Osmotherley – Medium Walk

Starting from the popular village of Osmotherley, this walk climbs through woodland and then down through fields and bracken to the Cod Beck Reservoir. A detour can be made to visit the nearby Mount Grace Priory. Take a walking stick to help you negotiate the bracken on your route.

 Cod Beck Reservoir

Getting ThereFrom Middlesbrough follow the A19 south until you come to the sign for Osmotherley. This is a left turning after the Mount Grace Priory turning. Parking which can be sparse particularly at weekends, can be found at the roadside either in Osmotherley or on the road towards the Cod Beck Reservoir.

                                                                 Osmotherley Walk RouteThe WalkAfter parking on the roadside either in Osmotherley village or on the road towards Cod Beck reservoir, follow the road out of Osmotherley towards Cod Beck reservoir. Look for a left turning signposted to Scarth Nick.

 Scarth Nick Sign

Follow this track up as it rises and look for a fork in the road. Keep left at the fork in the road. The right fork will be signposted to Lady Chapel.

                                                               Take left fork in the pathThis stony track ends at Chapelwood Farm, and ahead of you will be a grass track through a gate. Go through the gate and follow the track until you reach a gate leading into the woods.

                             Gate to grass track and gate to the woodsGo through the gate into the woods. A few paces on the track forks. Take the right branch.

 Take right fork in path

 

Follow this path which rises steadily. Near the top it bends more steeply to the right. As it starts to bend back to the left look for a linear path to the right which is partly covered by bracken. 

 Path to the right

 

Follow this path which will shortly bend to the left to come to a field gate. This path can be covered with bracken in the summer. Your stick will come in handy  here!.  

 Bracken on path

 Gate to field

 

 

Follow the left edge of the field until you meet a walled road. Turn left and walk past some agricultural buildings until you come to you reach a footpath sign to the right. 

 Footpath sign

 Field track

 Follow the field path by the wall until you come to a stile. 

 Stile to bracken path

 

Follow the path through bracken, using your walking stick to clear the way. Descending carefully ensure you remain on the right side path with the valley below to your left. Eventually you will descend to meet a stone wall and follow this along to the right. Go through a gap in the crossing wall, then turn down left on a track to meet the road. Cod Beck Resorvoir can now be accessed further down this road to the left. 

 Cod Beck Reservoir

 Cross over the dam and follow a path that leads into the forest.  

 Path into the forest

 

  

After about  100metres take the second right turning which will take you into the forest. 

 Path into forest

 

Follow this path and shortly you will meet another path crossing to the right at a fence. Turn right and follow the path to a kissing gate. Go through the kissing gate and follow the path down to a building which is the Osmotherley Youth Hostel. 

 Youth Hostel

 

Now you can follow this road back up and onto the main road to Osmotherley. Osmotherley has three pubs for well earned refreshments. Osmotherley It is likely that Osmotherley means the clearing or 'ley' (pronounced lee), belonging to a Viking called 'Asmund' or a Saxon called 'Osmund'. There have been a number spellings of the Osmotherley over the centuries: the name appeared in the Domesday Book as Asmundrelac; it has also been known as Osmundeslay and Osmonderlay.However, fanciful local legend says that Osmotherley was named after the mother of a villager named Oswald or Osmund, who supposedly went out to gather firewood in the winter. When she did not return her son became anxious and went out to look for her. He found her lying in the snow, dead or dying from the cold. Because he was not able to carry her back, he lay down beside her and died himself. It is where Oswald's mother lies, hence Osmotherley.The village school was founded 1857, the present building dates from 1878. The school is now known as Osmotherley Primary School. It is located on School Lane and has 49 pupils.Osmotherley boasts three pubs within a 55-yard (50 m) radius: the Queen Catherine, the Three Tuns and the Golden Lion. The village was featured on BBC News and Sky News during the Wedding of Prince William of Wales and

Catherine Middleton, as it is the only village in the country to boast a pub with the name 'Queen Catherine'.The village is served by a newsagents, a 'Top Shop' store, a fish and chip shop, a Youth Hostel and an antique store.The shop that has served Osmotherley since 1786, 'Thompson', along with a recently opened Art and Craft Shop have recently closed.The public toilets are situated by the side of the Village Hall (which in turn is next to Church House, which hosts book sales and tea sales on Sundays and Bank Holidays.) These toilets have been voted the best in the UK on several occasions and are filled with flowers and decorated with pictures of horses.