So far we have come from Nottingham, via D.H. Lawrence country, the highest point in Nottinghamshire, a couple of country parks and Hardwick Hall to Bolsover and its castle, Creswell Crags, The Chesterfield Canal, Roche Abbey, Conisbrough Castle and Brockadale nature reserve.

Darrington to Potterton

With the A1 behind you Spitalgap Lane rises gently to just over 50m, still high enough to provide a good view to the north and east. It gradually narrows and there are a couple of chicanes to slow you down. As the noise of the traffic fades away all you are left with is the sound of the breeze through the ash trees along the way. The verges that are now encroaching are covered in field edge weeds like brambles, nettles and thistles but there were cow parsley and hogweed earlier and creeping cinquefoil really is creeping onto the old road surface. Yarrow is coming in too.

You might get a glimpse of Pontefract Hospital ahead (or are they blocks of flats?) and to the northwest on the horizon are the woods beyond Ledsham. To the east Eggborough and Drax power stations line up and in the far distance the Wolds are visible on a clear day. Closer to hand is Ferrybridge. A huge new white building fails to make any impression on the scene as it blends in with the sky.

After about 1.5km you reach Street Furlong Lane. Turn right here. This has real traffic but there is a roadside path most of the way. You soon reach houses on the edge of Pontefract and the road has become Eastbourne View. Continue past Eastbourne Crescent and then after about 70m a track appears on the right. This is Lower Taythes Lane. It is a farm track leading towards Ferrybridge, though at the time of writing there was no footpath signpost here. After about 300m a path goes off to the right and shortly afterwards another one comes in from the left where there is a PRW sign. When I was there a new housing development had just begun on the left. Next you will come to a point where there is a three-way sign post and here continue ahead along what is now a footpath.

This section of path is a bit of a hollow-way, suggesting that it has been here a long time. It takes you northward across agricultural land and is a bit overgrown with nettles and thistles at the height of summer. Eventually you come to a yellow cypress hedge on the left and the back gardens of a row of cottages on the right. You then reach Knottingley Road (A645). If you turn right here you will see almost opposite at the side of a house called Nyland, that there is a bridleway continuing northwards. There is a rowan and a horse chestnut tree just before a tunnel under the railway. Beyond that it continues as a path with an old hedge on the left with hazel, elder and sycamore up to Sowgate Lane.

Now we have a choice of routes. The simplest is to carry on northwards towards the power station and eventually arriving at Ferrybridge. The alternative is a bit more convoluted but takes in some interesting bits of Knottingley including a nice canal-side walk.

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Knottingley Loop.

Turn right onto Sowgate Lane and pass beneath the two motorway bridges carrying the M62 and the A1(M). Then shortly afterwards you go under a railway bridge before reaching a residential road. Ignore the approach road from the right and carry on up to the footbridge over the Ferrybridge bypass, the A162. This used to be the A1.

Once over the footbridge there is a short section of footpath through some trees but this gets overgrown with Himalayan balsam in summer. However, the roadside path up to Pontefract Road is quite all right.

Close by is a Premier Inn and a guest house.

Also in the area is Pontefract Castle (SE460 222). The castle was built in about 1070 by Ilbert de Lacy and subsequently owned by his ancestors until latterly it was in the hands of the kings and queens of England until falling to Cromwell in 1648. After this, much of it was demolished.

Little survives today of what must have been one of the most impressive castles in Yorkshire. Much of the curtain wall remains and the results of archaeological excavations in the 19^th and 20^th centuries are evident in the inner bailey. Some conservation work has been carried out during 2014-16. There is a new visitor centre.

Nearby is All Saints Church (SE463 224). Its history probably goes back to the 11^th century but it was severely damaged during the sieges of Pontefract Castle during the Civil War. It remained a ruin until 1838 when a partial restoration took place. A new nave and vestry were built in 1967, within the body of the original structure so making the “church within a church”. A notable feature is the double helix staircase made up of two separate staircases each winding round the same stone newel. .

Pontefract town has a market (Wednesday, Friday and Saturday) and many of the usual facilities including a guest house, supermarkets, cafes, restaurants and pubs. There is also the race course and Xscape. It is famous for its confectionary especially Pontefract Cakes made of liquorice.

Knottingley.

On reaching Pontefract Road turn left and walk on until you get to Warren Avenue on the right. Take this up to Simpson’s Lane, turn left and carry on to the junction of Hazel Road and Spawd Bone Lane.

This is not far from the Knottingley railway station with trains to Hull, Goole, Leeds, Wakefield and beyond.

The name Spawd Bone comes from the Middle English for shoulder bone and is thought to be due to its shape. It did form the southern boundary of an early field system and was part of the turnpike before diversions were made when the railway came.

There has been glass manufacturing in Knottingley since the mid 19^th century and there are still a number of companies involved in the manufacture of bottles and glass containers. Yellow Permian Sands from below the Magnesian Limestone, (that we met near Hooton Pagnell), used as the raw material for the process, was brought in along the canal. This sand, almost pure silica, was ideal for making glass as the particles were uniformly spherical and consistent. It is now believed to be a marine sediment where earlier it was described as “fossilised sand dunes”.

After a few hundred metres eastwards along Spawd Bone Lane there is a footpath sign on the left that leads through an underpass beneath the railway and alongside a playing field where you may catch people committing football.

On reaching Marine Villa Road, Morrison’s superstore appears on the left and this is very handy for most of your requirements, having a café and loos.

On reaching the main road – the A645 - take the roadside path eastwards, passing the Lidl store and heading for the zebra crossing. Just before reaching it, a well signed path goes off to the right leading down to the Aire and Calder Navigation.

There are a series of excellent, what appear to be, cast iron sign posts in this part of Knottingley each surmounted by the town’s crest. There is one by the traffic lights at the entrance to Morrison’s indicating the way to the Town Hall and St. Botolph’s Church and this one directs you to the Canal Walks.

On the downward slope you enter the “Amphitheatre”. This was designed by British Waterways in conjunction with Knottingley High School and has been used for some local events. Along here you will come across an information board telling of the geology and some of the industrial history of the area. The canal was opened in 1826 and allowed coal to be brought in and limestone to be taken from Knottingley. Sand was also carried to the town for making glass.

Another interpretation board is set just before Jackson Bridge that carries the A645 over the canal. This indicates the limestone that supports the bridge and that just beyond the bridge there is a quarry face where the Magnesian Limestone is clearly exposed. Continuing along the canal bank there is an unmarked path that begins near a useful bench where some steep steps lead you past a primary school up to Ropewalk. Turning left here will take you back to Jackson Bridge and the Town Hall where a right turn will bring you to the turning to Chapel Street where the war memorial is situated. To the left of that is the path up to St. Botolph’s. And to the left of that is a mystery.

This was once Town’s Quarry but hasn’t been used since the late 19^th century. Old maps show it to have a lake at that time when it was described as “a stagnant pool”. It was taken over by the church and is, I think, now the St. Botolph’s memorial garden. There used to be a plaque at the entrance that said “In these grounds stood Knottingley Old Hall, the Elizabethan residence of the Wildbore family demolished in 1830 for the sake of the limestone underneath”. It is a small park bounded to the north by another old quarry face colonised by what are quite mature trees. There are other well established trees on the quarry floor and a nice path weaving its way round. On the western side are a number of structures built out from a limestone face with well built arches. Could these have been lime kilns? Where the quality of the limestone wasn’t good enough for it to be used for building it was used for burning for lime. So this could be something associated with that. Hanging from the roof of one of these you can see some small stalactites usually called “straws”.

The long path up to the south door of St. Botolph’s allows a closer look at the church although there is not much to see on the outside.

St. Botolph’s Church was founded in 1110 A.D. and its tower dates back in parts to that (Norman) period. The whole church appears to have been rebuilt in 18^th century. The tower is built from the local stone and looks Gothic but the nave has simple arched windows and these are typical Georgian. It has been spoilt by rendering that is probably hiding red brick. The chancel was added in 1887. The windows are protected by mesh screens!

There is a gate at the east side of the chancel but that is usually locked, so it would be necessary to back-track to the war memorial.

Also in the area: Willow Garth Nature Reserve. (SE514 241). Yorkshire Wildlife Trust again – this time it is a wetland site with ponds and willow coppice. It is about 2km eastwards from St. Botolph’s Church, Knottingley, on the south side of the River Aire. Small mammals there include the harvest mouse, bank vole, common shrews and pygmy shrews.

Our route continues along Chapel Street until just past the church. A path heads westwards along its north side before passing a mixture of old and new houses with some limestone involved. One of these is Manor Farm, and if the donkeys and goats are still there, please don’t feed them. A couple of pedestrian gates take you out onto the private road leading to the King’s Mill. A sign says that you have been walking along the Knottingley Discovery Trail. There are more fine cast iron sign posts along this section, one pointing to the canal walk.

Just before reaching the gate to the mill, the path cuts down to the canal tow path and continues along this past a stone wall that is probably related to an older mill than the one here today. Mills have been here since the Middle Ages, as many as three at one time. You will come to King’s Mill Bridge where there is a link back to Morrison’s by way of Forge Hill Lane.

The next section has the canal on one side and the River Aire on the other. Here you are following the boundary between North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire. The path continues between the trees until crossing a sluice just before the locks. There is a footbridge here to cross over the canal which leads to the Golden Lion pub. You have reached Ferrybridge. Ahead of you again is the Ferrybridge power station.

Carry on briefly along the roadside passing under the Ferrybridge by-pass where our way takes us by the 19^th century toll house. Here we end the Knottingley Loop and rejoin the shorter route.

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Continuing on the shorter route across the field path you will cross the railway bridge and go onto the side of a field. At the time of writing a new housing development had just begun on the left. Passing by this and an earlier estate, gradually converging on the motorway, you come to Pontefract Road, Ferrybridge. Turn right here and pass under three bridges to go past the cemetery and reach the first of the houses. A number of roads go off to the right but you will come to the church just beyond Kingsley Avenue.

St. Andrew’s Church has only been here since the early 1950s. It was brought here stone by stone from its original site about 1km to the north. Its old site was susceptible to flooding and quite isolated. Arthur Mee said “lonely and forlorn, the church stands on the edge of the marshes, compassed about with the railway and the network of wires of the great transformer”. It had been founded in 1030 and some of its remaining fabric dates to Norman times. It was largely rebuilt in 1350 and in 1879 there were further alterations. On its relocation the porch was moved from the south side to the north so it would be nearer to the road. It now looks as though it has always been there. I’m sure it is happier here.

Turn left along Castleford Avenue and pass the recreation ground on your right with the power station cooling towers ahead. This will lead you to the B6136 Stranglands Lane. If you were to turn left here in about 500m, just where the road bends to the right, is the site of a henge. This dates from about 3000 – 2500 B.C. That makes it Neolithic and probably the oldest feature anywhere near our walk. There are only about 50 similar sites in the whole of England.

However we are going right. This takes us under a railway bridge to the old toll house where the Knottingley Loop comes back in.

Now cross the old road bridge over the River Aire. This used to be part of the Great North Road until the A1 was given the new route close by and this in turn was superseded by the A1(M) now to the west, causing this part of the old A1 to become the A162. A stone at the centre of the bridge records “John Carr, Architect, 1797”. Here we pass into North Yorkshire again.

Immediately over the bridge an unsigned path turns off to the left and takes you along the river bank toward Brotherton. There is a lot of Himalayan balsam here but at the time of writing the path is clear. Some giant hogweed is present as well. An alternative is to follow the path at the side of the A162 up to the Brotherton turn. That is just about 500m of noisy roadside walking.

Arriving at Brotherton, St. Edward the Confessor’s church is on the west side of the village street. This is distinctly Victorian (1842) and is not built of Magnesian Limestone. It is more of an orange colour than the stone of the local area. This is a Carboniferous Coal Measures sandstone from a few miles further west. By the mid 19^th century it was easier and cheaper to transport materials from afar than in the past. They probably thought that it would be more resistant to weathering, but it is already showing signs of that. Parts of the church also show signs of sootiness resulting from the area’s industrial past.

Church Street and High Street continue to the north between a mixture of older and newer properties but with the roadside walls almost entirely of the local stone. North of the village there has been extensive quarrying activity in the past.

Eventually, just past Cut Road the path leaves the High Street and takes you off at an angle to the left, down a ramp and behind a small business estate, arriving at the banks of the River Aire again. Although on the map it looks quite industrial it feels much more like a walk in the woods. Silver birch, oak and sycamore prevail and the trees run down to the waterside beyond the path so there are only fleeting glimpses of the river. It is more of a track for much of this section and it is possible to comfortably walk two abreast.

Along this stretch of the River Aire, until recent years, would be a succession of “Tom Puddings” carrying coal down river, originally to Goole but later to Ferrybridge Power Station. These were specially designed compartmentalised barges dating back to the 19^th century, running in strings or trains more in the water than on it.

In the past the Aire was very polluted, but now thanks to such things as improvements to sewage works, the water quality is much better and there are fish such as chub, dace, barbel, grayling and sea trout. Otters and water voles are apparently not unknown. Cormorants have now reached this far inland.

The next landmark is the bridge carrying the new A1(M) over the river. Beneath this at the side of the path is an artificial boulder field of our Magnesian Limestone. This is a good chance to see the rock in its un-weathered state.

The railway bridge (Bridge 19 - Fairburn Railway) known as the Three Bridges, carries the line from Castleford to Goole and after this the view along the river opens up. The path goes over a sluice gate and reaches the southeast corner of Fairburn Ings R.S.P.B reserve. This is a series of lakes caused by the subsidence of the underlying strata because of coal extraction below. It is possible to take a detour and continue along the river and into the reserve, where on a good day you might hear a bittern booming or see a kingfisher diving into the water to catch a fish. Even spoonbills are reported as being seen.

However, our way takes us from the river towards Fairburn village. The path turns right along a wooded causeway. This is parallel to The Cut which is a short canal giving access from Fairburn to the River Aire.

Also nearby is the R.S.P. B. reserve St Aidan’s. (SE395 285).

When you reach the north side of the water a track leads up into Cut Road to meet the Fairburn to Allerton Bywater road, where Cross Hill becomes Caudle Hill. You will have seen the village of Fairburn on the hill in front of you and it’s worth taking a short detour here to look at the exposure of the limestone at the side of the road, as well as the pump and the horse trough and the old prison lock-up.

There are two pubs in the village, the Wagon and Horses and the Three Horseshoes although at the rate that village pubs are closing it may not be the case by the time you get there. There should be an opportunity for refreshment at one of these at least.

Back on route, follow the Allerton road until coming to a track off to the right. This is Beckfield Lane and serves a number of houses on the left before splitting into two. Here you should take the one to the right. This is a gentle climb with a wood on the right. After one more house on the left you will come to a series of metal pedestrian gates. With a farm and possibly a friendly horse on the right and Caudle Hill Plantation (sycamore trees, elder and hazel) on the left you will catch views of the Ings below and if it’s clear enough, Emley Moor t.v. transmitter in the far distance, now about 30km away.

With the wood behind you the view opens up and the path reaches a grass field where you will see the village of Ledsham, with its church spire poking up through the trees.

The path goes downhill towards Wormstall Wood (once more entering West Yorkshire) and skirts its western end for a short stretch before going over a stile into the wood. There are some fine mature beech trees here. The PRW is overgrown but it seems that most people take a well trodden path looping through the trees and back to the NW corner of the wood or staying outside the wood all together. After leaving the wood the path soon becomes a track bounded by a group of magnificent beech trees. There can be a lot of beech mast crunching beneath your boots. And when you have passed the last of these trees, look back to find a fairy door hiding round the back.

On reaching the road, Holyrood Lane, we need to go left towards Ledsham village. After about 50m look out for the entrance to the Ledsham Bank nature reserve. A track leads off the road to the right “backwards”.

The reserve is managed by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and in Summer you will find pyramidal, early purple and fragrant orchids in the limestone grassland as well as bladder campion, yellow rattle, hoary plantain, yellow wort and the rare bright yellow dyer’s greenweed. More commonly, buttercups, ladies bedstraw, stitchwort, bird’s-foot trefoil, herb robert and hop trefoil as well as the hogweed, thistles, dog rose and brambles are there too. In Spring there is a good display of cowslips and later there are field scabious and knapweed to add to the colour. Comma butterflies, small and large skippers as well as common and holly blues have all been recorded here. The wood to the east has mainly ash and sycamore but you might see a wych elm too. I saw dozens of chimney sweeper moths here one day.

So, turning left towards the village, there is a short stretch of road walking until you get to the roadside footpath. The old school, set on the right hand side of the road, was founded by Lady Betty Hastings. She was the daughter of the 7^th Earl of Huntingdon and lived at nearby Ledston Hall. She was a great philanthropist and supported local charities, founded other schools, supported the erection of Holy Trinity Church in Leeds and provided a scholarship for students at Queen’s College, Oxford. She died in 1739.

Ahead, All Saints' Church appears from out of the trees and is well worth taking a few minutes to look at. It was begun in Saxon times as the windows in the tower suggest and is said to be the oldest building in West Yorkshire. There is a benchmark just west of the little Norman south door of the tower. Behind the church is St John’s Hospital which are alms houses dating back to 1670. Just beyond the church you can see the village pump.

The Chequers Inn is good for food and drink and makes a very good stopping off point. It too is pretty ancient and goes back to the 17^th century, its low beams and alcove rooms testifying to that. Until recently it had a six day licence and so was closed on Sundays. Now it is open seven days a week. What’s that about it being haunted?

About 1.5 km to the east there is a hotel at Selby Fork. A garden centre nearby has a very good coffee shop.

From part way round the bend, take the road opposite the pub and continue north-westwards along Park Lane, with new houses on your right. Old Park Lane Farm is at the end with ducks and hens in the garden and a limestone cliff behind. Beyond there you will go into the woods where paths and tracks go off at all angles. There was a pheasant warning me off. The first goes off left towards Kippax and Ledston Luck and then after about 70m the track splits into two, neither of which are PRWs but the Permian Way is the less obvious path bisecting these, heading just about due north with a public footpath sign pointing the way. I saw a bullfinch here one day.

The route takes you through a wood of mature beech trees with a lot of ash saplings. At the far side a stile leads you into Ledston Park. This is typical parkland with clumps of yet more beech trees and a view to the northeast of Ledston Lodge with its four towers, built for Sir John Lewis in the 17^th century.

Someone reported seeing a red kite being “mobbed” by a crow along here.

For about a kilometre the path heads north-westwards with Wellington Plantation to the southwest and Beacon Plantation to the northeast until reaching a stile leading you through the northern corner of Wellington Plantation with young beech trees and some silver birch. Leaving the wood you will come out onto a metalled track that leads to the A63.

Across the road the path disappears into Peckfield Plantation and is obvious for a while before meandering off between the trees. There is a fairly clearly defined route north-eastwards but the PRW itself gets a bit lost. Eventually though, it all becomes clear again at the northern corner of the wood, where the path becomes a grassy track. To the southeast and the northeast as well as to the southwest, it is all woodland, giving the feel that you are in the middle of a forest although you are approaching the edge of Micklefield. Our route reaches the Old Great North Road just by the Micklefield sign. Turn left here and go into Micklefield village.

In Micklefield there is an old quarry that anybody keen on geology will find it worth taking a brief diversion to see. It is at grid reference SE 446 324 and can be reached by turning right off the main street where a playground is signposted. This takes you behind a row of terraced houses to a grassy area with a limestone cliff behind. There is an interpretation board that explains the significance of the “Hampole discontinuity”. The quarry dates back to before 1850 and is a good example of the Cadeby Formation of the Magnesian Limestone.

There is another hotel about 1km south of here where the A63 leaves the old Great North Road.

Also in the area: About 4km to the east is Steeton Hall Gateway (SE 483 314). This is a gatehouse tower dating from the 14^th century and is managed by English Heritage.

Continue through Micklefield passing a shop and just down the road is the railway station with trains from York, Selby and Leeds. After this on the right is the Garden Village. Micklefield was until recently a coal mining village. The Peckfield Mine closed in 1980 but a more significant date is 1896 when 63 men and boys and 23 pit ponies were killed in an underground explosion. There is a memorial to them in the village.

The road curves right down into a dip and then up into Old Micklefield. There you will find The Blands Arms which you may find open. Almost opposite, a tarmac road bounded on the left by an elder hedge will lead you down to the bridge over the A1(M). At the time of writing new houses were being built on the site of Manor House Farm on the right. A number of footpaths come in from the side along here. You could plot a route avoiding the village but I have tried to keep it as simple as possible.

It is possible to take a short cut from Micklefield along the old Great North Road to Aberford and meet the Permian Way there. It would cut out some ploughed fields which may be a problem especially in wet weather. There is a path along the side of the road almost all the way and it is not very busy. You cross over the M1 (via a bridge) and the B1217 en route and it does give you the opportunity to see the Aberford Almshouses. These were built in 1843-45, in the gothic style, for Elizabeth and Mary Isabella Gascoigne in memory of their father Richard Oliver Gascoigne and their two brothers. They were to be occupied by retired workers of the Gascoigne’s Parlington estate, four men and four women. They make a great show of gables, domed turrets and a central tower. The last resident left in 1976 and it has since been converted to office use and renamed Priory Park.

Along here though you are though never far from the A1(M) so there is always some traffic noise.

You would also have the chance to walk almost the full length of Aberford and take in the village church, unusually dedicated to St Ricarius. He was a 7^th century missionary from France. Although mainly Victorian this does have a small Norman window in the north wall and the lower part of the tower is Norman too. There are the remains of a Saxon cross in the west wall of the south aisle. Opposite the church is Aberford House built in the 18^th century, beneath which are said to be the buried remains of a Roman fort. Close by at the junction with Cattle Lane is a building that was a coaching inn, the Swan Hotel.

The bridge over Cock Beck takes you to the Arabian Horse where you come back to the Permian Way.

From the bridge over the A1(M) turn left and after about 200m continue eastwards towards Hartly Wood Cottages, which when I was there were kennels. There is a wind farm to the north. There are extensive views all round from up here and on a good day you can see the Hambleton Hills to the north and the Wolds before you to the east. Hugging the hedgerow (the PRW goes diagonally across the field) go along a grassy track to the corner of Daniel Hartly’s Wood and then southwards to the southeast corner of the field. Here it picks up the PRW again. At this point you pass back into North Yorkshire. The route takes you over an arable field to the northwest corner of Huddleston Old Wood, where it continues along its north edge eventually reaching a track to take you northwards to Huddleston Hall. This is built of a pale limestone from a nearby quarry and dates from the late 16^th century. That quarry also supplied stone for Sherburn church.

From there it is a quiet road called Laith Staid Lane. After about 800m the busy railway line taking trains from Leeds to York goes overhead. Another kilometre or so brings you level with Sherburn church to the south and there is a footpath along the field edge directly up to the churchyard. This is St. Andrew’s Church and it was a Saxon foundation re-built in the 12^th century.

St. Andrew's Church, Sherburn © Gordon Hatton

A short steep incline brings you out at the base of the church tower. Close by to the east are some humps and hollows relating to a palace or hunting lodge of the Archbishops of York from the 10^th to 13^th century.

Sherburn in Elmet, to give it its full name, lies in what was the ancient Brittonic kingdom of Elmet that was in existence between the time the Romans left and its occupation by the Saxons of Northumbria. There are a number of shops, places to eat and pubs here and at least one guest house.

Also in the area: Sherburn Willows Nature Reserve. This lies southwest of the town at SE 487 326. It is another Yorkshire Wildlife Trust reserve and is mainly Magnesian Limestone grassland with common spotted orchid, bee orchid and twayblade as well as the more common ox-eye daisy, cowslip, hairy violet and scabious. In a marshy area there are meadow rue, purple loosestrife, meadow sweet and great willowherb.

Leaving the church yard by the south gate you will emerge onto Church Hill. Turn left and follow the road down the hill until you reach the traffic lights in the middle of the village. There isn’t much to see there so turn left again and go up Finkle Hill passing the Co-op supermarket, the police station and ambulance station on your right. From the top of the hill you drop down to the roundabout at the western end of the by-pass – the A162. There is a good roadside path all the way along here and except at peak times this road is only moderately busy.

Continue northwards passing beneath the railway bridge (the Leeds–York line again). Beyond here you will see the village of Barkston Ash ahead of you. What from this distance appears to be the tower of the church is in fact a house called Barkston Towers. The church itself can’t be seen as it is tucked away and has neither tower nor spire.

On the left you will see a nursery school and about 100m beyond this, a footpath leaves the road on the east side. At the time of writing there was no signpost here but there is a pedestrian gate leading into a grass field and the path is well used. Take this path and continue until it reaches the base of the railway embankment and turn left at the bridge. You are now on Saw Wells Lane. This continues into the village passing Sawyer Wells Farm on the right and some new houses called Saw Wells Court on the left. After the road bends to the left turn right into Back Lane and after about 50m you will reach Church Street. Our route continues north along here.

Barkston Ash is a quiet village with a small church and two pubs - The Ash Tree on London Road (the main road) and The Boot and Shoe on Main Street - both of which serve food. There is also a guest house on the main road just north of the village and off our route. Holy Trinity Church is off Church Street on the left hand side. This doesn’t get a mention in Pevsner but it is worth a brief look.

Just after Church Street bends to the right, a lane turns off to the left between the houses called Timberlee and Ty Newydd. This leads into Scarthingwell Park.

Scarthingwell Hall was built here for Sir Edward Hawke in about 1710. He was a naval commander becoming Admiral of the Fleet and later First Lord of the Admiralty. He probably saved this country from invasion by the French at the Battle of Quiberon Bay (off Brittany) in 1759. He became Baron Hawke of Towton. The park contained an ornamental lake and bridge but the hall itself was demolished in 1960 as being “surplus to requirements”.

You might get a glimpse of the lake on the right before reaching the Roman Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception & St. John of Beverley. This was built as recently as 1854 in a style described by Pevsner as “Neo-Norman - with an apse”!

On reaching a t-junction you get to the old village of Scarthingwell where one of the old barns at Old Hall Farm is Grade 2 listed.

Turning left here, the road heads westwards and passes the golf course. On reaching the A162 there is a short stretch of roadside path back towards Barkston Ash and after about 200m a footpath is signposted across the road on the west side. The access to this is up some steep steps that are easier going up than coming down. This leads along the field edge with excellent views all round. Back towards the east the Wolds are visible (on a good day). The village of Saxton appears in the hollow to the west. To the northwest you will see Hayton Wood beyond Aberford and along the northern horizon is the site of the Battle of Towton.

This battle was fought during the English Wars of the Roses on 29 March 1461. It is described as probably the largest and bloodiest battle ever fought on English soil According to chroniclers at the time more than 50,000 soldiers from the Houses of York and Lancaster fought for hours amidst a snowstorm on that day, which was Palm Sunday. A newsletter circulated a week after the battle reported that 28,000 died on the battlefield.

It brought about a change of monarchs in England, with the victor, the Yorkist Edward, Duke of York who became King Edward IV (1461–1483) having displaced the Lancastrian King Henry VI (1422–1461) as king, and thus drove the head of the Lancastrians and his key supporters out of the country.

After passing Manor Farm you enter Saxton, a delightful village with a small pub called the Greyhound. It is worth taking a short diversion to look at All Saints Church. Parts of this go back to the Norman period and in the churchyard is the tomb of Lord Dacre who was killed at Towton.

Our path continues from just a little south of the point where you reached the Main Street. The first part is effectively through the garden of Village Farm but it is well signed and there is a gate at the far end. The next section is across arable land but again it is well signed, pointing you to the Crooked Billet.

The Crooked Billet is a public house that seems miles from anywhere. It is open all day and when I was there, it did excellent food. It probably goes back a long way in history although the current exterior of the building is red brick. There is an information board here about the Battle of Towton and across the road is the tiny Lead Chapel in a field all on its own. It is dedicated to St. Mary and was saved from dilapidation by a group of ramblers and is sometimes known as the Ramblers Church. Another information board explains its history and situation.

From here the route is northwards. There is a signed footpath that just goes up to the chapel, whereas the bridleway we want should go up the drive to Lead Hall Farm, but the local convention seems to be to continue through the chapel field to a gate at the northwest corner. From there is a short section of enclosed path before coming out onto a farm track. The farm house looks quite new and although built of red brick it has limestone corners and window trimming which make it very attractive.

After about 500m there is a footpath heading north-westward towards Aberford along Cock Beck.

This is where the Tadcaster Loop leaves the main route. You can read about that later in this book .

Lead to Aberford.

Continuing along the main route, from here a way-marked path roughly follows Cock Beck westwards. It is a nice grassy path nearly all the way to Aberford. However, as much of it is on the flood plain of the beck, it can be a bit wet in places at times. There are some stiles and way-marks so it is easy to follow.

Cock Beck is a good old-fashioned stream that meanders along with a lot of old crack willows on its banks and the occasional alder tree. Up to the north you can see Bullen Wood and Hayton House before the path comes up to the south side of Hayton Wood. This is a mixed wood with beech, ash, larch, oak and sycamore trees. At its southwest corner you pass into West Yorkshire again. All the woods round here are home to roe deer that can sometimes be seen out in the fields. There are quite a few hares around as well.

Opposite Hayton Wood to the south on the skyline you might make out South Dyke. This is part of a system of earthworks in the Aberford area including The Rein, Becca Banks and The Ridge. Nobody is sure what age these are. In fact they may not all be the same age but they were probably built to defend something or be a statement of power. They could be as early as Iron Age, perhaps as a defence against invading Romans, but more likely something to do with the ancient kingdom of Elmet.

After climbing up away from the beck with signs of moles and rabbits, you will come to a signpost leading you towards Aberford. The next field is on a south facing slope with a hedge on the north side. In Springtime there are celandines, violets, bluebells and dog’s mercury enjoying the sunny aspect.

You then reach a bit of a stile in the northwest corner of the field where there is a way- mark pointing you northwards up a path bounded by hawthorn hedges. At the top of this you will find another signpost pointing left for Aberford. After this the path widens to a track that takes you up to a modern house called “Witches Castle”. The house here used to be called Humphrey Dale Cottage. Cross over the access road by the pylon where there is yet another signpost pointing towards Aberford. This takes you westwards along a track called Field Lane.

By now you will be well aware that you are approaching the motorway. On the left, hopefully hidden by trees and a hedge is a sewage works and in the hedge bottom there is dog’s mercury that is obvious in Spring, and ivy which you will see all year. Turn right at the footpath sign onto the path that takes you up to the bridge over the A1(M). This is probably the noisiest spot on the whole route. The footbridge carries you over eight lanes of fast moving traffic and it can be a bit disconcerting. I find that looking at traffic moving away is less alarming that seeing heavy lorries coming towards you. The path takes you down the slope and turns away from the motorway up to Field Lane and into Aberford.

Aberford.

Aberford is a linear village set along the Great North Road. In the days of the stage coaches there were a number of hotels. The Swan and the Royal Oak are no longer operating as such, but the Arabian Horse is still a pub. There doesn’t seem to be a shop or post office.

The Parlington Estate lies southwest of the village. It was in the hands of the Gascoine family from the 16^th century. The Hall developed over the succeeding years but in 1905 it was abandoned. The park was taken over by the military in both world wars and there are still constructions from those periods. The house was mostly demolished bit by bit in the 1950s and 60s and little now remains. The most notable structure still there is the Triumphal Arch. This has an inscription “Liberty in N. America Triumphant MDCCLXXXIII”. It was built in about 1790 not long after the United States broke with Britain. There is a public way through the estate and on it a tunnel. This was built in 1813 to hide a railway from the occupants of the house and is known as The Dark Arch.

At the time of writing the park is the site of a proposed new “garden village” to house 15,000 people.

Also in the area: Lotherton Hall. SE449 361. This is an Edwardian house and bird garden with many rare and endangered species. There is also a herd of red deer.

Field Lane continues until it meets Main Street right outside the Arabian Horse pub. At the time of writing this is open for food as well as drink. Just across the road you will see Becca Lane, signposted - “Public Bridleway to A64 via Becca”.

This is the way to go. After a few yards the houses end and about 100m later there is a permissive path through the woods on the left. If you take this you will travel along Becca Banks. With The Ridge this forms earthwork about 3 miles long. It consists of a bank with a ditch on its southern down-slope side. The bank reinforces the natural slope and the top of the bank would have been 7.6m above the bottom of the ditch. That is quite some obstacle. About halfway along the path there is an old quarry where you will see one of the best exposures of the Magnesian Limestone you will come across. The lower 4m or so is massive dolomite that looks as though it would make perfect building stone. Above that is another 3 or 4m of a bed showing beautiful honeycomb weathering. The wood is now a conservation area and the public are asked to keep out.

The path emerges back onto the road just short of Cufforth House. If not taking this path continue along the quiet tree-lined road that is only for walkers. and riders, not vehicles. There are some large pine trees on the right, and on the left the wood pretty well hides Becca Banks from view.

After passing Cufforth House on the right, the road deteriorates as you approach the lodge and enter Becca Park at a cattle grid. Ahead you will see Becca Hall. This was constructed in 1783 by William Markham, the son of an Archbishop of York. It remained in the Markham family until 1894, after which it had a number of private owners before being taken over by the Central Electricity Generating Board in 1958. After privatisation this became the National Grid Company. The house was developed as a control centre, eventually being able to control the entire electricity transmission network from the Borders to the Wash. It was relinquished by the National Grid in 1997 and is now back in private hands. The current owners have restored the house to its original state and removed extensive later extensions provided by the electricity people.

The track carries on across the open parkland forking off to the left, away from the Hall, until reaching a gate at the far end. It is then bounded by a ditch and hedges as you approach Becca Home Farm. In springtime there are violets and celandines on the bank. As you look round you will see a landscape of rolling hills and woods.

The farmhouse is built from a variety of stones giving it an almost chequerboard look, whereas the cottages and the older farm buildings are limestone. Continue straight on with new farm buildings on the left, and after passing through a gate, in about 50 metres there is a signpost. This indicates that the bridleway carries on towards the A64 but we need to take the footpath off to the left.

The next section takes you across the fields towards Potterton. Some of this is arable land but it is way-marked and well trodden with a few stiles along the way. After crossing an open field and looping round the head of a stream you pass a lone oak tree on the way to the north end of South Plantation.

Then, hugging the trees (not literally) and the succeeding hedge there is thin strip of wood to pass through with a stile. Old Plantation is on the left. This is made up of a mixture of mature deciduous trees, most of which are covered in ivy. Some young saplings have been planted and much of the ground is covered with dog’s mercury. The edge of the wood curves round to the left as the path follows it along a grass strip at the side of the fields. At a second hedge there is a single plank footbridge where the path is then way-marked diagonally across the grass field away from the wood. You then arrive at Potterton Lane where you turn right.

If you would like to continue northwards go to Book 6 which will take you to Goldsborough.

The copyright for the photographs is under a Creative Commons Licence by geograph.org.uk.