Went for a short (6 kilometres) easy walk along forest roads out to Jerry Noddle (yes it is a place but does sound like a band member from Slade!) from Bickley Gate Car Park (Grid reference – SE 91079 91035)- our nearest car park in Dalby Forest. You can get to Bickley Gate Car Park from our self catering holiday cottages by turning right as you leave our entrance and head up hill with Chafer Wood on your left. The trick is, you just need to keep going 🙂 Once the tarmac’d road runs out you can carry straight on (driving carefully to avoid the pot holes) using forest tracks to get to the tarmac’d road on the other side which takes you to Bickley Gate Car Park.
From the car park head briefly down hill until you see a forest access road that is gated on the left. Simply follow that until you attain another access road (SE9039 9110) and then turn right and keep following that all the way to Jerry Noddle where you will find a rather surprising piece of public art. At Jerry Noddle you get some great views down on to Bickley and to Crosscliffe. You may also see the top of RAF Fylingdales as you continue on the walk.
From Jerry Noddle head west, following the well made forest access road. There are fantastic views across the North York Moors National Park and you may be able to discern Blakey Topping as well. The folklore around Blakey Topping is that a local witch had sold her soul to the devil, but when he claimed it, she refused, and flew over the moors to escape, with the devil in hot pursuit. He could not catch her, so he grabbed up a handful of earth and flung it at her, he missed and she escaped. The nearby Hole of Horcum remains to prove where he tore up the earth and Blakey Topping is where it fell to the ground.
Following the forest track you’ll arrive at a junction, turn left and keep following the track, which becomes an access road to another Dalby Forest car park until you get to side track beside what is an old burial mound (SE 9024 9097). This will bring you back to SE9039 9110 and the track that leads you back to the car park at Bickley Gate.
Our five holiday cottages in North Yorkshire are just on the edge of the North York Moors National Park and 20 minutes from the Yorkshire Coast. Half way between the market town of Pickering and the seaside town of Scarborough, we offer a perfect year round base for exploring the foodie delights of the area. Our range of five cottages include a 6 person cottage with one en suite and a further 2 bathrooms, as well as smaller cottages suitable for couples and people travelling own their own. All of our cottages are set within 2 acres of grounds, are dog friendly and all cottages have access to our indoor heated swimming pool. As “Walking Friendly” accommodation, we supply maps and local guide books with details of lots of local walks – also as we live on site we are also on hand to recommend a walk or two!
