There is a short steep climb from Cracoe to Rylstone Cross set on the edge of Embsay Moor. A short distance away lies Cracoe Monument. This offers a pleasant half day circuit.
Even though I have included Rylstone Cross and Cracoe Monument on a separate walk from far away Embsay I fancied a closer exploration of the gritstone rock scar on which they stand. As a result this necessitated a walk from the west. Hetton was my choice to start even though it was half a mile further than Rylstone or Cracoe. However a pint sat outside the Angel was a suitably attractive incentive.
The moor (access land) is soon reached from Hetton via Rylstone (home of the Calendar Girls). On arrival as the scarp the views are dominated by the bleak peaty moorland stretching far to the west and south. However the walk sticks to the escarpment edge and is great fun. First Rylstone Cross is reached. The cross was originally of stone built to commemorate Rylstone Man. However after an interlude a wooden cross replaced the stone in 1947. A mile further on Cracoe Monument (a war monument for the residents of Cracoe and nearby farms) is spectacularly perched on outcrops of sandy rock. The views overlooking the dales below are excellent. Finally the path drops steeply towards Cracoe and a short walk back to Hetton. The pleasure of this walk though is the path on the escarpment and the scrambling on the boulders that line the escarpment.
There is a Marilyn Thorpe Fell one mile to the north east of Cracoe Monument….trackless to get to from here.
To find the Marilyn of Thorpe Hill follow the wall north from the monument for three quarters of a mile to a small stream. Then take a bearing east and follow it accurately to the trig point. It is easy to return the same way.
Walked this last Sunday. I clocked it at closer to 8 miles and close to 3 hours (and I’m a fairly brisk walker with minimal stops). Windy on top…but great views all along the tops between Rylstone Cross and the Memorial. Path down from the memorial is not overly clear. it’s fine once you pick up the path ..but easy to lose again lower down and rather wet and boggy. Also not a big fan of on road walking which finished off the route from Cracoe back to Hetton. So really a walk of two halves .. route up and the tops were stunning .. route back a bit of a slog .. in poor weather with limited visibility I would suggest retracing your steps for the return to Hetton
There is not a path on my map from the war memorial down to Cracoe. Is there one on the ground please? Sue.
Both the Angel at Hetton and The Devonshire Arms Country Inn at Cracoe are under new management. The Devonshire is by far the more welcoming and Martin the chef does good hearty meals, while the Angel suffers delusions of grandeur with prices to match.
well said. New owner of the Angel needs to be more humble, take a leaf from Tommy Banks.
Lovely walk from Rylstone upto and along the moor even though the wind terrible today but how oh how do you get down and across the lower slopes wtihout getting stuck in the peat bogs; having sunk upto my waist in boggy water, the walk back to the Angel was awfully long, cold and wet. Mercifully, the Angel was warm and they averted their eyes considerately from my bog soaked clothes!
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