Gadgie Walks: The Yorkshire Wolds

The Yorkshire Wolds. June 3rd -June11th

This year's long walk is from Hessle, near Hull, to Filey on the yorkshire coast. The route wanders the Wolds of the beautiful county, hopefully with fairly gentle climbs.

There are several guide books available and maps covering the whole of the walk too but if you want to use OS maps you need:

!:25000 numbers 294, 293 300 and 301 or

1:50000 numbers 106, 100 and 101

This is not a guide, just a brief description of our walk.

Day 1, the easy bit. June 3rd

We drove down to Hessle, a town just west of Hull and the northern end of the Humber Bridge. Booked in to the Premier Inn and dining at the Wingfield Farm pub nearby.

Day 2 June 4th

Having had breakfast in the Premier Inn we drove to the start of the walk a little east of the bridge. There is a car park where you can leave your vehicle for the duration of the walk.

Follow the acorn! The start of the Yorkshire Wolds walk, or the end if you do it from North to South.

We set off in a strong wind, heading west, going under the bridge on a footpath that is close to the shore of the Humber.

The Humber Bridge, opened in 1981 and then the longest suspension bridge in the world at 1.38 miles it is now the 14th longest.

The path is close to the river, at times, if the tide is high, walkers are advised to leave the riverside trail and walk through the town of North Ferriby. The tide was high, we took advice and walked through the town to a large but easily negotiated roundabout. Then we were in quiet woodlands, walked the edges of fields, some short distances on roads to the village of Welton for a Herbie.

There is an acorn at approximately five mile intervals telling how far to go to Filey, the northern end, or Hessle, our starting point.

The Green Man in Welton, Dick Turpin was fond of a pint here but on the last occasion he called in he committed some offence, was arrested and sent to York where he was condemned to death by hanging.

Lunch over we continued on the first day's walk, a circuitous route through wooded valleys and fields and hills to South Cave, first stop on the way. Accommodation, as usual on our long walks, had been booked and we stayed at the Fox and Coney, pub on the rather busy main street.

A sign of encouragement. Follow the acorn

The Fox and Coney in South Cave. A coney is a rabbit.

First day of walking. Hessle to South Cave.

13.5 miles Total 13.5 miles

Day 3 June5th

Leaving The Fox and Coney, and South Cave we walked uphill out of the town and back on to the Yorkshire Wolds Way. Joined by a friend of two of the team, and her dog, the second day's walk went through, or round, fields of wheat and barley, woodland. We took a short diversion off the route to North Newbald for lunch. Two pubs, The Tiger and the Gnu

Back on the track the Wolds way headed directly north like a Roman road before turning west and taking us to the village of Goodmanham. From here we were due to be taken by taxi to Beverley, Fortunately there was a pub in the village as we had the best part of an hour to wait. Busy pub too.

The taxi took us to the town of Beverley where we stayed at Trinity House close to the railway station.

A fifteen minute walk through the town ended at the Rose and Crown, busy pub restaurant.

Beverley Minster, the church of Saint Martin and St John is the largest parish church in England. Sadly we didn't have time to spend in the town, no photograph, look it up, it's magnificent.

Today's walk, 13.5 miles Running total 27 miles

Day 4 June 6th

Taken back to Goodmanham by taxi we resumed the Wolds Way. This area of England is largely agricultural and we went round fields of barley and wheat, both crops looking healthy. The route took us through Londesborough Park, obviously once a thriving estate, now a pretty village, We stopped at the next village, Nunburnholme and sat in the church porch for lunch. A group of Ramblers were also lunching there, all young people.

On sections of the YWW the view to the west over the Vale of York is one of big skies. At one point an information board pointed out the things to see, including York Minster. Unfortunately low cloud hid them.i

Chateau de East Riding

Inside the church at Nunburnholme.

After more fields and gentle hills we arrived at the village of Millington and and stayed at the Ramblers Rest. The Ramblers Rest has a small cafe and several luxury bedrooms, across the road is the Gait Inn where we had dinner and hydration.

The Ramblers Rest and the Gait Inn at Millington.

Another acorn

Today's walk 9.5 miles Running total 36.5

Day 5 June 7th

Itseems to me that many of these walks with overnight accommodation are carefully planned so that for the last mile or so, and often off the trfail, the path goes downhill to the hotel. This means that when you start next morning you kick off the day with a hill. We did today, climbing from the Ramblers Rest in Millington back up a short but fairly steep hill to the YWW.

The Wolds are a series of low hills with dales between them. After several miles of undulating paths we stopped at the village of Huggate for tea at Rachel's Walnut tree cafe. Whether Rachel has a Walnut tree or not we never found out but we did make a discovery.

Another customer, a lady, gathered dandelion leaves and threw them into the small chicken run by the cafe garden where we were having tea. The hens rushed over for the leaves and got them down really quickly. The lady said hens love dandelion leaves and she fed her little flock regularly.

And having had a lesson hen feeding we went on our way over hills and down dales, and nearly all supporting crops or wooded areas until we reached Fridaythorpe.

1) baby Belted Galloway 2)Another acorn 3) Typical view 4) Lovely machine for crushing cow feed

Turning west the scenery looked pretty much the same, hill and dale until we reached the village of Thrixendale. Some people say the name comes from there being thirteen dales in the immediate area. Certainly seems like it.

From Thrixendale we were to be taken by taxi tto the Ham and Cheese, pub, restaurant. hotel at Scragglethorpe. The company sent a small taxi so it meant two journeys, taking well over an hour in total

Settled in the Ham and Cheese we prepared for dinner. For two of the bedrooms there was a problem non functioning showers. The members of the team in these two rooms were given a change and everybody was given free drinks.

The Ham and Cheese in Scagglethorpe

After dinner the barman announced that he was about to clean the beer lines and we were welcome to help him by consuming the pints he pulled off, free. Think we'll come back.

Today's walk 13.5 miles Running total 50 miles

Day 5 June 8th

After breakfast we were met by Gabby the cabby with a full size minibus. She took us back to Thrixendale to start the next section of the YWW. Of course there was a climb out of the village but after that the going was quite eaasy, and again across, or round fields of wheat and barley.

Leaving the fields we dipped down into Deep Dale and came to the site of the Medieval village of Wharram Percy. Very little of it left as it had been cleared centuries ago but the tiny church remained, though mostly ruined. And there were several information boards giving details of the farm and village.

The church and village have been extensively searched by archaeologists in the 20th century. Out lines of cottages were found and lots of skeletons.

We sat on a grassy bank to eat and then moved on to the village of Wintringham where we were met by Gabby the cabby and her mini bus. Within minutes we were back at the Ham and Cheese for a second night. Sadly the barman was not cleaning the pipes.

Today's walk 11.7 miles Running total 61.7 miles

Day 7 June 9th

Gabby the cabby took us back to Wintringham and also took our cases on to the night's resting place in Ganton.

Starting off with an easy trail we reached Deep Dale after a little over a mile We had been told that within the wood there was a short stretch of path that was very steep and tricky in wet weather, particularly in a descent. Whoever it was was correct. A YWW finger post was pointing skywards to indicate the climb.

I think the slope was steeper.

Fortunately a fixed rope had been put on one side of the path, a boon because it was a steep if short ascent.

Steeper than it looks, but there's a rope

At the top there were some well placed and well needed benches, a pool and some eartworks, watched over by a group of chess pieces.

Not really chess pieces.

Refreshed we pushed on easy walking mostly contouring until we left the YWW to visit the village of Sherburn for lunch.

Resuming on a ridge we could see and hear a thunder storm to the north but we were spared rain and carried on to the pretty village of Ganton and the Greyhound Inn. Looking like it started life as a coaching inn and feeling like a Tardis as one large room led to another. The hand pump in the bar proclaimed Timothy Taylor's Landlord but sadly they were waiting for a delivery. We were joined at dinner by a group of golfers and four young men who had walked 25 miles that day.

The Greyhound at Ganton, restaurant on the left, accommodation round the corner of the building on the right.

Today's walk 11 miles Running total 72.7 miles

Day 8 June 10th

After the usual hearty breakfast, fuel for the day, we returned to the YWW. After a short climb we started the now familiar edge of fields paths, short distances with 90 degree turns until we reached the RAF station at Staxton. A radar station, not so much as a drone in sight, but who knows?

After more fields we turned south east down a dale and almost immediately changed to north east in another, woodland this time. And it had another roped section. what fun.

Reaching Muston village we got the first sight of the North Sea and soon we were in Filey. Passing the night's hotel we left rucksacks with reception and walked along the short promenade before climbing a long series of steps, crossing a field and coming to the stone that marks the end of the Yorkshire Wolds Way and also the end of the Cleveland Way.

The end, some of the team and Filey Bay.

Having congratulated each other on our achievement we returned to the hotel for the last dinner together, several glasses of well earned beer and a well earned rest.