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Fieldnotes
| Access a fairly long and 'reasonably' strenuous walk on a generally decentish path, but with stiles, streams and gullies to cross, as well as the North Yorks Steam Railway track…. Moor could be boggy pretty easily too. Saturday 23 August 2003 This is my kind of place. A picturesque and longish walk from the nearest road, the cairn(s) of Simon Howe were always likely to be popular with me! And when you get there, a beautifully ruined cairn, another (rather underwhelming) cairn, and to add definite icing to the cake, a 4 stone row…. Heading North on the A169, past the Hole of Horcum look out for a sharpish lefthand bend in a valley, crossing Eller Beck Bridge. Luckily I spotted it early and was able to pull into a wide grassy lane on the left at SE857982. It's not very driveable(!) but there's plenty of room for parking before it narrows to a track and then to paths. I walked up the lane for a very short distance and went straight on along a narrower but clear path as the lane bent left. This path soon bears right into a little valley, crossing a tiny muddy bit of low land with a stile. There may even be a stream at time. Just past this point is the North Yorks Moors Steam Railway track. Keep an eye and ear open – you just might be lucky enough (or unlucky enough) to see a train pass. I did – and rather nice it was too. I simply kept faith and followed this obvious path for a couple of miles across the moor until it reached the cairn. If you use the Landranger map, note that you do NOT have to leave this path to reach Simon Howe. I really am developing a bit of a fetish for cairn kerbs, kerb-cairns and cairn circles! This ruined cairn certainly has what remains of a beautiful kerb! Decent sized stones eased back from the perpendicular, leaning outwards at the top. A bit crown or crown of thorns-like – in this respect reminding me very slightly of my beloved Bryn Cader Faner. Just to the NNW are the remains of a low flattened cairn with one stone stood at its edge. Looks like a remaining kerbstone to me. And between the cairns lies the 4 stone row!!! Two stones are fallen and one of the stones that remains standing is at a crazy angle. And what a commanding position! To the north it is reasonably easy to make out the silhouettes of the Two Howes and to the west is Howl Moor. For me Simon Howe has it all – the 'journey' the 'monument' and the setting. I loved it. (Didn't even mind the grouse butt!) This post appears as part of the weblog entry Pottering around Pickering
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Posted by Moth14th September 2003ce Edited 15th September 2003ce
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