Yorkshire Walks

After a short walk we planned to return to the pub for about 1.00pm for a Christmas dinner. There is a public footpath through the pub car park and we set of from the car park straight up the hillside behind the pub.

Today we met a group of friends at the White Horse Inn in Ampleforth (map ref. SE581787) at 10.00am. We had arranged with the landlord to park our cars there.

Climbing up from Ampleforth village

Path along the hillside above Ampleforth

After about a kilometer we turned left to head north straight up the hillside to a minor road at map ref. SE592794. Looking back to the south west there was a blanket of fog lying across the flat land around Boroughbridge, gleaming white in the bright winter sunshine.

The path is along the drive to a large house set on the hillside overlooking the village. Just above this house at map ref. SE580789, we turned right to head east along the edge of the fields above the village with a good view across the Howardian Hills.

Sheep grazing in a field by the path

Path along the hillside above Ampleforth

Climbing up the hillside to the road above Ampleforth - fogbank in the distance

Crossing the fields towards Oxclose wood

The path went north east in the fields along the edge of Oxclose Wood for about 2km to map ref. SE609808. This is a muddy area in the bottom of a small valley where there are enclosures for handling sheep.

At the road we turned right to follow the road for about 500m to map ref. SE596792. Here we turned left off the road to follow a path across the fields.

Crossing the fields towards Oxclose wood

Climbing up through Oxclose Wood

Deer tracks in the muddy path

Climbing up through Oxclose Wood

We followed a broad grassy track through the open access wood and along a Forestry Commission permissive path for about 3km to a road at map ref. SE584799.

Here we turned left to enter Oxclose Wood. There is open access to the wood which is owned by the Forestry Commission. After a very wet November everywhere is muddy and there were a couple bad patches in the woods where some forestry opperations had been carried out.

Climbing up through Oxclose Wood

Water bowser for the pheasants (& deer?)

Emerging from the permissive path on to the road

At the road we turned right to walk along the road for about 100m. Here we turned right off the road to follow a path heading south west across the fields. After about 300m the fence on our right stepped back around a large earthwork (the centre of the earthwork is at map ref. SE581798) This is Studford Ring, a Bronze Age Henge, a ceremonial site of some kind. It's quite impessive with a circular ditch and rampart marking the boundary of the henge, but not a defensive feature because the ditch is on the inside.

Looking from inside Studford Ring through the entrance

Looking back along the path from Studford Ring

We left our boots and muddy gear in our cars and went into the pub for an excellent Christmas dinner. It had been a really good start to the festive season. The whole route was 9km and took us about 3 hours to walk including a look at Studford Ring.

From the henge we followed the path down the hillside for about a kilometer back to the pub car park. The view was stunning with wisps of cloud lying in the valley bottom and a thick blanket of fog further away gleaming in the sunshine, but probably not so good if you were under it.

Winter trees