7 minute read
myway
MYWAY deadman’s Hi
Over the years I have been trail riding, this green road has become one of my favourite go-to places to ride, and to be honest, I just like to sit on the hill and savour the area in solitude with only my Mars bar and a coffee for company. Apart, that is, from my trusty steed – Doug Cartwright, TRF Chair and Northern Director
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ituated in the Yorkshire Dales, Deadman ’ s Hill runs between Horsehouse to the north and Middlesmoor to the south, running directly across Scar House reservoir dam wall. It provides a key connector between a large group of roads to the north and south of the Yorkshire Dales. On GRM it has three GRMUID numbers: 11566, 11296 and 11297. Access is good, and it is mainly stone surfaced except for short section to the north. Some of the stone surfaces can be tricky in the wet and can catch out the inexperienced.
The very name
S
‘Deadman ’ s Hill’ has the ability to make you take notice! It has a history steeped in mystery and intrigue, and there is plenty of historical reference to three headless corpses that were found way back in the 1800s – by all accounts the culprit(s) was never apprehended. My delight is to sit up on the hill and look down on the reservoir on a beautiful, warm and sunny day, but this is Yorkshire and that rarely happens. When it does, though, it is sublime. On an overcast day, however, or in a thick easterly fog, it does have the ability to fuel my irrational fears and I
The TRF and GLASS combinedforces and the hill was repairedby the Highways Authority
imagine apparitions of headless corpses and axe murders!
My first visit was about 10 years ago and I’ m not sure why I ever returned. One particular section on the steep incline was an almost impossible mud climb but with a bit of teamwork we all managed to ascend it, only to be greeted by a park ranger and the local police constable asking for our details. Needless to say, we all passed the inquisition with flying colours albeit grumbling under our breaths.
It was several months later that, in my role as member of the North Yorkshire Local Access Forum, intel reached me that a permanent TRO was being sought. This caught my attention and led me to meet several ‘ antis ’ , who were determined to have this place of peace and solitude closed to motorised vehicles for ever. To cut a long story short, TRF and GLASS combined forces and contactednumerous stakeholders and authorities. The upshot was that the hill was repaired by the Highways Authority and the approaches to the north and south were repaired and financed by a volunteer team from several motoring organisations. This process took about three years and as I looked further into the history of access, I found it had been temporarily closed three times since 2000! ▲
MYWAY
DEADMAN’S HILL
I started using it more regularly after the repairs and now really enjoy the area, often using it as a starting point for walking. The dam itself was started in 1921 and operational by late 1936. In order to do that a complete town was created on the south side of the valley and employed thousands at the height of the construction. You can still see the remains of the town built for the workers –only the outline of the foundations is visible now, but by all accounts it had shops, a school, a cinema and a hospital. The stone was all mined locally and you can still see remnants of the quarries and even some of the old running gear. All that remains in a functioning state is a small building that is now run as an excellent tearoom with a car park and makes a great stop-off point during a ride.
When the water is high in the reservoir, which is usually in the winter, it is a most foreboding place as the wind howls down the valley and whips the water over the top of the dam wall. But in contrast in the summer, when the water is low, it is possible to see the remains of dry-stone walls and buildings, and more importantly for us the old road. An interesting piece of history records that when the Bradford Water Company built the dam, and effectively blocked the road, a stoppingup agreement was drawn up on 27 January 1933. This granted access to the dam wall and connecting roads to permit the flow of traffic. In perpetuity!
Although I have painted a picture of a place which might sound remote and is described by the ‘ antis ’ as a place of peace and solitude, it is far from that. On my many moments on the hill I have observed numerous DOE groups climbing the repaired section oblivious to the history, farmers and gamekeepers driving by in their quads, the occasional trail rider and cyclist, and on one occasion I was given a personal fly past by the RAF’ s finest ‘Topguns ’ . What I never see on that section are ramblers … go figure!
Deadman ’ s Hill, for me, is a place for the living, a place that we can all enjoy in whatever way we choose. As a member of the TRF I take comfort in the fact that as a conservation organisation we have done, and continue to do, our bit to preserve the history of, and access to, what is one of my favourite green roads.
Please join me for a coffee on the hill. ■
Tell us about your top-rated byway; what it’ s like to ride and why it’ s special to you. Send to Editor@trf.org.uk
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