A Circular Walk from Sinnington
Distance: 5½ miles Start: Sinnington village Grid Ref 745 856 Refreshments: The New Inn, Cropton, Tel 01751 417330.
The lovely, riverside village of Sinnington is situated just north of the A171 between Kirkbymoorside and Pickering. It is particularly picturesque in spring time when daffodils are in bloom. The route takes you through woods where primroses, violets and wild anemones grow in profusion in March/April.
Leave the village in a northerly direction, passing the lane leading up to the church. Go past the "No through road" sign, and take the bridleway to the left down to the river. Then follow the footpath to the right along the edge of the woodland.
The path curves up into the woods. When you come to a crossing of paths, go straight ahead and follow the path down to a field. Cross the stile and take the grass track across the middle of the pasture. Take the right-hand fork then curve left into the woods. Continue parallel to Cropton Beck at the top of the bank.
The path then descends to the river level and bears to the right of a field. Continue along the bottom edge of the woods to a wooden gate. Bear right here going gradually uphill until you reach a lane. Turn right along the lane and go up through the trees.
At the next junction, take the left fork through trees down to a gate. Walk along the lane through a second gate to a wooden signpost. Carry on straight ahead towards Cropton. Cross a stile and go through three gates until you reach a farm track.
Go straight on through another gate until you reach the minor road. Turn right uphill into the village of Cropton. Bear right towards the church, then sharp right to the New Inn. Continue past the inn in a southerly direction and turn right on to the bridleway (Bull Ing Lane). Keep going straight ahead ignoring a path to the right. When the path divides three ways, take the middle route which bears right through a gate into a field.
Follow the path diagonally across the field to a farm gate. Go through and follow the top edge of the pasture to a single gate. Follow the path round to the left at the top of the tree-covered slope. When the path divides, bear right along the edge of the trees. After bearing left, you will come to a single gate leading into a more thickly wooded area.
When you come to the next fork, take the upper (left-hand) route. Ignore paths branching off to the right and continue along the edge of the woods. At the end of the woods ignore the stile leading across the field to the right and continue on the upper, left-hand path along the top of the slope with hedgerow to your right.
At the end of the field with wire fence on your left, turn right and follow the lane downhill between two hedges. At the path junction, turn left along the lane to The Hall. Follow the track round into the farmyard (right then left) then on to the drive towards Sinnington village. Pass the church on your left and go down to the bottom of the lane. Turn left into the village.
The following sketch map was kindly provided by Clive Inman.