Share with Care

Share with Care

We’ve lived in the North York Moors for almost 11 years. Before then we’ve lived in suburban areas as well as cities and towns. We loved the countryside for weekend walks but living in it has given us a different perspective. It’s made us appreciate how important it is to keep the North York Moors special for everyone to enjoy.

Some of the things we’ve learned as ex-townies are:

• We can have four seasons in one day (sometimes in 1 hour) We once left Appleton in gorgeous warm sunshine to discover ourselves hiking through Rosedale in a blizzard. And just 10 miles away. So we now always pack a variety of clothing just in case.

• We’ve gained an appreciation for just how hard farmers work; they are out at all times and in all weather conditions. So check where you park and avoid blocking gates and on grass verges.

• Sheep are unpredictable but they never walk backwards*.  Our free-range sheep are one of the things that we love about our village. Slowly slaloming round them sleeping in the road, especially if you’re the first one driving out of the village is just part of village life. At this time of year, lambs make them even more unpredictable as they can appear from nowhere as they rush to feed from their mother (often on the other side of the road) So keep your wits about you and slow down when you are driving where sheep can roam freely. 

*our neighbour Lynn gave us this tip as we tried to shepherd some sheep out of our garden.

• You can trip over wildlife in the most unexpected places. Many of our local birds nest on the ground especially up on the Moors. And if you find a leveret (a young hare) and think it’s been abandoned, it hasn’t. They hide in long grass and are fed twice a day by their mother. This behaviour stops the mother’s scent leading predators to their young. We came across this leveret walking down the field to feed our hens.

• You’ll often hear birds before you see them especially up on the heather moorland or in the woods. We love the Merlin Bird App that you can download free (along with the free package for European birds) We’ve lost count of the birds we’ve recognised with it. Although we are jealous of our friends who heard the call of the very rare turtle dove from their garden next to the church in Appleton. Maybe one day.

• Respect all livestock that you come across in a field, especially if you have a dog. One of Jackie’s favourite walks is through some fields at the back of Hell Woods near Appleton. At some times of year cows and their calves graze in one of the fields; it’s always best to give them a wide berth.

• Close all gates behind you. The sheep in our village can smell an open gate at 100 paces. And if they get into a garden, the one thing they don’t eat is grass. We learnt this to our cost when renovating the Long Barn.

• We’re very lucky that many of our favourite circular walks are from the door. We have 5 pubs and several cafes that are within walking distance; many can be combined in one walk to give plenty of pitstops on the way. We don’t think we’ve had a group who has visited them all on one walk but tell us if you have…Many of our guests find themselves parking up at the start of their stay and not moving the car once. You’ll find details of all our favourite walks in our digital guide (and maps/directions in the Long Barn)

We didn’t know the North York Moors that well until we moved here. We now truly appreciate what a special place it is and how challenging it is to balance the needs of it being a working landscape, a tourist destination and home to both people and wildlife.

The North York Moors have a great page called Share with Care which is full of useful advice and tips on how to help keep the North York Moors special for everyone. #Sharewithcare