Yorkshire Walks

Walking north east along Coverham Lane from our parking spot

Turning right off Coverham Lane at the finger post

Narrow neck of land to the next field

At the far end of the footbridge we climbed over a rather awkward stone step stile. The steps were too high and wet & slippery. The stile took us into a large field and once over the stile we turned right and followed the wall on our right to the far corner of the field. At the field corner there was a narrow neck of land leading to a gate into the next field. We passed through the gate and crossed the field to a gate onto the road at the far left hand corner of the field. At the road we turned right and walked along this access road to rejoin Coverham Lane.

This morning the weather was a bit gloomy but it was forecast to brighten up by lunch time. My friend, Jim, and I drove out through Middleham to the start of Coverdale and we parked on the roadside verge of Coverham Lane about 250m west of the entrance to Coverham Church at map ref. SE 100 864. From our parking spot we walked about 30m back along the road towards Coverham Church to a finger post in the grass verge on the right hand side of the road. We turned right at this finger post and crossed a footbridge over a small stream.

An awkward stone step stile just after the footbridge

Turning right onto the access road

Following the access road out to Coverham Lane just beyond the gate posts

Walking south west along Coverham Lane

Wooden step stile ahead into the next field

Solitary black horse who was quite friendly

Walking along the lane to Agglethorpe

There was a gated stile through the wall on the far side of the field opposite Low Gill Farm. The solitary black horse in the field walked slowly towards us as if it wanted some friendly fuss . It sniffed my hand and stopped as we crossed stile back onto the lane. We turned right at the lane and walked along the lane up to the road junction at Agglethorpe. Just before the road junction there was a large charrolais bull lying comfortably in the field to the right of the lane.

At Coverham Lane we turned left to walk westwards along the road. After a little over 300m we came to a gated stile through the wall to the right of the road leading into the field. There was no clear path across the field so we estimated the route of the path from the OS Explorer map and soon came to a wooden step stile over a barbed wire fence into the next field.

Turning right off Coverham Lane via a gated stile

Climbing the stile into the next field

Gated stile onto the lane by Low Gill Farm

Charolais bull in the field by the lane

Turning right onto the road at Agglethorpe

Passing the farm buildings at Agglethorpe

Following the bridleway along a farm track

Following the bridleway with the woodland on our left

We continued along the track around the edge of some woodland climbing up a slope to the end of the woodland on our left. Here there was a stone wall at the end of the field with three gateways in it.

At the junction we turned right and walked past the farm buildings with their red painted doors. Just beyond the farm buildings we turned left off the land to follow a public bridleway along a farm track.

Turning left onto a public bridleway just after the farm

Following the bridleway along a farm track

Looking back over Coverdale from the track above Agglethorpe

Map reading blunder, we went through the wrong gate. The arrow is the right route

Back on track with the wall on our right

We continued across a field with the wall on our right and some woodland, called Black Plantation, on our left. Then we dropped down to a gate onto Common Lane.

Through my own sloppy map reading we took the middle gate when we should have taken to left hand gate so after a little while we had to backtrack and pick up the proper route with the field wall on our right hand side.

Approaching the field gate onto Common Lane

Through the gate we turned right to walk along Common Lane

Race horses returning from their training on the gallops

Following the path around the edge of the gallops

We followed a good track that bent right to continue along side the stone wall on our right at the edge of the open access land. After a few hundred metres we came to the wall corner on our right and we followed the track round to our right to join an estate access road that was heading south east towards Tupgill Park.

At the lane we turned right and walked along the lane. The lane leads to the western end of the Middleham gallops, open access land used for race horse training and we saw groups of horses & riders going to and from the gallops. At the road junction at the start of the gallops we crossed the road and kept straight on into the gallops.

Crossing the road from Common Lane to the path on the gallops

Passing the wall corner where we kept right

Joining a bridleway along the estate road heading towards Tupgill Park

Turning left along a bridleway outside the wall of Tupgill Park

Turning right at a way mark post towards Tupgill Park

Residential property on the track into Tupgill Park

About 220m along this access track we turned right at a way mark post and followed a public bridleway between to imposing stone pillars. We followed the route of the bridleway along an estate access road for about 250m to the start of a large ornamental pond.

There was a fine stone gateway across the estate access road (there is also a public bridleway along it). At the gateway we turned left and followed a public bridleway along another wide access track with a boundary wall on our right.

Following the track with the wall on our right

Following a bridleway towards Tupgill Park

Passing residential property on the track into Tupgill Park

Turning left onto a public footpath passing north of the ornamental pond

Following the footpath north of the pond

Stile out of the parkland to the fields

Crossing the field on a clear path

. . . drainage work underway in the next field

We passed through the gate and followed a clear footpath across the field to the far south eastern corner. We followed the path through a narrow strip of trees and into the next field. Here there was some surveying equipment set up and an excavator was digging a trench for some drainage work. We crossed the corner of this field to a pedestrian gate onto a grassy track.

At the pond we turned left off the bridleway and continued along a public footpath around the northern end of the pond and bending round to a stile in the fence on the eastern side of the pond. The wooden step stile led us onto a farm access track with pedestrian gate through a wire fence on the other side of the track.

The ornamental pond

Pedestrian gate to the field path

Gate from a narrow strip of trees into the next field . . .

Pedestrian gate from the field to a grassy track

Memorial seat at the bend where we joined the grassy track

Looking across Coverdale from the grassy track

Coverham Church amongst the trees

We could see Coverham Church in the trees by Coverham Lane below us. About 350m from the memorial seat we came to Coverham Lane opposite our parking spot and the end of our walk. The whole walk had been 5km and it had taken me about tree hours to walk it including my stops and back-tracking to correct a sloppy map reading error.

Where we joined the track from the field path the track made a right hand turn and at the bend there was a memorial seat to a young woman who had died in her 20's. We sat there for a few moments for a drink and just to enjoy the lovely view from this position. After our drink we set off down the slope to Coverham Lane.

Following the grassy track down to Coverham Lane

Nearing Coverham Lane along the grassy track

Returning to our parking spot off Coverham Lane at the bottom of the grassy track