| Beck Hole | |
Beck Hole |
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Beck Hole
Beck Hole shown within North Yorkshire |
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| OS grid reference | NZ822023 |
|---|---|
| District | Scarborough |
| Shire county | North Yorkshire |
| Region | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | WHITBY |
| Postcode district | YO22 |
| Police | North Yorkshire |
| Fire | North Yorkshire |
| Ambulance | Yorkshire |
| EU Parliament | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| List of places: UK • England • Yorkshire | |
Beck Hole is a small village a mile and a quarter from Goathland, North Yorkshire, England, served only by a winding road that has 1-in-4 inclines at either end. This gives some protection from the general tourist routes, as coaches are unable to reach the village. The result is a sleepy village hardly touched by modern influences, huddled around an old fording point set in the deep, tree clad valley where the Ellerbeck and West Beck meet to become the Murk Esk, eventually reaching Whitby as the Esk.
Beck Hole was served by the original Whitby to Pickering railway line until 1864, when a hauling line snapped and a carriage plunged down the original incline, killing two of the occupants. Beckhole railway station, the connection northward to Grosmont and Whitby, remained until some time after the First World War. Meanwhile, the route southward was replaced, taking the line above Beck Hole itself, leaving no station for the village.
The old route is now used as the 'Rail Trail', which is a walk from Goathland to Grosmont through the Esk Valley. It is suggested that walkers start at Goathland as the trail is then mainly downhill, only the brave should start at Grosmont.
A popular stop-off on the trail is the Birch Hall Inn, the local pub. A tiny bar and an even smaller shop are at the front of the building, which has remained unchanged for many years. A bench outside the pub provides a good place to soak up the sun in summer. The village had another pub, The Lord Nelson, until it was closed in 1940 and turned into a private dwelling.
Quoits are played on the village green during the summer, details can be found on the village website. In 1986 a BBC TV documentary entitled Big Day at Beck Hole featured some members of the Beck Hole Quoits Club at work and play.
The Beckhole Woodland and Heritage Foundation was formed in 2006 by local residents, in order to preserve and protect this ancient woodland and interpret the wealth of local heritage. In Victorian times Beckhole was famous for its many orchards. Visitors would come from miles around to enjoy the walks and waterfalls and take tea beneath the apple trees. In 2009 the Goathland School celebrated its bi-centenary. The BHWF decided to mark the occasion by planting an apple orchard on land in Beckhole - kindly provided by the Ainley family, formerly of Firs Farm. With help from The Tree Council, donations from Goathland Post Office, the North York Moors National Park and collection boxes at the Birch Hall Inn, money was raised to prepare the orchard and plant 20 different heritage apple trees, each of which has been adopted by a child from Goathland School. Trees were planted on 1 March 2009 and once they were established the children came down to 'meet' their trees. It's just on the side of the Rail Trail before the Ellerbeck Footbridge.