Directions:From the market town of Helmsley take the B1257 Stokesley road.on your left you will see a small valley which is Rydale this is fed by Bilsdale which is a few miles further north.At this point the valley is too shallow for all but helicopters and it is very densley wooded with evergreens,so travel on further up the road for about 4 miles and you will come across a small layby to park in .From here is an excellent vantage point for spotting but poor for pictures as there is a small wood blocking your view of the valley.If you walk further along the road,or drive and turn the sharp right hand bend which leads to a steep downhill gradient.About fifty yards down on the right is an old quarry which has enough room for about 12 cars to park in.Across from this parking place is probably the most beautiful view on the moors,from here you can see up Bilsdale towards the mast and across to sutton bank in the west.If you follow the path arund the tree for about 20 yards you will find a secluded spot where the grass as been well trampled and has enough room for about 4 people to sit or stand in comfort.This is map point 1. Point 2 is situated above the carpark position,where a small climb is needed to reach the top or you can reach it from the woods by going through the entrance near the layby as mentioned earlier.For true downward looking shots this is the better location as the 30ft extra elevation will provide a better backdrop.Point 3 is reached by following the Stokesley road for 1 mile and turning left at Laskhill and following the road around until you are opposite point 1.Here you will find a few pull ins to park in,from her the view is blocked by trees slightly.For a better view climb the large hill behind you via the public footpath.From this vantage point you are able to obtain views of 360 degrees,although for photgraphy you will be only able to see down 2 sides of the valley.From viewpoint 1 go around the corner towards Helmsely and 50yrds ahead on the left is an entrance into the woods,in here is a parking place where there is a toilet block(only open during summer).Also if you follow the track at the left side of the carpark you can reach an observation tower ,although a little far back it gives a great view up the valley.You will also see a track heading towards the quarry above point 1 follow the track to point 2.

Below, a   Hawk through the Hawnby Gap.

 Fantastic acces for the disabled at Point 1.

Location picture 2 looking east from point 3

                                Rosedale

Location;6 miles southwest of the early warning station Fylingdales in North yorkshire inland near Whitby.This is not a flowed valley,meaning that aircraft can fly in either direction and over the top as well.This is quite a busy valley but its slightly wide for anything smaller than a Tornado,unless of course they are flying down the side where you are positioned.From the top of Chimney bank you can and often will see aircraft diving in and out of goathland moor to the north and from Farndale to the west.Rosedale is a former mining village and remains can be seen all around the valley,from the carpark at point 1 you can see the old arches.The track which takes you around the valley is in fact the old railway line.Word of cautionthere are a number of old airshafts which are fenced off,these are very deep and you probably wont be found if you fell down and you were alone so keep well clear.These are marked on detailed maps as circles and often indicated as mine shafts .Unlike the lake district the moors around here are pretty flat and where there is deep valleys they tend to be very wide and dont have many choke points were you can get the same type of pictures as those elswhere.This is a place for spotters rather than serious photographers,although there are stunning places to photograph around here so you are not wasting your time being here.

Location Map 

Directions:Point1 is the car parking place at the top of the very steep hill heading out of the village to Hutton le Hole.You will see the large arches and a gravel carpark,its free to park here and you get an excellent view of the valley from here.Over to your 1 oclock is Fylingdales,the big golf balls have long gone but you can still make out the old concrete towers.From here you are likely to get side on shots. From point 1 if you walk to your left down the track you can get most of the way around the top of the valley,although there is a point where the valley goes inward restricting your view for 10 minutes or so.There was once a pub 5 miles down this track but its not currently known if its still there.Point 2is on the grouse butts above the carpark,this offers excellent all round visability.

 From point 1 you can sit in the comfort of your car with unobstructed views,also the same at point 3 on the oppsite side of the valley. If you are a whell chair user the track from point 1 is flat enough to make your way easily should you fancy some exercise.

RAF Fylingdales, the golf balls are long gone

Flyingdales looking towards Rosedale

Point 3 is across the valley on the only road northward out of the village ,you will see a memorial try and park off the narrow road near here .The memorial is a good a place as any but like the other side of the valley you can have a nice walk and hopefully you might bump into something low flying.3 miles northwest of here a Tornado gr1 crashed back in the 1980's.

RAF Jaguar  taken from the northbank 1 mile east of point 3

STILL UNDER DEVELOPMENT TO BE COMPLETED  SHORTLY

                    Driffield Training Area

Location:12 miles west of the seaside resort of Bridlington is the former RAF airfield at Driffield.Driffield closed as a RAF airfiield in 1996 and put up for sale,without any intrest the MOD decided to keep old of the land and it is now used as a off road driving course for the nearby RAF leconfield which is home to the Army School of Transport.In recent years Driffield as seen extensive use by the Air Force and Army units alike with small scale to large helicopter deployments,for weeks on end it is possible to see the Apachi's from Dishforth targeting the vehicles which are using the off road course.The helicopters arrive usually from the north at extremely low lovel hugging the terrain as they come down off the wolds then they hover from anywhere from 500yrds and up to 2 miles away crouching behind wooded areas aiming their weapons at the lorries as they go about their training completely unaware of the Apachi.

As of the time of writing this short update. November 2007. The Apache have moved from Dishforth, they are now based in Suffolk. In return the Lynx Ah 9 have exchanged with 9 regiment and now operate from Dishforth. The lynx have been seen on occasion using this training area.   

Location Map

Directions:To get to point 1you head for the market town of Driffield, once here find the main coast to motorway road signposted M62 follow this for 2 miles and you will pass the Kellythorpe industrial estate.From the industrial estate you will see the ruins of the old houses follow the road until you just pass the hangers on the right,you will see a pull in on the right.If you stop here with your car please dont block the 2 gates as they are used regularly ,so pull to the far right.If an exercise is on it is advisable to park in the layby a little further down the roar at the Old four winds restraunt which is now a NHS office.The police and customs often use this place to do spot checks on vehicles.For point 2take the A166 york road and half a mile before Garton on the Wolds turn left at Hemswell old Hall and follow the track until it becomes a grass track after 100yrds once past the trees this is an excellent spot to view the Apachis as they hover in the trees. Point 3is 1 mile further down the track near the old air raid shelter on the bend near the scrap yard . For point 4you need to be on the industrial estate and at the very end there is/was a small opening between 2 factories,it is possible to see onto the old airfield from here but security might not like you hanging around. The best vantage point for observing is point 5, which is about 1 mile northeast of the field and gives a good view of approaching traffic from the north as well as for spotting jets making dummy attack runs from the south. To reach point 5 you need to turn into Driffield at the A166 roundabout and follow york road for 300yrd until you reach Spellowgate on the left.Turn off at Spellowgate and follow the road for 1.5 miles until you pass Spellowgate farm and the dissused track on the left.after the farm about 1/2 mile the road turns sharply to the right on the left is a layby park here as this is point 5 and you will see Garton on the wolds to your right,the Helicopters may pass close to you here as they head towards the airfield. Another vantage point is the track at the Kirkburn end which takes you to point 2 and 3 the hadges are grown up here and make viweing difficult especially during the summer months. Also there are a number of vantage points in this area which are on farmland, dont forget to ask the landowner for permission if you intend to go on his land.

  Point 1 is good for looking over the airfield as you can sit in the car at the gate.Point 2 is reached by car which is easily parked at the side of the track, be carefull in winter as it gets muddy.Point 3 isnt really attainable except in 4 wheel drive equipted vehicles.Unaware of the apachi stalking them    click picture for larger image

from point 3 the AAC at work. click the picture for a larger image

From point 5 an Apachi stalking its prey.  point 2 is about 200 yrds right of the helicopter

   To be completed