Thousands of years ago the Urn people inhabited the northern moors. Their unquestioning belief in ghosts led them to burn the bodies of the dead. They thought that the fire would carry their ghosts into an invisible world and stop them from returning to earth.
Their belief in fire stemmed from their fear of the sun which gave both fire and heat. They would have celebrated the sun with magical rites at their stone circles of which there were plenty to be found in this area.
They would also have celebrated fertility rites by erecting standing stones as a phallic symbol to promote fertility of there crops.
The fertility rites would have been associated with an earth mother or goddess who would have been called The Old Wife.
Evidence of the name is found at Old Wife’s Howes at Peak, Old Wife’s Neck on John Cross Rigg, Old Wife’s Stones on Danby Rigg and the Old Wife’s Way which runs across to Newgate Foot and the standing stones there.
She would have been a frightening sight as she made her way over the moors to oversee some fertility rite celebration.
However, all this happened thousands of years ago and old wives and witches are long gone. Or have they?
When you are out on the moors alone on a wild day and a sudden, unexplained change in the weather takes place, strange things can happen, so keep an eye out for the Old Wife as you cycle along the Old Wife’s Way, you never know, she might just perform a fertility rite on you.
Your route
Leave Low Dalby car park turning left onto the Forest Drive road. Cycle along past the visitor centre and continue for about three miles to the parking areas of Staindale.
There are toilets here on the left and a little further along picnic tables at Staindale lake if you have brought your own refreshments.
Continue along past the lake and the hairpin bend, then climb the steep hill, leaving Staindale Lake beneath you on your right.
Follow the road through the bends at the top of the hill and past the huge Adder Stone on the left.
In about a mile you arrive at the sign for the Jingleby Tea Rooms, open weekends in summer only.
Then, in almost another mile, leave the Forest Drive road to turn left onto a loose forest road signed to Surprise View.
Keep on this dusty forest road until it bears left where you must keep straight ahead to Surprise View, following a sign to Saltergate.
Keep straight on, keeping close to Crosscliff Brow on the right, to eventually leave the forest and cycle to a gate to go left onto a concrete road which is the Old Wife’s Way.
Leave through a gate to reach the busy A169. Cross the road with care here, turn right and take the bridleway along the side of the road.
Continue along about halfway down the hill, then at the hairpin bend, keep straight ahead through a large gate in front of you onto the moor.
Take the wide bridleway track across the moor along the ridge and you will pass Seavey Pond, although you might not recognise it as such as it could be dry.
After about two miles, the ridge path descends to a junction of tracks with Dundale Pond on your right. Take the path signed to Levisham as signed and soon exit the moor through a gate to cycle down to the village and the Horseshoe Inn.
Cycle down the road through the village away from the pub, then take care at the double bends and very steep hill with a severe bend towards the bottom.
Prepare yourselves now for a severe climb to reach the village of Lockton.
At the crossroads, at the entry to the village, keep straight ahead, past the village shop and tea rooms, then at the T-junction go right onto a narrow road.
Eventually you must bear left past the houses to soon reach the A169 again. Cross with care, then go right and almost immediately left past (or into) the Fox and Rabbit Inn signed to Thornton Dale.
Mainly downhill now, until your reach a huge dip in the road, as you crest the rise, turn left to re-enter Dalby Forest (free entry for cyclists) keeping straight ahead to the car park at Low Dalby.
Cycle ride facts
Distance– 20miles/32km.
Terrain – Easy forest roads and moorland bridleways.
Best map – OS Outdoor Leisure 27.
Start/grid ref – Low Dalby in Dalby Forest, grid ref: 856874.
Refreshment – Horseshoe Inn, Levisham, Fox & Rabbit Inn on route, Dalby Forest Visitor Centre and the Courtyard Café at Low Dalby.
Public toilets – Dalby Forest Visitor Centre and near the Courtyard Cafe.
Toilets – Horseshoe Inn Levisham, Fox and Rabbit on route, Dalby Forest Visitor Centre and the Courtyard Café at Low Dalby.
Guide book – There are some great mountain biking routes marked in Dalby Forest, inquire at the visitor centre.
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