For those looking to plan a walking break to take in some fresh air and spectacular sights once lockdown is over, Visit East Yorkshire may well have the perfect solution.
As part of its ‘plan now, visit later’ message, Visit East Yorkshire has asked a host of locals, from artists to festival organisers and keen ramblers, to come up with their favourite walks, ranging from coastal strolls, to woodland wanders.
It offers a chance to start planning that perfect walking trip from the comfort of your own home, with the full list of favourite walks available at
But here’s a few of the top picks:
Wander the Wolds
“The Yorkshire Wolds is one of my favourite areas to walk, particularly near my art gallery in Thixendale, where wildlife abounds throughout the year. A particular favourite of mine is a circular route that passes down a secret valley called Worm Dale, where you can often see Kestrels flying overhead. The track meets a spiralling earthwork sculpture called ‘Waves and Time’, before joining the Wolds Way where the valley sides are carpeted with thousands of wild flowers and rare butterflies. Barn owls, tawny owls, buzzards and badgers can also be spotted along this route which winds back along the valley bottom and back to the road which runs back up to my gallery”.
Robert Fuller, Wildlife Artist, The Robert Fuller Gallery
Get the ‘Abbey’ habit
“The start of spring is my favourite time for a circular walk from Hutton Cranswick taking in the beautiful parkland of Watton Abbey. As you pass through the gate at the driveway to the Abbey, the surroundings open up into a beautiful meadow filled with walnut trees and a blanket of snowdrops covers the rolling landscape. The majestic Abbey which features in a book of haunted houses in Yorkshire provides the perfect backdrop whilst the recently renovated Priory Barn, which dates back to the 12th century provides a glimpse of what life must have been like centuries ago. A little gate leads you from the Abbey to the pretty grade II-listed St Mary’s Church which is open to the public. The inside is fairly simple but there is a delightful ornate ceiling if you look up”.
Hayley Topley, East Yorkshire Walking Festival Organiser
Vale vistas…
“This walk has it all, rolling hills and beautiful dales revealing the beauty of this unique landscape with far reaching views across the Vale of York. Start at the attractive village of Bishop Wilton, take the Minster Way to Given Dale with its pretty church, descend to Millington, then up Wan Dale and down Sylvan Dale. Leave the Minster Way to follow the Roman Road up to Millington Heights and Deep Dale dropping down to Bishop Wilton. An exhilarating walk enjoyed anytime of the year, but outstanding on a cold, clear and sunny winter’s day”.
Martin Hill, Pocklington Ramblers.
Wildlife wonders…
“Every day the Wolds beckon. I live on the edge of this gentle landscape near Bainton, soft with unexpected views, dry valleys and dramatic skyscapes. There is silence still, punctuated by bird song: soaring skylarks, haunting curlews, mewing buzzards, screaming swifts. My walks range in all directions from the house, the favourite a six-mile walk past the roe deer frequented cricket pitch, the buttercup dewpond, into hare racing Deep Dale, along Hay Wold bridle path bordered by ox-eyed daisies, lady’s bedstraw, rose-bay willow herb with an unexpected flash of stoats and the swoop of daytime barn owls.
These walks are a meditation, an inspiration for my art-work, a chance to slow down to walk and walk and walk….”
Rose Horspool, East Yorkshire Artist & Poet
Beaches and birdlife…
“You can’t beat a beach stroll in beautiful Brid. On the North side, a colourful string of beach huts leads up to the bulk of Sewerby cliffs where in early spring nest building sand martins flitter back and forth. Wandering along the tideline and collecting sea glass or just gazing at the gulls bobbing in the bay soothes the soul. On the south side of town wide, golden sands, overlooked by the art deco Spa Theatre, stretch endlessly towards Fraisthorpe and beyond under the biggest sky imaginable. It’s a vast space and walking there you often have just the wind and the sea for company.”
Maria Prchlik, RSBP Bempton
For general news and updates on East Yorkshire as a destination: www.visiteastyorkshire.co.uk