Yorkshire Walks

Signpost at Birdforth showing the start of the path along Ings Beck

We were going to walk to Thormanby but the path shown on the OS map which ran along field boundaries no longer exists because the fields no longer exist.

Today my friend, Jim, and I drove to the little hamlet of Birdforth on the A19 between Thirsk and Easingwold and parked at map ref. SE487756.

Shire horses on a farm at Birdforth

Following Ing Beck towards Thormanby

The public footpath now starts from our parking place and follows Ings Beck round the edge of the enormous field until it rejoins the path from Carlton Husthwaite to Thormanby at map ref. SE494753 on the edge of Thormanby.

All the land between Birdforth and Thormanby, bounded by the A19, Ings Beck and the fields adjoining Thormanby village, is one enormous field.

This implement seems to be for breaking up the subsoil

A very sick rabbit by the path

Footbridge near Thormanby

A good deal of the route was around field margins

The lane to Thormanby Church

About 200m beyond the church we turned right off the lane to follow a public footpath across a field but the path has been obliterated by cultivation and we had to simply walk through the crop of turnips to the opposite side of the field where we turned left to follow the field boundary down the slope.

We followed the path to a lane in Thormanby and at the end of the lane (map ref. SE494749) we turned left to walk along another lane to the Norman church in Thormanby at map ref. SE496749.

The Norman Church at Thormanby

Massive power line between Thormanby and Husthwaite

We walked along the edge of the field next to a stream until we came to a lane at map ref. SE510750. We followed the lane into the village of Husthwaite and climbed up the village street to our second Norman church.

At the bottom of the slope we crossed the stream on a footbridge almost hidden in the grass and foliage. The path led us under a major overhead power line.

The lane into Hustwaite

The lane into Hustwaite lines with poplars

After our break we retraced our steps down the village street and along the lane back to map ref. SE 510750, but this time we kept going along the lane for about 1.5km to the village of Carlton Husthwaite.

We sat on a seat on the village green next to the church for a break.

The Norman Church at Husthwaite

Village green at Husthwaite

The Norman Church at Carlton Husthwaite

About 150m beyond the church we turned left off the road on to a lane for about 50m before turning right over a stile to follow a path across the fields. We continued on this path for about 1km to map ref. SE487765. Here we turned left to take the path across the fields back to Birdforth.

At the road in Carlton Husthwaite, map ref. SE501766, we turned left to walk about 150m along the road to our third Norman church on the right hand side.

The Norman Church at Carlton Husthwaite

Speedwells in the corner of a field

Sculpture in Carlton Husthwaite

We walked down the street to our fourth Norman church at the edge of the village. We completed our route by walking on the footpath beside the A19, very busy and noisy, for about 50m to our parking spot on a bit of road abandoned when Birdforth was by-passed.

This walk was taken from a series of walking guides available from the Tourist Information office in Easingwold. This was Route 7 "A Walk around four villages and their Norman churches" the guides cost 20p each or £2 for a set of 12 routes.

Shire Horses in Birdforth

The Norman Church in Birdforth