View from Sutton Bank, North Yorkshire, with rose bay willowherb…
While my in-laws were living there, for many years North Yorkshire was the place to go for the summer holiday. And one of my favourite spots is the top of Sutton Bank, between Ripon and Thirsk.
It marks a high point in the Hambleton Hills, overlooking the Vale of York and the Vale of Mowbray. I think I was looking south west towards Harrogate for these views, which would mean Thirsk would be to the far right (west) and York to the far left (south)…
A photo-montage showing the panoramic view from Sutton Bank, North Yorkshire – click on the image to see it bigger…
Scroll down for something about a white horse and some wooden mice, but meanwhile here are lots of other bits of the view…
Sutton Bank, North Yorkshire – a little tree-clad mound
Sutton Bank, North Yorkshire – winding hedgerows
Sutton Bank, North Yorkshire
Sutton Bank, North Yorkshire – I think this road may be the A19 between Thirsk and York?
Sutton Bank, North Yorkshire
Sutton Bank, North Yorkshire – farm fields
Sutton Bank, North Yorkshire
Sutton Bank, North Yorkshire
View from Sutton Bank, North Yorkshire – this looks like a high and isolated jungle plateau where you might find a lost world…
Sutton Bank, North Yorkshire
Sutton Bank, North Yorkshire
Sutton Bank, North Yorkshire
Sutton Bank, North Yorkshire – decaying branch…
Sutton Bank, North Yorkshire – view through conifers…
Sutton Bank, North Yorkshire – rose bay willowherb
Sutton Bank, North Yorkshire – purple summer heather
Sutton Bank, North Yorkshire
Sutton Bank, North Yorkshire – rowan or mountain ash berries…
Sutton Bank is not far from the famous Kilburn white horse, a figure cut in 1857 after local man Thomas Taylor was inspired by a visit to the prehistoric Uffington white horse in Oxfordshire (although it used to be in Berkshire). I featured the wonderful stylised Uffington horse in a previous post here.
While Uffington white horse is carved from the limestone (chalk) hillside, the Kilburn version is an artificial construction on a sandstone hill, with the topsoil stripped away and white limestone chips added.
Sutton Bank, North Yorkshire
Approaching the white horse, on the hillside in the distance…
Approaching the white horse…
Approaching the Kilburn white horse…
Up close, the Kilburn white horse is a bit patchy and grotty…
Maybe it’s better in soft focus…
The road to Kilburn itself…
The kilburn sign – many village signs in this area are made from old mill stones…
Kilburn is also home to the Robert Thompson Mouseman furniture factory.
The Robert Thompson’s Craftsmen Ltd visitor centre in Kilburn – not my picture – click on it to go to the official factory site…
According to the official site, Robert Thompson was born in 1876 and dedicated his life to the craft of carving and joinery in English Oak. He taught himself to use the traditional tools and by 1919 was experimenting with his own ideas for producing furniture based on the English styles of the 17th century.
But he is most famous as the “mouse man”, as much of his work included a little carved mouse motif. Some of his earliest mice are in the parish church in Kilburn. He died in 1955 but the mouse lives on, carved by his descendants.
When we visited, we wanted a souvenir, so bought the smallest thing we liked (and could afford), which was an oak nut bowl. Every time we look at it we think of Kilburn, and Sutton Bank, and North Yorkshire generally…
Our Thompson mouse nut bowl, carved from oak…
For the record, most of the pictures on this page were taken in August 2008 – I hope the view is still there!
The Squirrelbasket 
I know this area, and it is beautiful. Such gorgeous photographs and such a cute little mousie bowl too. Rosebay Willowherb is a much underrated flower I think, there’s so much of it about, people forget to appreciate how pretty it is. Lovely. :O)
I hope one day we may return there – I fancy a Pennine steam-train ride…
In America I think they call the rosebay fireweed…
Best wishes 🙂
Funnily enough, Pat, I am reading this in North Yorkshire. Staying near Harrogate while Janet goes to the Crime writers festival. We both went to Fountains Abbey today, nice.
Maybe I’ll get to check out Sutton bank.
We love Fountains (and Studley), too. And the Valley Gardens in Harrogate. Bet that’s busy in this heatwave…
Best wishes 🙂
Yes, the view is indeed still there. As is the rest of the North Yorks moors.
Don’t tell anyone though, we want to keep everybody thinking that the North East is all factories.
Sutton Bank is very popular for gliding.
I’m so glad!
And yes, I recall seeing gliders around that way.
All the best and thanks for dropping by 🙂