Country park transformed to create community hub

Lord Stones Country Park on Carlton Bank, near Stokesley, named after three stones on a Bronze Age mound, has attracted walkers on the Cleveland Way, the Lyke Wake Walk and the Coast to Coast routes since a café opened there in 1988.

The 160-acre site on the north-western fringe of the North York Moors National Park has also proved a popular venue for motorbike trialists, handgliders, mountain bikers and horse riders.

When the number of motorcyclists frequenting the cafe soared to unmanageable levels in 2010, the site’s then owner, John Simpson, was forced to reduce its opening hours.

The site’s news owners, the Reeve family, who run the extensive neighbouring Urra sporting and farming estate, have made a six-figure investment in improving the site’s landscaping and infrastructure, to enable it to cope with large numbers of visitors at the same time.

John Reeve and his three sons, Dominic, Patrick and James, have redeveloped the café, restaurant and shop, partly to provide a meeting point for residents of the surrounding area and to offer an alternative to driving to Stokesley or Swainby for essential items.

The new café, headed by chef Michael Chase, previously of The Star Inn, at Harome, near Helmsley, will feature a bespoke Spanish charcoal oven.

The transformed site, which is due to reopen on Monday, October 14, also features improved camping facilities, including camping pods in a drive to attract more families.

Dominic Reeve said his family had felt the north-western area of the national park had been neglected by visitors and Lord Stones had potential to cater for additional visitors.

He said: “Lord Stones is very emotive to us as a family because it is right on our doorstep – we want to create something that we are proud of.

“We’re passionate about Lord Stones becoming a local hub for the community and visitors alike, driving new business and employment to our local area.”