Yorkshire Walks

Our parking spot at a bend in the road from Stonegrave to Cawton

Following the road to Cawton from our parking spot

Following the road to Cawton from our parking spot

About 600m out of Stonegrave there is a sharp left hand bend where there is a wide grass verge. Just round this bend we parked on the grass verge at map ref. SE 653 774. From our parking spot we set off along the lane towards Cawton. We followed the lane for about 1.5km into Cawton. In the village we turned right along the village street.

The weather has been much better this week and today was a fine bright, crisp spring day. My friend Jim and I drove to the village of Stonegrave on the B1257 from Hovingham and in the village we turned left on the lane towards Cawton and Gilling East.

Following the road to Cawton from our parking spot

Following the road to Cawton from our parking spot

Entering Cawton along the road from Stonegrave

The village street through Cawton

Track off the road to the left on the edge of Cawton

Turning off the road along the Ebor Way

Here we turned right off the road at the Cawton village boundary sign next to a finger post, showing the route of the Ebor Way along a track between hedges. After almost 200m the track ended at a muddy field.

At the western end of the village we passed a large farm lime kiln on the left of the road. A little way beyond the lime kiln a track forked off the road to our left and the road bent slightly right and dropped down a short slope.

Farm lime kiln on our left on the edge of Cawton

Ebor Way finger post at the Cawton boundary

Following the Ebor Way along the track between hedges

The track ended at the edge of a muddy field

Crossing the field to the gates opposite

Over the gate we continued along the field edge

Anyway we climbed over at the hinge end and paddled through the muddy slop on the other side of the gate. A few metres away there was a broken sign marking the Ebor Way route and we continued alongside the hedge for about 200m to a watercourse at the end of the field. At the watercourse, called Holbeck, we turned left and walked along the edge of the watercourse for about 50m to a bridge across it.

There was a crop just beginning to grow in the field and no sign of the Ebor Way right of way that crosses the field to a disused railway. We could see a pair of double gates opposite and aimed for them as we crossed the field. When we reached the gates, on the route of the Ebor Way we could not open them. I think the stay holding the two gates closed must have been forced into position, maybe even hammered into position.

The gate fastener was too short to clear the gate?

At the end of the field we came to Holbeck

We walked alongside Holbeck and across the bridge still following the Ebor Way

We continued on the Ebor Way along a farm track northwards

We continued on the Ebor Way along a farm track northwards

Across Holbeck there was a farm access track along the edge of the field and we followed the route of the Ebor Way along this track for about 1.2km to a sharp left hand bend in the track where it turned towards Birch House farm.

To gain access to the bridge there was another pair of gates like the ones we had had to climb earlier. Jim did manage to open these gates and we crossed Holbeck and continued following the route of the Ebor Way.

We continued on the Ebor Way along a farm track northwards

We continued on the Ebor Way along a farm track northwards

Through this gate we followed the track round a sharp left hand bend

Following the track towards Birch House farm

. . . following a concrete farm access road to the B1257

At the top of the climb the route of the Ebor Way turns left but we turned right to walk along the grass verge of Leysthorpe Lane for about 200m. Here we turned left off the road through a kissing gate into the field next to the road.

We followed the track round the bend to our left and after another 100m we turned right on to a concrete farm access road climbing up the hillside to the B1257 Leysthorpe Lane about 400m away.

We turned right off the track . . .

We turned right leaving the Ebor Way to walk along the B1257

Kissing gate off the B1257 into the field

From the gate we crossed the field diagonally . . .

At the road we turned left to walk along the road

We crossed the bridge over the disused railway

(This field route can be avoided altogether by walking round the field on the roads) We walked along the minor road for about 1.6km past Jubilee Cottages, past the entrance to Rydale Lodge Hotel and over the disused railway. We turned right off the road to follow a public footpath over the hill above the village of Stonegrave.

The OS Explorer map shows a path going diagonally across the field for about 300m to a minor road. There was no sign of the path but we could see a field gate onto the minor road across the field so we headed directly to the gate and came out from the field onto the minor road where we turned left.

. . . across the field we came out on to a minor road

We continued along the road past Jubilee Cottages

Nearing our right turn off the road

We turned right off the road to walk over the hill top towards Stonegrave

Following the track from the road over the brow of the hill

. . . and began dropping down to Stonegrave

We turned left and walked along the B1257, quite busy with fast traffic, into Stonegrave. In the village we turned right off the B1257 and followed a track to the churchyard of Stonegrave Minster or Holy Trinity Church.

Over the brow of the hill we followed the path around the end of a field and then followed the track dropping quite steeply down the hillside to the B1257 at the edge of Stonegrave.

The track took us round the end of the field . . .

We followed the track down the hillside

The track came out on the B1257 at Stonegrave

The entrance to the churchyard at Stonegrave Minster

Stonegrave Minster or Holy Trinity Church

Leaving Stonegrave Minster

The lane from Stonegrave towards Cawton

The walk had been about 9km, a bit longer than our usual distance these days and it had taken us a little over three hours to walk including our visit to Stonegrave Minster.

We had a look around the churchyard and inside the church. It is an ancient site where there has been a church since 757AD, almost 300 years before the Norman conquest. From the churchyard we walked along the main road through the village for about 50m and then turned right off the main road onto the lane towards Cawton. We followed the lane towards Cawton for about 600m back to our parking spot and the end of our walk.

Stonegrave Minster or Holy Trinity Church

Bridge over Holbeck on the way to our car

Returning to our parking spot at the end of our walk