Sutton Bank is a hill in the
Hambleton District
Hambleton is a local government district in North Yorkshire, England. The administrative centre is Northallerton, and the district includes the outlying towns and villages of Bedale, Thirsk, Great Ayton, Stokesley, and Easingwold.
The dist ...
of the
North York Moors National Park
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.
Etymology
The word ''north'' is ...
,
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...
in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. It is a high point on the
Hambleton Hills
The Hambleton Hills are a range of hills in North Yorkshire, England. They form the western edge of the North York Moors but are separated from the moors by the valley of the River Rye. They are the eastern boundary of the low-lying Vale of ...
with extensive views over the
Vale of York
The Vale of York is an area of flat land in the northeast of England. The vale is a major agricultural area and serves as the main north–south transport corridor for Northern England.
The Vale of York is often supposed to stretch from the R ...
and the
Vale of Mowbray
The Vale of Mowbray (sometimes mistakenly referred to as the Vale of York) is a stretch of low-lying land between the North York Moors and the Hambleton Hills to the east and the Yorkshire Dales to the west. To the north lie the Cleveland low ...
.
At the foot of Sutton Bank lies the village of
Sutton-under-Whitestonecliffe
Sutton-under-Whitestonecliffe is a village and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the North Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated on the A170 at the foot of Sutton Bank, about three miles ...
; at 27 letters long, it has the longest hyphenated placename in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.
The
A170 road
The A170 is an A road in North Yorkshire, England that links Thirsk with Scarborough through Hambleton, Helmsley, Kirkbysmoorside, Pickering. The road is ; a single carriageway for almost its totality.
The route has been in existence since pr ...
runs down the bank with a maximum
gradient
In vector calculus, the gradient of a scalar-valued differentiable function of several variables is the vector field (or vector-valued function) \nabla f whose value at a point p is the "direction and rate of fastest increase". If the gradi ...
of 1 in 4 (25%), and including a
hairpin bend
A hairpin turn (also hairpin bend or hairpin corner) is a bend in a road with a very acute inner angle, making it necessary for an oncoming vehicle to turn about 180° to continue on the road. It is named for its resemblance to a bent metal hai ...
. Vehicles have to keep in low gear whilst travelling up or down the bank, and caravans are banned from using the section.
History
Just to the south of Sutton Bank is Roulston Scar, the site of one of the most important prehistoric monuments in the region—a massive hillfort built in the
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...
, around 400 BC.
It was the approximate location of the
Battle of Old Byland
The Battle of Old Byland (also known as the Battle of Byland Abbey, the Battle of Byland Moor and the Battle of Scotch Corner) was a significant encounter between Scots and English troops in Yorkshire in October 1322, forming part of the War ...
in which the Scots won a major victory over the English on 14 October 1322. King
Robert the Bruce
Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (Scottish Gaelic: ''Raibeart an Bruis''), was King of Scots from 1306 to his death in 1329. One of the most renowned warriors of his generation, Robert eventual ...
had made a forced march with his army in an attempt to surprise the English army which was retreating from a failed invasion of Scotland.
John of Brittany
John of Brittany (french: Jean de Bretagne; c. 1266 – 17 January 1334), 4th Earl of Richmond, was an English nobleman and a member of the Ducal house of Brittany, the House of Dreux. He entered royal service in England under his uncle Ed ...
, Earl of Richmond held the heights of Sutton Bank while
King Edward II
Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to the ...
with his Queen had withdrawn to
Rievaulx Abbey
Rievaulx Abbey was a Cistercian abbey in Rievaulx, near Helmsley, in the North York Moors National Park, North Yorkshire, England. It was one of the great abbeys in England until it was seized in 1538 under Henry VIII during the Dissolutio ...
about to the south-east. The Scots fought their way up the steep hillside to totally defeat the Earl whom they took prisoner. King Edward fled ahead of Sir Walter Stewart's forces leaving behind in the Abbey the Great Seal of England and much treasure.
In 1981 a body was found at Sutton Bank. She was never identified and she became known as the
Sutton Bank Body.
In 2016 Sutton Bank was included on the route of the third stage of the
Tour de Yorkshire
The Tour de Yorkshire is a road cycling race in the historic county of Yorkshire, England which first took place in May 2015. It is promoted by the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) and is rated as a 2.HC event as part of the UCI Europe Tour. ...
cycle race.
Recreation
Because it faces the prevailing westerly winds, Sutton Bank has been used for ridge soaring since the early 1930s for the sport of
gliding
Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word ''soaring'' is al ...
. The
Yorkshire Gliding Club
The Yorkshire Gliding Club (YGC) operate from an airfieldSutton Bank was mentioned in the House of Lords in the year 2000 as being an ''aerodrome'' as this would restrict open access to the site on the grounds that the flying activity on the site ...
is based at the top of the hill.
Also at the top of the hill is the Sutton Bank National Park Centre, where a high-tech Lime & Ice exhibition tells the story of how the iconic landscape and view came to be through the dramatic action of ice age glaciers. There is also an official tourist information centre, a tea room and a gift shop. Outside, there is a car park, from where pushchair and wheelchair friendly paths leading to a viewing platform, which offers views of Roulston Scar,
Hood Hill
Hood Hill is a small peak on the western side of the Hambleton Hills in North Yorkshire. The hill is high, and is a layer of Coralline Oolite on top of sandstone. The hill is noted for being conically-shaped, and being part of the view westwar ...
,
Gormire Lake and beyond. There are many legends about Gormire Lake, one of which is that there is a submerged village beneath its waters.
There are many other walking trails close by, including southwards to the popular
White Horse of Kilburn. The long
Cleveland Way
The Cleveland Way is a National Trail in the historic area of Cleveland in North Yorkshire, northern England. It runs between Helmsley and the Brigg at Filey, skirting the North York Moors National Park.
History
Development of the Clevela ...
National Trail
National Trails are long distance footpaths and bridleways in England and Wales. They are administered by Natural England, a statutory agency of the UK government, and Natural Resources Wales (successor body to the Countryside Council for Wa ...
crosses over Sutton Bank. It includes a spur to the White Horse of Kilburn.
The
North York Moors
The North York Moors is an upland area in north-eastern Yorkshire, England. It contains one of the largest expanses of Calluna, heather moorland in the United Kingdom. The area was designated as a national parks of England and Wales, National P ...
National Park Authority has developed new cycle trails, which use a mixture of natural and man made trails similar to those found in a purpose built trail centre. Using the same style of trail marking, the mountain biking trails available are:
* 'Cliff' - 3 mile green mostly level, circular off-road cycle trail for families that in part follows the famous cliff edge. The trail opened at the end of 2013
* 'Fort' - 9 mile blue trail with 361m ascent/descent (70% stone, 30% natural surface) runs out past the site of the Iron Age fort at Boltby Scar. A shorter loop of 6 miles avoids the ascent/descent and is suitable for families. The Fort route also includes part of the Cliff Trail along the cliff edge.
* 'Paradise' - 17-mile 'red' trail, making use of existing bridleways that have been upgraded but are shared with walkers and horse riders.
There is also a purpose-built bike skills area and a new cycle centre, Sutton Bank Bikes, offers cycle hire, training and skills courses, a bike wash, repair and servicing and a fully stocked cycle shop.
Sutton Bank is an official Dark Sky Discovery Site, one of two in the
North York Moors
The North York Moors is an upland area in north-eastern Yorkshire, England. It contains one of the largest expanses of Calluna, heather moorland in the United Kingdom. The area was designated as a national parks of England and Wales, National P ...
.
North York Moors National Park Authority - Dark Skies
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References
External links
Official website
Sutton Bank Bikes
*Panoramic views from Sutton Ban
here
an
here
{{Authority control
Mountains and hills of North Yorkshire
North York Moors