Yorkshire Walks

West Burton Market Cross

Gate latch built into a tree

Through the stile we immediately turned left over a stone slab bridging Little Beck. From here the route was a path running southwest through a series of gated squeeze stiles set in stone walls between neighbouring pastures. The route then became a track passing through farm gates and to the left of a derelict barn at SE 008862. A tree by the track had been butchered to behave as a gatepost for one farm gate.

After parking in Front Nook, West Burton we walked along the road southwest past the ancient octagonal market cross and wooden stocks on the village green to SE 0156 8648 where we turned right onto a track that led into a pasture. Passing through a squeeze stile in a stone wall we descended through another pasture to a second such stile.

Leaving the road in West Burton

Turning left off the farm track

Entering moorland at SE 004857

Keeping to the right of a felled forest

Eventually we crossed Myers Gill to arrive at SE 0062 8514 where a gap in a stone wall allowed us to turn right onto a path running between the wall on our right and a barbed wire fence on our left. Our O.S. map indicates woodland beyond the fence but clearly the forest had been felled and only a desolate wasteland remained. At SE 002 844 we crossed a stile into the ex-forest and followed a winding track to the surfaced road at SE 0074 8378.

At SE 0035 8580 we turned left off the track through a gated squeeze stile and over pasture south-south-east towards moorland which we entered with some difficulty as a pallet had been fixed in front of another gated squeeze stile. Here we turned right on a path for only 20 metres before resuming our SSE direction, climbing steeply on a faint moorland path which ran parallel with, but about 20 metres to the left of, an unnamed gill.

Thoralby from the Moor

Approaching Cowstone Gill House

Burton Moor and Harland Hill

From there the route to Cote Bridge, running above and some 200 metres to the west of Walden Beck, was fairly clear through countless pastures and gated squeeze stiles and over three minor gills. Beyond the beck Burton Moor and Harland Hill imposed their majesty. The edifice of Castle Bolton in the distance lay directly ahead of the path. Lapwings made frantic piercing calls to distract us from their nests and bluebells adorned a strip of woodland on our right. From the buttercups in the final pasture we turned right for a mere 100 metres on a surfaced road which took us past small caravan sites and over the hump-backed Cote Bridge.

Turning right we followed the road to 70 metres beyond where it bridges Cowstone Gill. There a track on the left led towards Cowstone Gill House. Keeping left at a fork 160 metres further on, we walked around the left side of Cowstone Gill House before crossing the gill and climbing a grassy slope beyond. Veering right through a small gate we climbed through a small pasture to a stile into a large pasture. Here a signpost indicated a right turn to follow a route around the perimeter whereas our map shows the right-of-way being direct to the diagonally opposite corner.

The last squeeze style before Cote Bridge

Contoured right on a narrow path

Bearing slightly left the route continued through further pastures to pass to the right of Riddings farm. Crossing a private farm track that ran downhill we contoured right on a narrow path via a small gate to a signpost where we turned left towards a second signpost "West Burton".

With an immediate left turn we took a riverside path which passed Rookwith footbridge before veering right away from the beck across pasture to a squeeze stile with a large gate.

Approach to West Burton

West Burton footbridge

Fine weather had contributed to our enjoyment of this walk but some ramblers, especially in large parties, might find the plethora of stiles (almost 40) difficult to negotiate - Ray Brown

A barn on our right marked the start of the descent towards the village which we accessed by the stone footbridge and from the west bank of the beck we enjoyed the classic fine views of the waterfall.

Stocks on West Burton village green