North Walk
May Beck to Little Beck Wood (autumn) This makes a gorgeous autumnal walk, full of fallen leaves and mossy trees. It’s quite hilly in places but has well-worn paths and spectacular views – you can even see the sea on a clear day!
1 Starting in the car park, exit over the cattle grid and turn left to follow the ‘Coast to Coast’ footpath along the stream, which winds its way downwards with occasional paddling-sized pools through the bronzed woodland.
2 Once you reach Foss Lane, cross the bridge
offset by silvery tree trunks and a green-gold canopy. Explore ‘The Hermitage’ en-route – a hollowed-out boulder said to have been inhabited by an 18th-century hermit.
4 A dry-stone wall and Yorkshire Wildlife
Trust sign marks Little Beck Wood reserve. A (ideal for playing ‘pooh sticks’) and take the right mixture of oak, ash, alder, and cherry arch over fork (marked ‘Coast to Coast’). This crosses the the boardwalk and gives the path a more river again, bringing you to Falling Foss waterfall. secluded feel. Treasures abound around every Carved into a hollow inamongst the trees and corner, including a 17th century alum mine, a cascading an impressive 30 feet into a plunge lazily winding stream perfect for dippers, pool, the waterfall is well-worth a pause to enjoy clusters of fungi and a cacophony of birdsong - particularly sat with a hot drink at the nearby from tits and nuthatches overhead. tea rooms. 5 Exit through the gate, turn left and follow 3 Taking the left fork and being mindful of the the road down and around the bend. Cross the steep drop to one side, continue along the small stream on your left just before the bench path beside the beck. Here, wide to re-enter the reserve. carpets of rusty orange leaves are 6 The path slopes back upwards, through a gate at the top and along a bridleway through the farmland. Take in the wide open space, occasional drystone wall, and the autumnal Nuthatch crowns of the reserve woodland on your left.
7 Just after you pass the farm at the end of Foss Lane, take the middle path without a gate offroad and uphill. Enjoy the panoramic views towards Whitby as you go, and the woodland laid out below. Discover Yorkshire’s Wildlife