Yorkshire Walks

The entrance to Kirkham Abbey

From the entrance to Kirkham Abbey we turned left on to the road and crossed the bridge over the River Derwent. Just beyond the bridge we walked over the level crossing on the railway line between York and Malton and about 100m past the level crossing we turned left off the road on to a footpath up the hillside through the woods for about 300m to reach the road at map ref. SE 732654.

This morning was another bright clear day. The kind we are getting used to this summer. My neighbour, Jim, and I drove the few miles to Kirkham Abbey on the River Derwent and parked next to the abbey entrance at map ref. SE 734658. at about 9.30am.

Bridge over the River Derwent at Kirkham

After just a few metres on the road we turned left off the road on to another path which we followed round the edge of the woods. After the end of the woods the path dropped down the slope to join the farm access track from Oakcliffe farm. We followed the track out to the road at map ref. SE 738645.

Welcome notice into Oak Cliff woods

Path around the edge of Oak Cliff woods

Here we turned right towards the village of Crambe. After about 350m at map ref. SE 734648, we turned left off the road on to a footpath across a field to the church yard in Crambe.

Thistle in full bloom

From the church yard we followed the village street for about 200m to map ref. SE 731649 where we turned left off the road to follow a path through the yard afa smallholding and little paddock with Jacob's sheep to a gate from a boggy area into a wood.

The path climbed up through the wood to join a track through the fields. We could simply have kept going on the village street which bends round and becomes the track we had just joined, but I thought our route was more interesting.

Ripening wheat beside the track near Crambe

We walked along the track for a few hundred metres to map ref. SE 727643 where we turned left off the track on to a path along the hedgeline at the top of a slope. After about 250m we had reached the corner of a small wood where we turned right to head directly down the slope to a pedestrian gate in the hedge at the bottom.

Pedestrian level crossing over the railway

Path through the wheat fields at Rider Lane Farm

Through the gate the path followed the line of an ancient hedge with field maple, blackthorn, hawthorn, hazel, ash, dog-rose etc. At the end of this field we reached to railway where we crossed on a pedestrian level crossing after a very careful look and listen! We couldn't see very far because the crossing is on a long bend in the railway.

Over the railway we joined a farm track which led us out to the road. Here we turned left to walk along the road for about 150m to map ref. SE 733635 where we turned right off the road to walk along a path over the fields to the River Derwent opposite the roofs and tall chimneys of Howsham Hall visible over the trees.

Wild geraniums and meadowsweet along the river bank

Tiny red flowers of the Scarlet Pimpernel
almost lost amongst the dry grass

We followed the path along the river bank for over 3km back to the bridge at Kirkham, where we retraced our steps over the bridge and back to the car. The whole route had been about 9km and had taken us two and three quarter hours to walk including a short break for a drink.