Walking in North Yorkshire: Coxwold and Beacon Banks from Kilburn

10.5 miles Mostly Drizzle

Tom Scott Burns starts this walk from Kilburn but we can no longer park at The Forresters Arms in Kilburn, following a fire in early 2019. Consequently we decided to start today's walk from Coxwold, where parking can easily be found on the High Street.

Today's walk from The Walker's Guide to the Hambleton Hills

Houses bear the Fauconberg crest on the High Street

The Fauconberg Arms, open for business again

We were pleased to see that the Fauconberg Arms is open for business once more and resolved to give them some of ours at the end of the walk. We booted up and continued along the High Street to a crossroads where we turned right to commence a steady climb out of the village. After a couple of hundred yards we passed an old signal box which has been lovingly restored, and noted where the old railway line had crossed the road.

The old signal box

Leave the road at this sign

Cross the bridge and turn right into fields

After half a mile we entered a field at a wooden sign, crossed a bridge over Mill Beck and began to climb, following field paths until we reached a stile and High Leys Farm.

Looking back at Coxwold as we begin to climb

Almost hidden stile near High Leys Farm

Looking back from High Leys at Coxwold and the White Horse top left

High Leys Farm bearing the Faucenberg crest

Entry to the last field before the farm is over a stile which is almost completely hidden in the tall hedge. After crossing the field we followed the fence until we reached another stile into the farmyard, where ducks and hens run free.

At the yard we turned right onto the farm track for 100 yards or so, before returning to fields at a sign, and following the ridge of Beacon Bank Wood, noting the OS Trig Point has also nearly disappeared into the hedge. Once a fine view would have been had from this ridge but saplings have taken it.

Turn off the road 100 yards from the farmyard...

... at this sign

OS Trig Point

There should be a wonderful view to the right

At the end of the ridge we came to Suncliffe Beacon Farm where we paused to admire their alpacas.

Alpacas

Leaving the alpacas we walked past imposing Lists House and then dropped to the pretty village of Husthwaite where we decided to stop at a bench near the church for our coffee and scones.

Husthwaite from Lists House

1690 above the old shop door

Houses in Husthwaite

St Nicholas' Church

Forget us not o land for which we fell,May it go well with England still go well,
Keep her bright banners without spot or stain, Lest we should dream that we have died in vain

A convenient bench

Church weather vane

St Nicholas' Church appears to be in excellent condition but the door was firmly locked so we were unable to look around the old church and sat on the bench outside to enjoy our coffee and scones. The nicely carved front main porch dates from 1140 and the tower from the 1400s.

'Praises on tombstones are but vainly spent, a mans good name is his best monument,
Rest precious dust till Heaven your worth reveal, Your judge will publish what your friends conceal'

'The dead are like the stars by day, though hid from mortal eye,
They're not extinct but hold their way, in glory through the sky'

After Husthwaite we passed through the remains of an old railway embankment and entered Ings Lane, which we followed north for a mile. We walked by a tractor garage and shop, with an enormous selection of farm machinery.

Dreary weather but we think the whitewash applied only last year has already faded on the White Horse

Track to Ings Lane

Clive looks disapprovingly at Himalayan Balsam taking over the stream bank

Himalayan Balsam

Ings Lane

Tractors!

Walking down to Carlton Husthwaite

Poppy fields

Blacksmiths

Walking through Carlton Husthwaite

We rejoined the road at Carlton Husthwaite next to a blacksmith's forge and walked along the High Street, pausing to examine a sculpture, obviously the work of the blacksmith.

Blacksmith's forge

Iron flower

Detail from sculpture

We left Carlton Husthwaite turning right into Croft Lane then left to join Common Lane.

House in Carlton Husthwaite

The Old Hall

The (not so) White Horse from between Carlton Husthwaite and Kilburn

We passed a pigeon fancier's lofts

Nearer and drearer

As we walked from Carlton Husthwaite to Kilburn we had the White Horse in view most of the time and we were disappointed to see that it looked so faded, especially as it was only repainted last year.

A walk through fields and muddy lanes eventually brought us back to Kilburn where we passed the defunct Forresters Arms to reach St Mary's Church.

Wet, muddy....

... and overgrown. Difficult tracks today.

A tree in Kilburn

The Institute at Kilburn

Houses in Kilburn

A sad sight

Mousey Thomson has been here

St Mary's at Kilburn

Leaving the church we soon reached a road that took us uphill to High Kilburn where attractive houses surround a village green. Tom Scott Burns tells us that there once was a duck pond in the village green but all that remains of that is the old village pump.

St Mary's at Kilburn

Old gate at High Kilburn

High Kilburn

Village pump

We passed an old barn with a curlew weather vane and Fox Folly Farm, always tidy, before entering fields once more to follow our path to Coxwold.

Curlew weather vane at Weatherill Barn

Broken stile at Kilburn Thicket

Walking through Kilburn Thicket

Enormous fungus

Fox Folly Farm

Shortly after Fox Folly Farm we re-entered fields for the last leg of the walk and found that our path around field margins was unwalked and waist high. The undergrowth was sopping wet and we were glad to be wearing waterproofs.

Leaving the road to enter a cow pasture

The residents are indignant

Fortunately the bull shows no interest

From the cow field across the bridge..

Our path is very overgrown

Entering the village we passed by the author Lawrence Sterne's house, Shandy Hall, and Coxwold's fine church where Sterne was once the parish priest. Boots were quickly removed and we soon found ourselves reflecting on our walk in the Fauconberg Arms.