Kirby Knowle to Felixkirk and Boltby

8.5 miles        Warm and sunny

We drove to Kirby Knowle via the A19 Knayton turn off and parked at the end of the village on the grass verge, opposite the chuch.

 Today's walk from The Walker's Guide to the Hambleton Hills by Tom Scott Burns

St Wilfred's Church, Kirby Knowle

We left the car and walked back along the road for .75 mile until we almost reached Upsall, where we turned left into a meadow and then trekked over fields, through small woods and negotiated two becks, neither of which had a bridge.   The walking was pleasant in the sunshine but the grass was very wet and our trouser cuffs were soon soaked.

 Crossing Turton Beckstead

Our path reached a road on the outskirts of Felixkirk and we decided to have a look at the old church, which was unlocked, very tidy and unusually for a church, felt warm and inviting with sun streaming through the windows.  We looked round the graveyard and the Victorian epitaphs on some of the gravestones made one feel quite sad.

 The Church of St Felix

'Afflictions sore did I bear

Physicians their skill tried

I left my wife and children dear

For God to be their guide'

'Hannah, the lamented wife of David Cornforth'

'20 years I was a maid

1 year I was a wife

18 hours a mother

And then departed life'

We returned to the outskirts of Felixkirk where, after a small unintentional diversion we returned to our route and walked up a narrow road past the lodge to Mount St John.  A few hundred yards later we left the tarmac and followed a farm track towards Cinque Cliff House where a new footpath diversion took us round the house via a meadow.  This field gave us a good view down into the surrounding countryside and we decided it was the perfect spot to have our coffee and scones.  

 Lodge to Mount St John

 The view from our coffee stop

 It was nice to see Hedgehog ladders in all the cattle grids in this area!

Green lane towards Thirlby

We walked along an old green lane which eventually reached the road close to Thirlby, a pretty village where we came to a house called Pear Tree House, next to the river.  This house is owned by the family of Bob Hunter, a cabinet maker who used to work with 'Mouseman' Thompson at Kilburn.  Bob was known as the 'wren man' and marked his furniture with the carving of a wren.  http://www.wrencabinetmakers.com  We looked through the window and could see a small display of furniture for sale.  The door was unlocked so we popped in to admire the handiwork which was unfortunately out of our price range!

 

Pear Tree House, Thirlby

Home of the 'Wren Man'

Thirlby

We crossed the ford in Thirlby and turned left into meadows at Thirlby Farm.  Our track here was barely discernable in the grass and we relied heavily on the yellow right of way markers on the field bounderies.  We passed an old farm called Tang Hall and followed the beck upstream to the village of Boltby.

 The escarpment behind Thirlby

 Following the faint path across meadows

Holy Trinity Church at Boltby

We left Boltby turning left at a small bridge across Gurtof Beck and walked past a field containing a horse and a handsome ram.  Both ran over to see us and each was rewarded with a cough sweet which they seemed to thoroughly enjoy.

 Clive shares his 'Jerksons Throat and Chest Lozenges' with his new friends

 Lazy dining

We now commenced what should have been the last leg of our walk, back to Kirby Knowle.  As we walked through a field we came across a partridge sitting in our path, which on inspection appeared blind.  Clive examined it and found it had corn in its crop but both eyes were closed.  As we debated whether to dispatch it humanely a 4x4 drove slowly along the track towards us.  It was the farmer who told us that the gamekeeper was up ahead and he would tell him about the bird.  He could decide what to do and whether it could be helped.  We replaced the bird on the path and followed the landrover up towards Westow Conifer plantation.  We were so engrossed in our conversation about the bird that we missed our turn and continued into and up through the plantation until we reached the top edge, looking down onto the village of  Cowesby which is far north of where we should have been.  We realised we had lost our way and after checking the Ordnance Survey map we walked left along the perimeter of the woods and eventually down to arrive at Kirby Knowle and the car, an hour later and a couple of miles further than anticipated.   At least a ten miler for us today but the unseasonal warm sun and fine views made it a pleasure!

 'Blind' Partridge

Is that Cowesby below - where are we?!

 Finally walking back down to Kirby Knowle

NB   An internet search reveals that game birds are susceptible to a disease called Pseudomonas

which causes blindness.  See here.