Cringle Moor - Drake Howe

About Cringle Moor - Drake Howe

Rising as the second-highest point in the Cleveland Hills, this prominent moorland peak offers a celebrated panorama. The summit is crowned by Drake Howe, a significant Bronze Age burial mound. Its steep, stone-pitched paths are a challenging highlight of the Cleveland Way, providing expansive views across the Tees Valley toward the Pennines.

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• •The name Cringle likely derives from the Old Norse 'kringla', meaning a circle or disk, referring to the hill's rounded profile. 'Drake Howe', the name of the summit's Bronze Age burial mound, translates from Old Norse as 'Dragon’s Mound' (draugr/haugr), reflecting ancient folklore where dragons were thought to guard burial treasures.
• •The summit provides an exceptional vantage point for the most iconic landmarks of the North York Moors. To the northeast, the sharp profile of Roseberry Topping is unmistakable, while the monument to Captain Cook on Easby Moor stands clearly on the horizon to the east.
• •Most walkers reach the top via a steep, well-maintained stone staircase from Lord Stones. This area is named after the prehistoric stones found nearby and is a popular starting point for the traverse across the 'Three Sisters'—the series of hills including Cringle Moor, Cold Moor, and Hasty Bank.
• •The hill is a significant milestone on the 40-mile Lyke Wake Walk. Traditionally, challengers cross this moor early in their journey while heading east from Osmotherley, enjoying the last of the wide northern views before the route plunges into the more remote central moorland.
• •The ascent from the west is famously unforgiving; it is the kind of slope where walkers often find a sudden, deep interest in the local geology just to justify stopping for a breath every twenty yards.