Yorkshire Walks

The fish ladder at the weir

Tow path by the Milby Cut

It's a short flat walk that should be just right for both of us with our dodgy knees today. The car park looks across the River Ure with a long weir just upstream and a fish ladder consisting of a series of cascading pools to allow migratory fish, salmon & trout, to climb up and bypass the weir From the car park we crossed the road and went through the little gate to the canal tow path.

It was a fine sunny day today and my mate, Jim, and I drove to Boroughbridge, less than 30 minutes from home and parked at the Langthorpe car park and picnic site on the northern edge of the town next to the River Ure at map ref. SE395671. The entrance to the car park is off a roundabout between the Milby Cut canal and the River Ure. The route we planned to walk today is described on an information board in the car park.

The moorings on the Milby Cut at Boroughbridge

Tow path by the Milby Cut

Path on Milby Island between the canal & the River Ure

Canal lock at Milby

The land really is an island between the canal and the River Ure. At the canal lock we crossed the canal on the footbridge and turned on to the track to the hamlet of Milby.

We walked along the tow path for about 700m to the Milby lock on the canal. The path follows a pleasant route along a strip of land called Milby Island.

Canal lock at Milby

Canal lock at Milby

Track from the canal into Milby

Walking through the hamlet of Milby

Our route through the farm buildings at Milby

With the decline of the railways in the twentieth century the line was closed in the mid 1960's and the tracks removed. There remains a low iron railway bridge on the line a few hundred metres to the southwest of our track into Milby. We walked along the road through Milby and crossed the busy Boroughbridge to Easingwold road at map ref. SE402678. Once across the road we continued along a farm access road through the complex of farm buildings.

About 100m from the canal the track crosses the route of a long since abandoned railway, but to the left of the track the low embankment of the railway bed is still visible. The railway, opened in 1847, was a branch line to Boroughbridge from Pilmoor on the east coast main line between Easingwold & Thirsk. It was a busy line carrying passengers and all manner of goods including livestock.

Route of the abandoned branch line to Boroughbridge

Start of the access road through the farm at Milby

Small tortoise shell butterfly on the path

Track between the fields heading for Kirby Hill

Bluebells in the churchyard at Kirby Hill

From there we walked along the road to All Saints Church at Kirby Hill on the edge of the village at map ref. SE393686. The church web site says that the original buildings were Saxon and the present church is a grade 1 listed building.

The access road through the farm buildings brought us to a pleasant track between the fields that led to the road at map ref. SE396684 near Kirby Hill.

All Saints Church at Kirby Hill

All Saints Church at Kirby Hill

The Blue Bell Inn at Kirby Hill

Old mile post on the Great North Road

Just beyond the inn is an old mile post from the days of the stage coach route north with the towns of Catterick, Piercebridge and Gretabridge singled out for mention, I imagine because they were also staging posts along the route. From the inn we walk about 200m along the road to a turning on the right hand side of the road with a sign post fixed to the wall, indicating a public footpath.

From the church we followed the road through the village to the B6265. On the opposite side of the road is the Blue Bell Inn and at the edge of the pub car park is a small somewhat dilapidated brick building with a pantile roof that was originally used as a cell to hold prisoners overnight on their way to the courts in York. At the Blue Bell Inn we turned left to walk along the main road.

The old prison cell next to the Blue Bell Inn

Our turning off the road to a footpath

Start of the path away from Kirby Hill

Path around the sub-station

We followed the path across the fields to a farm access bridge over the A1 Motorway at map ref. SE384683. The old A1 was a coaching route to the North that ran through Boroughbridge where there were numerous coaching inns for a change of horses or overnight accommodation.

We turned on to this track and followed its winding route to an electricity sub-station where at first glance the path disappeared, but in fact there is a stile on the left next to the sub-station and a path between the fences that skirts the sub-station and leads out to the fields.

The path away from Kirby Hill

Stile to bypass the sub-station

Path across the fields to the A1 Motorway

Looking north along the A1 Motorway from the farm access bridge

Start of the farm access bridge over the A1(M)

Speedwells by the path

A large field of Flax just coming into flower

My mate, Jim, and I are both quite deaf and a car came along the lane behind us without either of us noticing. When we did notice and step aside the young man driving with his window down shouted and gesticulated in an angry manner but being deaf his words were lost on us both. After a little over 1km along the lane we came to a junction at map ref. SE384673 where we turned left to walk along the road under the A1Motorway to the edge of the village of Langthorpe.

The A1Motorway is a very busy route and streams of car and lorries passed beneath us as we crossed the bridge. We followed the path down the side of Cottage Farm to a quiet little lane at map ref. SE381683. At the lane we turned left and walked along it. As we walked along the lane we noticed an unusual crop in a large field on our right which turned out to be flax with its delicate pale blue flowers just starting to open. The seeds are used to make linseed oil and the plant stems are used to make the flax fibre for the manufacture of linen cloth.

Path down the side of Cottage Farm

Stile to the road at Cottage Farm

A1(M) bridge over the road on the edge of Langthorpe

Turning off the road in Langthorpe to the river

Riverside path along the back gardens of Langthorpe

Path beside the River Ure at Langthorpe

We walked down this access track for about 80m to the bank of the River Ure. At the river bank we turned left to follow the riverside path downstream towards Boroughbridge.

After about 250m along the road we turned right off the road on to an access track at the side of a house at map ref. SE388672.

The riverside on the edge of Langthorpe

Riverside path along the back gardens of Langthorpe

Moorings & boat repair yard on the River Ure

The Anchor Inn near the end of the walk

Speedwells in the picnic site by the river

From there we returned to the Langthorpe picnic site. Our walk had been about 5km and it had taken us about two and a half hours to stroll in the warm sunshine.

We walked along this path between the garden fences and the river bank for about 700m to the Anchor Inn at the roundabout on the edge of Boroughbridge.

Milby Cut at the roundabout at the end of the walk

Campion in the picnic site by the river