Yorkshire Walks

A vast field of broad beans

Wide green path from Hovingham to Slingsby

We set off from Hovingham along a path down the side of the Malt Shovel pub heading east towards Slingsby. It turned out to be a very pleasant broad green path between large fields of very healthy looking crops.

Today my neighbour. Jim, and I drove for about 20 minutes from Easingwold to Hovingham. We made an early start and parked in the little public car park next to the village hall just before 9.00am.

A white convolvulus flower (a garden pest but lovely on the hedgerow

Wide green path from Hovingham to Slingsby

A healthy field of potatoes

As usual at this time of year there were wild flowers everywhere, too many to photograph them all but I have a few samples.

There were broad beans, potatoes, barley, wheat, oats and oil seed rape with fat pods ripening ready to harvest.

Field Scabius amongst the grass by the path

Purple vetch

Ripening barley

Silkie poultry on a smallholding near Slingsby

We continued along this path to come into Slingsby by the church.

At map ref. SE695755 we turned right to follow a path past some smallholdings.

Rose Bay Willow Herb

Heading along a farm road into Slingsby

Ruins of Slingsby Castle just visible above the trees

Slingsby village

Tower of Slingsby Church

We left Slingsby along Green Dike Lane heading for Barton-le-Street. The lane became a path between arable fields with wild flowers amongst the grass and numerous butterflies.

Huge cones developing on a monkey puzzle tree

Huge cones developing on a monkey puzzle tree

The lane leading towards Barton-le-Street from Slingsby

The path into Barton-le-Street led us through a very tidy and prosperous set of farm buildings to the village green.

As we left the village we passed a monkey puzzle tree with huge cones developing. I don't remember seeing such cones before.

A ruined barn with traditional pan-tile roof

The village green at Barton-le-Street

Church at Barton-le-Street

We crossed the road at map ref. SE720741 and took the path opposite that led us up the edge of the fields to the Centenary way at map ref. SE714729.

We headed south through the village to cross the main road (B1257 - quite busy).

Path from Barton-le-Street to the Centenary Way

A meadow brown butterfly

A meadow brown butterfly

Heading towards the Centenary Way from Barton-le-Street

This ridge is at the edge of the Howardian Hills over looking the Vale of Pickering to the North York Moors.

At this point the Centenary Way has climbed up from Coneysthorpe and turned left to go along a wooded ridge.

Finger post on the Centenary way

View from the Centenary Way across the Vale of Pickering towards the North York Moors

A wooded bank along the Centenary Way where we stopped for our lunch

View south from the Centenary way towards the castle Howard estate

A small skipper - the fore wings angled above the hind wings is typical

We continued following the Centenary Way along the wooded ridge for over 3km to map ref. SE670738.

We followed the path along the ridge to cross the road (map ref. SE704732) forming the long straight avenue through the Castle Howard estate.

The Centenary Way near Slingsby Bank

The Centenary Way near Hovingham

The Centenary Way near Hovingham

Bracket fungus on a dead beech tree

We turned north west to follow the Ebor Way for the last 1.5km back to our starting point in Hovingham.

Here the Centenary Way meets the Ebor Way and turns Southeast (following the same route as the Ebor Way).

Path to Hovingham from the Centenary Way

Poppies by the path

A large field of oats next to the path

Heading down to Hovingham from the Centenary Way

The mystery was solved they are both ringlet butterflies. The underwing spots are decisive. The whole route had been 15km and had taken us almost 5 hours to walk including our lunch stop and lots of photos. Jim is very tolerant of my continual stops for yet another picture. We called at the bakers and tea shop near the ford in Hovingham for a coffee and a toasted teacake before returning home in good time to collect my grand daughter from her nursery.

As we walked along the road into Hovingham I noticed a dead butterfly in the dust at the roadside. We were able to examine the eye spots both under the wing and on top. This is often the only way to be sure what species it is. (My sister gives me expert tips on butterflies). I photographed a lovely chocolate brown butterfly with a white edge to its wings when we were on the Yorkshire Wolds two weeks ago and I could not identify it. The dead butterfly I had found was the same kind but a lighter shade of brown so that the eye spots were much clearer.

A dead ringlet butterfly I found by the roadside

Bakery and tea shop by the ford in Hovingham