Yorkshire Walks

Approaching Wharram Percy on the Wolds Way

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Route No. 137 - Wednesday 4 May 2005
Thixendale, Wharram Percy,
Brubber Dale - 20km
(Using part of the Wolds Way
& the Centenary Way)
Yorkshire Wolds

Map: OS Explorer 300 Howardian Hills & Malton Yorkshire Wolds North at 1:25000
and OS Explorer 294 Market Weighton & Yorkshire Wolds Central at 1:25000

Route Map on 'Landranger' map base from OS Open Space service
Open this route in Google Earth

Private house that used to be the village hall cum youth hostel in Thixendale	This morning my neighbour and I drove to my brother-in-law's house on the edge of the Yorkshire Wolds to pick him up to walk one of his routes starting in Thixendale. We parked in the village street next to the church and whilst we were putting on our boots we noticed a deer watching us from the hillside over the roof of the house opposite. Next to the church is a very attractive private house that used to be the village hall which doubled as a Youth Hostel in the summer. Adjoining is the new village hall and visitor information centre. We headed west along the village street to turn right on the Wolds Way over Cow Wold. We continued on the Wolds Way around the edge of Deep Dale to the abandoned medieval village of Wharram Percy. Strangely the church there remained in use until the last century but it is now in ruins after all the lead was stolen fron its roof.
The village was abandoned as a result of economic decline in medieval times and all that remains are a series of mounds in a field. From the village we followed the Centenery Way up to the car park by the road at map ref. SE 867644 and turned right onto the road for about a kilometer to map ref. SE 868634. From here our route was a bit fiddly to avoid repeating the paths we had already used today, so here's a quick summary of our twists and turns. At map ref. SE 865634 turn left; at map ref. SE 865630 turn right; at map ref. SE 858624 turn right; at map ref. SE 849625 turn left (back onto the Centenery Way); at map ref. SE 849614 leave the Centenery Way and follow the farm track for 100m onto the road at map ref. SE 850614.	Roe Deer looking down into Thixendale from the hill above
Looking down on the ancient earthworks from Cow Wold	At the road we turned left for about 200m to map ref. SE 852614 where we turned right onto the track up the hill to come out onto another road oposite Gritts Farm at map ref. SE 856607. Here we turned left down the hill for about 600m into Brubber Dale where a group of men were clearing up the remains of the "Into the Valley" (the event is now held in the grounds of Sledmere House) biker event organised by the East Yorkshire Motorcycle Action Group. At map ref. SE 863605 we turned right off the road to walk along Brubber Dale for about 1km to map ref. SE 860594 where we turned right onto the Wolds Way which we followed for almost 4km back to our starting point in Thixendale. It had been a very pretty walk in the spring sunshine and quite strenuous with all the steep chalk valleys to cross. The whole route was about 20km and took us five and a half hours including a couple of stops. There is obviously a much shorter option to follow the Centenary Way from map ref. SE 849614 for about 1km back into Thixendale
Wolds Way above Deepdale	Approaching Wharram Percy on the Wolds Way
Cowslips in the churchyard at Wharram Percy	The ruined church at Wharram Percy
Looking across Fairy Dale from map ref. SE 865632	Typical wolds valley seen from the Centenary Way at map ref. SE 848619
Centenary Way north east of Thixendale	Sleek young hunter?
Old Cambridge roller	Brubber Dale after the bank holiday biker event
Wolds Way returning to Thixendale	Wolds Way returning to Thixendale
Wolds Way returning to Thixendale	Wolds Way returning to Thixendale