Site Type: Cairn Country: England (Yorkshire (North))
Visited: Yes on 2nd Jul 2017. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4

Log Text: Glaisdale Rigg Dry Stone Cairn, North Yorkshire: I spotted this whilst we were walking along the road to find Hart Leap. It looks relatively modern (there are lots of grouse shooting butts in the area) but by this late in the evening and after having walked seemingly miles across knee deep heather, my feet and ankles declined to go any further on this uneven ground, so I admired it from a distance.

When I got home, I found out it featured on the North Yorkshire Moors CAM web site from 2001, asking anyone who knew when and why this was built to contact them. I sent an email off to the author who replied virtually by return. He told me they never did find out any information, but he "did read that it was there in 1965."

Hart Leap Stones

Trip No.32  Entry No.9  Date Added: 6th Jul 2017
Site Type: Misc. Earthwork Country: England (Yorkshire (North))
Visited: Yes on 2nd Jul 2017. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: Hart Leap, Glaisdale Rigg: From the Black Hill Cross/Standing Stone, despite having the grid references for this site, we drove past it twice and had to park up and get out and explore. Fortunately there was a moorland track heading eastwards across the moor with room to pull up in. In driving further north along the road, there is another trig point, TP3365 (Glaisdale Rigg).

Exploring first to the east of the road, we spotted two stones lying low in the grass. The earthwork is barely discernible on the eastern side of the road, but is much clearer on the west. We walked the bank on the western side. The Historic England entry mentions a third stone on the eastern side of the road, but we didn’t spot this.

I’m certainly pleased to have been ‘out and about’ with the archaeology group, as at least I could start to interpret what I was seeing on the ground. The site has superb views over Great Fryup Dale.

Glaisdale Rigg (Hill Top)

Trip No.32  Entry No.10  Date Added: 6th Jul 2017
Site Type: Marker Stone Country: England (Yorkshire (North))
Visited: Yes on 2nd Jul 2017. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 5

Log Text: Glaisdale Rigg Standing Stone: From Hart Leap, we were making our way home. Spotting this, I got my husband to virtually do an emergency stop as I spotted this stone at the side of the road. There is nothing on Pastscape or Historic England about this stone, but it lies just under 700 metres north north east of Black Hill Cross/Standing Stone.

It stands proudly at the western side of Glaisdale Rigg, about a metre or so from the western side of the moorland road, virtually in line with Hill Top Farm in the valley below. It has great views over Great Fryup Dale, and looking south west to where Great and Little Fryup Dales meet.

It was a nice find to end the evening with.