Swinsty Beaver Dyke

From Stack Point car park point 1 on the eastern side of Swinsty Reservoir, cross the causeway, over an inlet to the reservoir and turn left onto a grassy track between the reservoir and the plantation at point 2. After a few hundred metres, follow the track to the right away from the reservoir.  At a beech tree with two way markers head straight on, follow the left hand wall and then go through the wall, over a small stream to a stile into a field. Head diagonally left to a stile beside a gate, keep close to the left-hand wall and continue to another gate leading into a lane next to a wooden sheep shed. At the end of this short lane, cross the main road, go across the car park of the Sun Inn at point 3 (time to go inside after you've done the walk!).

Now walk along a lane past several barns.  At a bend in the lane the footpath goes through the wall on the left just off the track. Head downhill and slightly to the left to a stile in a derelict wall.  Keep the wall on your right and proceed to a gateway and then head diagonally left across the next field to a waymarked stile in the far corner.  Cross the ditch by the footbridge and go straight ahead to the gateway opposite, go straight across and follow the waymarkers: the route heads uphill through a field towards a small wood.  Go along the sunken lane, point 4, on the upper edge of the wood and through the gate at the end.

Follow the lane, which is an ancient earthwork until, after some distance, the path turns left through a gate onto a track.  After a few metres, turn right at a footpath sign and cross 2 pastures leading to a bench overlooking Haverah Park and the reservoirs, just below a ruined farm building.  Cross several more pastures heading towards point 5.  Keep parallel to and above John O' Gaunt's Reservoir, descending through woodland to the edge of dam between the two reservoirs. Cross the stile next to the gate and cross over the dam at point 6.

At the far side of the dam, go through a small gate on the right; walk up a sunken lane to the buildings at Haverah Park Top point 7.  Go past the buildings and head downhill back towards the head of John O'Gaunt's reservoir. After a short descent, cross a stile by a holly tree, point 8, and head back up towards East End Manor.  The original line of the public footpath has been diverted around the manor garden, but this is waymarked.  Cross 2 pastures diagonally, with stiles in each wall, and then keeping the wall on your right cross 2 more pastures to arrive at Brown Bank Farm point 9.

Go through two gates, then at the far end of the buildings, turn right and go through a gate into a large pasture, sloping downhill.  Aim for a large holly tree, go down the bank to its left and head for a footbridge near point 10 and stile beyond.  Cross several more pastures keeping a wall immediately on your left, until you arrive back at a stile next to the gate point 11 that leads back to the Sun Inn at point 3.

Here you can either retrace the start of the walk back to the car park or, for a little variety, turn left along the wide verge of the B6451, and then turn right along Smithson's Lane and so back to the car park.

OS Map: Pathfinder 663 - Harrogate

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