Yorkshire Walks

The market cross in Easingwold at the start of the walk

Straight after the Christmas & New Year Holiday 2020/2021 a National "Lock Down" was imposed in England to try to curtail the spread of the Covid19 virus. So far this year these regulations have limited me to short local walks around the little market town of Easingwold where I live. I have decided to put one of my short local walking routes on my web site just for something to do really. So here it is.

Crossing the road towards Little Lane

Leaving the market square along Little Lane

Little Lane is a narrow one-way street that led me out to Long Street. Long Street is the main road through the town bypassing the market square. It used to be the A19 before the Easingwold By-Pass was built taking almost all the heavy goods traffic out of the town. From the junction of Little Lane and Long Street I crossed Long street to walk into the small housing estate opposite along Wilkinsons Court.

I set off from Easingwold Market Place next to the substantial Victorian canopy erected over the remains of the Easingwold Market Cross. (Wikipedia notes that there has been a market in Easingwold since 1221, mainly livestock then and now-a-days food, clothing, books, garden plants, hardware etc.) From the Market Cross I left the market square from the south west corner along Little Lane.

Heading for Little Lane in the SW corner of the market square

Little Lane leading to Long Street ahead

Crossing Long Street to Wilkinsons Court

Wilkinsons Court through the housing estate

Footway along Catherine Love Drive

I continued along the footway at the right hand side of the road until I came to another passageway on my right providing access for pedestrians and bicycles to the head of yet another cul-de-sac, this one is called Whiteoak Avenue.

I walked along the footway on the right hand side of Wilkinsons Court to a pedestrian passageway at the far right hand corner of the cul-de-sac. I walked through the passageway into the head on the next cul-de-sac called Catherine Love Drive.

Passageway from Wilkinsons Court to Catherine Love Drive

Passageway from Catherine Love Drive to Whiteoak Avenue

Whiteoak Avenue heading for the passageway on the right behind the white car

Passageway from Whiteoak Avenue to Stonefield Avenue

But after the first house on the left there were open fields (frequented by dog walkers) on the left of the passageway. At the end of the passageway I emerged onto Stonefield Avenue and crossed the road to continue along an old byway called Stonefield Lane opposite.

At the end of the passageway I turned left and walked along the footway on Whiteoak Avenue as it bent round to my left. On the crown of the bend I turned right and crossed the road to another passageway between the houses. The back garden fences of the houses continued on the right hand side of the passageway.

Passageway from Whiteoak Avenue to Stonefield Avenue

Crossing Stonefield Avenue to the Stonefield Lane, an old byway, opposite

Stonefield Lane, an old byway

Crossing Long Street from Stonefield Lane

Church Lych Gate and the steps to the horse mounting block

Church Hill leading down to Millfield lane on the left

I passed the Church of John the Baptist & All Saints on my left. From the church I continued along Church Hill down to its junction with Manor Road on my right and Millfield Lane on my left. At the junction I turned left and walked along Millfield Lane for a few metres and then, just past the large sign for Millfield Surgery I turned right to walk along the path into the park with the surgery sign just on my right.

I walked along Stonefield Lane to its junction with Long Street. I crossed Long Street and turned left to walk along the footway to the mini-roundabout at the junction of Long Street with Church Hill on my right, Raskelf Road on my left and Thirsk Road straight ahead. At the mini-roundabout I turned right and walked along Church Hill. I crossed the road and walked along the footway on the left hand side of Church Hill.

Stonefield Lane leading to its junction with Long Street

Crossing Church Hill with the mini-roundabout on my left

Parish church of St John & All Saints at Easingwold

Turning left from Church Hill onto Millfield Lane

Turning right off Millfield Lane to the path through Millfield Park

Path up through Millfield Park

Millfield Skatepark

Path nearing the top of Millfield Park

Ahead and to my left I could see the dead trunk and branches of a large ash tree. Over the last 30 years I have watched this tree slowly die from the topmost tips downwards a little more each year until about 18 months ago there were no more green leaves to be seen and pieces of bark were falling off. I continued along the path up to a large weeping willow tree next to some bungalows at the edge of a housing estate. Just beyond the willow tree I turned right to walk along a road called Copperclay Walk.

I continued along the path across Millfield Park where there were a number of people out for a Sunday stroll with their children and dogs. There was a path off to my left giving access to a wetland nature reserve and some woodland managed by the Woodland Trust but I passed this turning and continued along the tarmac footpath and cycleway up across the park, past the Millfield Skatepark where quite young children were having fun on their scooters.

Sustrans route marker in Millfield Park

Large Ash tree that has gradually died back over the last 30 years

Large weeping willow where the park meets the housing estate

Crossing the road from the park to Claypenny Walk

Claypenny Walk leading from the park to Oulston Road

Heading down Oulston Road towards Uppleby

I turned right and crossed Uppleby to walk along the footway on the left hand side of Uppleby. Uppleby is a pleasant residential street with wide grass verges and an avenue of lime trees.

I followed Copperclay Walk through the housing estate to its end at the junction with Oulston Road. At the junction I turned right and followed Oulston Road down the hill to the junction with Uppleby on my right and Back Lane straight ahead.

Nearing Oulston Road along Claypenny Walk

Turning right from Oulston Road to Uppleby

Uppleby with its avenue of Lime Trees

Looking along Uppleby towards Spring Street

Heading down Spring Street towards the Market Square

I followed Spring Street down to the Market Square and the old market cross under its Victorian canopy at the end of the walk. The whole route is about 4km and took me about 90mins to walk. From the market square there are good bus services to York, Thirsk and Helmsley all provided by the Reliance Bus Co.

I continued along Uppleby to its end at a left hand bend at the junction with Church Hill on the right and the continuation of Uppleby called Spring Street. The chalybeate spring is in the back gardens of the houses on the right hand side of Spring Street and the stream from it can be seen in Manor Road on the right about 50m further down Spring Street.

Junction of Uppleby with Church Hill on the right and
Spring Street down the slope to the left

Spring Street heading into the Market Square

Back at the market cross under its canopy at the end of the walk