Todays journey, along the Way, follows the western edge of the Hambleton Hills overlooking the Vale of York. The terrain is fairly level allowing a good pace to be achieved and the views are excellent. Between Sutton Bank and Osmotherley opportunities for refreshments are lacking so be sure to take sufficient snacks and drinks for the full distance.
Resuming from the White Horse we follow the ridge back along Roulston Scar to Sutton Bank. This is a good place to watch for moorland raptors; buzzards and red kite are regularly spotted souring over the valley searching for their prey. The valley separating Roulston Scar and Hood Hill is known as the Happy Valley but the distance between them is inauspiciously called the Devil’s Leap. Legend asserts that the Devil, pursued by the forces of good, leapt from Roulston Scar with a massive stone adhering to his foot. The heat melted a hole in the top of the stone. He carried the stone across the valley setting it down on the ridge of Hood Hill. The stone, weighing some 16 to 20 tons, is said to have been used as an altar by the Druids and it does have a curious mark
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Herds of between 200 and 300 cattle were driven south along this road from Scotland. The drovers travelled 10 to 15 miles (16-24km) each day and the columns of animals often stretched for over 2 miles (3km). There were regular stopping places along the route, known as stances. These usually had an inn and essential grazing for the cattle. Limekiln House was one of these stances. It was last occupied in 1890, but was demolished in 1953 after becoming unsafe. When the cattle had been sold the drover had to walk back along the drove road to pay his employers. He now had to contend with the constant threat of robbery along the Thieves’ Highway — an alternative name for the Hambleton Drove