Yorkshire Walks

The village hall next to the car park

Looking back along Main Street

Crossing the road to the green track down the side of the school

After about 150m we continued along Main Street across the crossroads with Raskelf Road & Bridge Street. At the 'T'-junction at the end of the street we crossed road and took the green track down the left hand side of the school to a stile into the fields.

This morning, my wife & I drove a few miles to the village of Helperby and parked in the small car park area next to the village hall off the Main Street through the village. From the car park we walked back to the village street and turned left to walk along the street.

Heading into Main Street by the war memorial from the car park

Continuing along Main Street towards the school at the end

Stile into the fields behind the school

Stile into the school playing field

Open iron gate between the fields

Iron gate on to the road at the end of the sheep pastures

We walked beside a post & wire fence down the middle of the muddy pasture and went through an open iron gate on our right at the far end. We crossed this next field with a pond in the middle and came to an iron gate in the far corner that led us on to the road out of Helperby heading towards Thornton Bridge.

We followed the footpath between the post & rail fence and an electric fence to another stile. We crossed this stile on our right into the small playing field at the back of the school and continued to a ladder stile at the end of the field into some sheep pasture.

Ladder stile out of the school playing field

Flock of sheep hoping to be fed

Following the road towards Thornton Bridge

Following the road towards Thornton Bridge

There is a verge wide enough to walk on but quite rough and uneven underfoot. The verge is covered in litter, paper cartons, bottles, plastic, rags. All kinds of junk apparently just discarded from passing vehicles. Ugh!

Here we turned left and followed the road for about 800m to Thornton Bridge over the River Swale. This is not the nicest part of the walk. The road is quite busy.

Nearing our turning off the road just before Thornton Bridge

Path over the low wall & along the flood bank

Path along the flood bank heading for a minor road

At the road we turned left and walked along the road for about 350m to the access road to Fawdington House farm on our right. Here we turned off the road to walk along the access road towards Fawdington House.

At Thornton Bridge we turned right off the road to cross a low stone wall to the path heading upstream by the River Swale along the flood bank on the south-eastern side of the river. We followed the path along the flood bank and then along the edge some woodland to a minor road at map ref. SE437717.

Path along the flood bank beside the River Swale

Turning on to a minor road from a muddy field gateway

The River Swale seen from the flood bank path

Following the road towards Fawdington House

Keeping right to take the path around Fawdington House

Withdrawing the steel pin to open the gate

These gates were held together by a long steel pin passing through hoops in the ends of the gates, easy enough to pull out to pass through the gates, but a bit awkward to thread back into place to refasten the gates. The path across the fields brought us to the road next to a house with a tennis court in the back garden, at map ref. SE444720.

Just before we reached the house we kept to the right off the access road to follow a path just to the right of Fawdington House beside the hedge around the house. We continued past the house across the fields. There were sheep grazing in many of the fields divided by pairs of low wooden gates.

Turning on to the Fawdington House access road

Path across the fields from Fawdington House

Gate to the road at the house with a tennis court

Path across the fields to the road at the house with a tennis court

Turning off the road on to Ewe Hole Lane

Following Ewe Hole Lane between the fields

Heading for Raskelf Road along Ewe Hole Lane

We continued along the lane round a right hand bend and between the fields. After about 600m we crossed another track that was along the bed of a dismantled railway. We continued along Ewe Hole Lane for another 550m to Raskelf Road at map ref. SE445705.

At the road we turned right and walked along the road for about 300m to map ref. SE443717 where there is a farm access track (open to the public) on the left hand side of the road. Here we turned left off the road and followed this track, called Ewe Hole Lane.

Starting out along Ewe Hole Lane

Crossing the bed of the dismantled railway

Turning on to Raskelf Road from Ewe Hole Lane

Walking along Raskelf Road

Following Brecks Lane between the fields

Brecks Lane getting muddier

Brecks Lane is quite muddy and awkward to walk having been cut into deep, water filled ruts by the farm traffic that uses it. We walked along Brecks Lane between the fields for about 600m to Raghill Lane at map ref. SE450699.

Here we turned left to walk along Raskelf Road for about 150m to another lane on the right hand side of the road. This is Brecks Lane and we turned right off Raskelf Road to follow it.

Turning off Raskelf Road on to Brecks Lane

A gas fired bird scarer next to the lane

Brecks Lane cut into muddy ruts

Turning right to follow Raghill Lane

Raghill Lane where it becomes a metalled public road

Snowdrops on the bank by the lane

Following Main Street through Helperby

We continued along Main Street back to the entrance to the village hall & car park at the end of our walk. The whole route had been 7km and it had taken us a little over two hours to walk with no stops. There are a couple of good pubs in the village and we chose one of them for our lunch before driving home.

At Raghill Lane we turned right and walked along it for about 400m to a minor road at map ref. SE446698. At the road we turned right to walk along the road (a continuation of Raghill Lane), round a left hand bend and out to the road into Helperby. We followed the road past Helperby Hall where the road is called Main Street

Overtaken by a horse rider along Raghill Lane

Heading for Helperby along Main Street

Old drinking fountain at the junction at Tofts Lane

Inscription on the old drinking fountain at the junction of Main Street and Tofts Lane