The National Trails - Great British Walks

This inspirational guidebook looks at walking each of the National Trails in turn, through England, Wales and Scotland, describing what makes each of them so special and providing the practical information to help you plan your route. A definitive reference to the best of British walking.

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YORKSHIRE WOLDS WAY

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Start and Finish         Hessle to Filey Brigg
Distance and Time     127km (79 miles) taking up to 1 week
Character                    A coast-to-coast walk through the gently rolling Yorkshire Wolds, passing large fields and wooded areas, with 
                                  steep slopes encountered on the way in and out of dales. Detours may be needed to reach villages.
Highlights                  The Humber Bridge, Welton, Brantingham, Goodmanham, Market Weighton,  Londesborough Park,                                                            Nunburnholme, Millington, Huggate Sheepwalk to Huggate and Thixendale, deserted village of Wharram Percy,                                           Wintringham, Manor Wold, Camp Dale, Filey Brigg.

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The Yorkshire Wolds is a chalk upland of no great height, occasionally rising more than 200m (655ft) above sea level, with a gentle but well-defined escarpment to the west and north, while to the east there are cliffs. Geologically, the Wolds continue south into Lincolnshire, but have been severed by the Humber estuary. The chalk upland has been carved by countless deep, steep-sided little dales, and as these grassy slopes cannot be cultivated, they are used for sheep grazing. The high ground is gently rolling and has been divided into huge fields. These are mainly cultivated for cereals, as the soil is too thin and full of flints to support root crops. Villages are few and far between, though in the past the area had many more settlements, which were abandoned in the Middle Ages.

The Yorkshire Wolds Way runs partly along the escarpment, but also through the very heart of the region, often alongside huge arable fields, but also in and out of grassy dales and woods. In effect, the route is a coast-to-coast through the Wolds, starting on the tidal Humber estuary and finishing on the crumbling cliffs of Filey Brigg. When the trail runs through dales, views are very limited, but when it runs through the highest fields, there are ‘big sky’ views and often amazing cloudscapes. As crops rotate throughout the seasons, so the colours along the Yorkshire Wolds Way change. Tilled fields produce fresh green shoots in spring, oilseed rape blooms blinding yellow in early summer, then wheat and barley turn gold later in the year (in hot weather farmers may need to spray water onto fields when the soil dries out). After the harvest, the plough turns the earth (exposing masses of angular flints), ready for another cycle of crops.

A ‘Wolds Way’ was first suggested by local Ramblers’ Association members in 1969, and while it gained approval in 1971, the route wasn’t declared open until 1982. Always a quiet trail, it was rebranded in 2004 as the Yorkshire Wolds Way, in an effort to establish it on the map. Walkers need to be aware that food, drink and accommodation are sparse in some areas, so careful planning is needed, as well as advance booking at busy times. However, there are usually villages not far from the route that can be visited for their services.

Day 1  Hessle to South Cave

21.5km (13½ miles)

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Hessle is one of the least salubrious places for starting a long trail, but thankfully it is quickly left behind. Study a stone sculpture on the shore of the Humber and take note of the placenames carved deeply around it ­– they will become familiar and much loved as the week unfolds. A short coastal walk runs past one of the towers that support the graceful span of the Humber Bridge. Continue along a narrow strip sandwiched between the muddy shore and a railway line. Later, depending on the state of the tide, there is a choice of routes – either along the shore before cutting inland to the busy A63, or along the streets of North Ferriby if the shore walk is flooded. Either way, cross the busy dual carriageway using a footbridge for safety.

 The trail crosses Melton Hill and passes a chalk quarry on the way to the charming village of Welton, where highwayman Dick Turpin was arrested in 1739 at the Green Dragon Inn. Walk through wooded Welton Dale and pass Wauldby Manor Farm, moving into typical Wolds countryside, with large fields bounded by hedgerows, along with prominent clumps of trees and small woodlands. A broad track leads over Brantingham Wold, touching 140m (460ft). The route just misses the charming little village of Brantingham, but passes the isolated parish church. Well-wooded Ellerker North Wold and Mount Airy are crossed, before the route runs down a steep slope. A short detour leads into the village of South Cave, which has everything a walker needs.

Day 2  South Cave to Market Weighton

19km (12 miles)

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Climb past Little Wolds Plantation and catch a glimpse back to the Humber estuary before wandering down into grassy Comber Dale. An old railway trackbed is crossed in Weedley Dale, then the trail climbs up a wooded valley to emerge in fields. Pass High Hunsley Beacon at 162m (532ft) and walk beside large fields before heading down into Swin Dale. Note how the dales are dry, where walkers might expect to find a gurgling stream. The chalk bedrock simply sucks water deep underground, but enough is retained in the soil to promote a lush covering of grass.

North Newbald and its pub are half an hour off-route, and most wayfarers simply climb over Newbald Wold at 144m (472ft) and head straight for Hessleskew. After crossing a busy road the route passes the isolated farm of Arras, then runs gently downhill beside huge fields to reach another old railway trackbed. Here there is a choice of routes. The main course of the Yorkshire Wolds Way goes up a narrow road to the village of Goodmanham, while an alternative loop runs along the trackbed to the bustling little town of Market Weighton. The town’s most famous inhabitant was William Bradley (1792–1820), at the time the tallest man in the country at 2.36m (7ft 9ins).

Day 3  Market Weighton to Millington

14.5km (9 miles)

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In the morning, walkers from Goodmanham follow a slightly higher route than those from Market Weighton, and soon meet again at the lovely estate village of Londesborough. The road leaving the village has remarkable views stretching across the plains to the distant Pennines, then field paths lead down to the pretty village of Nunburnholme. There was a priory here, and an Anglo Saxon stone cross can be seen in the parish church. The site of a 12th-century manorial complex has been identified, but pleasant though the place is, there is nothing to hold the attention of walkers for long.

Climb through Bratt Wood and pass Wold Farm around 130m (425ft) on the chalk escarpment. There is a glimpse of Kilnwick Percy Hall, first mentioned in the Domesday Book, although the present structure dates from the 18th century. It is now a Buddhist centre, with beautifully restored gardens. Services are sparse in this part of the Wolds, so most walkers will divert off-route into the beautiful village of Millington and visit the Ramblers Rest tearoom at weekends.

Day 4  Millington to Thixendale

23.5km (14½ miles)

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This day’s walk leads into the very heart of the Yorkshire Wolds, starting with some short but steep ascents and descents. Stretches of an ancient earthwork are traced along the high ground overlooking the grassy dale known as the Huggate Sheepwalk. Gradients are gentler as the route runs through West Field, then there is a descent towards Huggate. The whitewashed Wolds Inn is popular with walkers and the village has all sorts of interesting corners to explore.

Leave Huggate by road, then notice the line of the ancient earthwork again on the descent into Horse Dale. The grassy floor of Holm Dale leads up to Fridaythorpe, where a notice on the green celebrates the opening of the Wolds Way, as well as its rededication as the Yorkshire Wolds Way, and highlights the fact that this is the halfway point. Note the curious box-like church in the village, and the large feed mill on its outskirts. The trail drops into a steep-sided dale and passes Ings Plantation, then after passing Gill’s Farm at 210m (690ft) drops into another dale to reach Thixendale. This long and straggling village is full of charm and is a notable sheep-rearing location.

Day 5  Thixendale to Sherburn

29km (18 miles)

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Several dales cluster round Thixendale. The Yorkshire Wolds Way climbs over Cow Wold at 210m (690ft) to cross another dale, then runs along the brow of Deep Dale before dropping into it. The deserted village of Wharram Percy, which was originally omitted from the route, deserves a thorough exploration. There are helpful notices around the site, which contains traces of prehistoric and Roman settlement, as well as Saxon remains. Apart from the ruined church, which was in use until 1949, the only building remaining is a relatively recent house occupying the site of an 18th-century farmstead.

The trail passes through the crossroads village of Wharram-le-Street and climbs through fields. A descent from the Peak leads into a dale drained by a stream, then a farm road is followed up to a wooded hilltop. Emerging from the woods, there is a splendid view of Wintringham, though when the trail reaches the village, it sneaks round the outskirts to reach the parish church. After climbing uphill, the route runs along the northern escarpment of the Wolds, occasionally featuring views of the North York Moors. After rising to 180m (590ft) on Manor Wold, the trail descends gently, then more steeply, and runs close to Sherburn, which offers a small but adequate range of services.

Day 6  Sherburn to Filey Brigg

23.5km (14½ miles)

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The Yorkshire Wolds Way climbs uphill from Sherburn, only to run back down to Potter Brompton and Ganton. It climbs again and often makes right-angled turns as it negotiates the edges of huge fields. A military installation is passed at 178m (584ft) on Staxton Wold, then the trail embarks on a roller-coaster route through more fields. After reaching Camp Dale the route climbs past Stockendale Farm, then descends towards Muston, where the pub is called the Ship Inn, and the coast will already have been in view for some time.

A short walk leads to the busy little seaside resort of Filey, but this is not the end of the trail. Continue along the coast to reach the crumbling clay promontory of Filey Brigg, where a stone monument marks the junction of the Yorkshire Wolds Way and the Cleveland Way. Obviously, keen trailblazers could continue onwards, but those who set out only to walk through the Wolds can simply celebrate their achievement by enjoying a fine coastal view, then retrace footsteps to Filey to catch a bus or train home.