Hambleton Hough is believed to have been formed by the boulders, gravel and sand left when the glaciers, formed in the Ice Age, melted. The funnier stories are that there were either two witches or giants, one on Brayton Barff and one on the Hough who had an argument. While arguing they started throwing clods of earth at each other resulting in the ‘mounds’. I assume the Hambleton witch or giant won as Brayton Barff is higher than the Hough. The first documented reference to the Hough found so far was when William de Gateford gave up his claim to the ownership of the wooded area called Hoga de Hambleton and gave it to the Abbat of Selby. When the owners of the Hough decided to sell, in the later part of the 20th Century, the left hand side was bought by Selby District Council and the small area on the right hand side by Mr. Jim Price. Mr. Price then gifted his part of the Hough to Hambleton Parish Council. The Selby District portion has now been leased to the Wildlife Habitat Protection Trust for 99 years. For many years the Hough was mainly covered in Scots Pines and Larch and was a good site for bird watching for Siskins during the winter months. In 2015 the Trust started a forest management scheme which resulted in the majority of the trees being felled. This caused a great deal of upset in the village as several of the long-standing residents had spent many happy hours playing in the trees. Replanting with more native trees is underway. Hambleton Parish Council continue to manage the right-hand side and pay for annual clearance of the bracken and brambles.