Their home made cakes are epic, they serve our favourite Roost coffee, what’s not to like? 'Work shift over, in the sun, on the hill having fun' At Bank Top, we leave the route of the old railway line and fork off to the left We skipped breakfast so we could justify a slab of cake (the Black Forest Roulade was wonderful) and a coffee to set us up for the day.The walk starts across the fields and winds along the river, then climbs up the side of the valley with lovely views. Or drive up and park near the old railway line and walk that short stretch of the walk to enjoy the views.We were lucky to walk this route last week in hot sunshine and blue skies. It is the site of a former Cistercian Priory dating back to 1158, but visitors expecting to see majestic ruins, such as those at nearby Rievaulx or Whitby, are in for a disappointment, for all that remains is a ruined stone spiral staircase standing near the Church of St Mary and St Lawrence. 'In the dark, working hard, loading up the wooden cart' The food is delicious and the views down into Rosedale are stunning. Rosedale Abbey village is just 7 miles drive from Appleton and is the starting point for a lovely walk that we’ve done in every season since we moved here. From the vantage point of the car park, the moorland drops steeply away into a peaceful-looking valley.

The main village is Rosedale Abbey, situated in the geographical centre of the National Park. It has a maximum gradient of 1 in 3 (about 33%) and climbs 173m on its 1.3km route. In those days the population of the valley reached 3,000, an expansion made possible by the construction of a railway which carried the iron ore across the moorland. The owners clearly have a passion for chickens and ducks; everywhere you look are brightly coloured cockerels (which seem to outnumber considerably the rather harried looking hens) In spring the farm yard is full of chicks and ducklings.The old railway line is probably one of our favourite parts of the walk. Bell Top, and North Dale beyond Nestled among green fields, Rosedale Abbey is the epitome of a sleepy English village, with honey-coloured houses, a welcoming tearoom and a well-kept village green. Maggie runs the Dale Head Farm Tea Garden, and halfway round the walk, we were ready for a cold drink. Looking across to Hill Cottages and Craven Garth Farm, which we'd passed through earlier There are stunning views from all sections of the track and makes a great day out. Apparently, Maggie’s young son (who was filmed a fair bit over the course of the programme) is highly embarrassed when he gets recognised by customers.Maggie sums up the warmth of the Yorkshire welcome you can expect. Looking back to the far side of Rosedale, where we'd walked earlier Rosedale valley is at the heart of the North York Moors National Park. It is filmed all over the North York Moors, and is a wonderful advertisement for this beautiful area.

The farm featured heavily in the recent BBC 2 documentary, North York Moors: A Wild Year. It runs down the side of Rosedale with wonderful views and alongside the ruins of the old roasting kilns. Rosedale Abbey straight ahead... Rosedale is surrounded by moorland. It’s hard to imagine Rosedale as part of the Victorian industrial age. It shares the title of steepest road in England with the Hardknott Pass in Cumbria. It’s well sign posted and takes you into the back of Rosedale village via the church.

Eventually we reached a point above Rosedale Abbey, just beyond a barrier, where we left the old railway line to follow a narrow path down the hillside (which was quite muddy and slippery at times) back into the village.