A walk to a mysterious group of rocks in Dalby Forest

1. The Bridestones
– Medium Walk

2. Discover some mysterious rock
formations, called the Bridestones in
this walk in Dalby Forest. The walk
can be short just to see The
Bridestones or longer to include open
moorland walking. This walk will
guide you through the longer version.
It will take approximately two hours
to complete.

3. Getting There
From Middlesbrough go up Ormesby Bank,
then turn left onto Middlesbrough road.
Follow the A171 to Whitby and then take
the right turning to Sleights and stay on
the A169. Look for the left turning
indicated as Dalby Forest Drive. Stay on
this road until you see another left turning
to Dalby Forest. This will take you into
Dalby Forest. You will reach a toll booth to
enter the forest and there is a £7.00
charge to get into the forest.

4. The Bridestones Walk route

5. From the Bridestones car park
northern side, commence the
walk going past the National
Trust marker. Take the right
turn and then the left fork in
the path.

6. Take the left path

7. You will now climb through
the wood. At the right bear
right through some birch
trees.

8. You will now reach open moorland
and the Bridestones will be in sight.
Make your way towards them. There
are two sets of Bridestones. The low
Bride Stones are the ones on the path
and you can follow the path further
on to see the high Bridestones. The
stones themselves are made from
sandstone and have been shaped due
to weathering. The most
distinguishable stone is called the
Pepper Pot.

11. Continue on until you reach
the last of the low bridestones
and the path bears left. You
can follow this path to reach
the high Bridestones for a
detour. Otherwise carry on
with your walk taking the
moorland route to the right.

12. Carry on this moorland
track which eventually
meets a larger path to the
edge of a regenerating
forest. Turn left and follow
this path for another 800
metres.

13. When you reach the edge of
the moor, turn left immediately
onto a track, keeping a wire
fence on your right.

14. You will soon come to a
pond. After the pond
climb a stile and onto
turn left onto the
farm track.

15. Follow this farm track until
you come to a gate approach
High Pastures Farm

16. Go through the gate and
immediately to your right
go through another gate
and follow the fence on
your left

17. Where the ground falls down
into a dip look for a gap on
the left and follow the top
edge of the enclosure.

18. Towards the end of this
enclosure veer to the right
and drop to a stile in the
bottom right corner

19. Climb diagonally through the
next field to head for a gate
which will lead you onto a lane.
Turn left and follow the lane to
where it dips and beyond this
dip is a waymarked track to the
left.

20. Keep ahead and through a
gate into the Low Pastures
Farmyard. Pass through the
farmyard and look for a
signpost to the Bridestones.

21. Follow this path which descends
through fields and into a
woodland. Over a stile carry on
down and then follow a bend by
a cottage.

22. Go left past the front of the
cottage, rising to walk away
along a grassy path, which
later drops to cross a
stream.

23. Continue by a fence to your left
and you will eventually reach
the car park.