Walking in North Yorkshire: Coxwold and Beacon Banks from Kilburn

10.5 miles Warm, some sunshine

Part of today's walk is south of our North Yorks OS map but if you should require it, as we did you can download the appropriate map free of charge from this North Yorks web site.

We approached Kilburn from Thirsk and parked in the free car park next to the Forrester's Arms on the High Street. We were pleased to see the Forrester's has re-opened after a couple of years enforced closure following a fire. We resolved to pay them a visit at the end of our walk.

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

Leaving the car park by a gate next to the war memorial we approached St Mary's Church, which is just behind the pub and found it locked.

SWt Mary's Church, Kilburn

A sad epitaph at St Mary's

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 it is the old village pump.

Climbing towards...

... High Kilburn

The village pump

Weather vane at High Kilburn

We passed by Weatheril Barn with its curlew weather vane and then attractive Fox Folly Farm.

Approaching Weatherill Barn

Tidy Fox Folly Farm

Leaving the farm we walked along the lane for a hundred yards or so before turning right into fields. We now followed these overgrown field paths to Coxwold.

There was a bull in with these cattle but fortunately he was too hot to be interested in hikers

The bridge out of the cow field

Turn right here, straight across the centre of a field

Clive keeps to the unseen path

Following field margins...

... to reach Coxwold

... and Shandy Hall

We walked along the high street until we reached Shandy Hall, the home of Laurence Sterne, the author of Tristram Shandy, and then crossed the road to the other side to reach the church, which seems enormous for the size of the village.

St Michael's Church, Coxwold

St Michael's Church has an impressive octagonal tower and is a 15th century building, although built on a Norman church. It has some fine windows which commemorated the Wombwell family and a beautiful Elizabethan ceiling.

Looking to the altar in St Michael's

Elizabethan ceiling

Rear of the church

Ceiling detail

Intricately carved rood screen

We went outside and perused some of the old gravestones before returning to the High Street and walking back to the crossroads where we turned right to commence a steady climb out of the village, past the old railway track. After half a mile we entered a field at a wooden sign and continued to climb following field paths until we reached a stile and High Leys Farm.

Dyslexic mason?

Not today, I'm afraid

Alms houses in Coxwold

Railway cottage and its..

.. beautifully preserved signal box

Handy mask should you require it

Field paths

Looking back we see the White Horse

Fine meadows to High Lees Farm

High Lees Farm with its Wombwell coat of arms

At the farm 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. We passed by a trig point almost hidden in the bracken, and came to Beacon Bank's alpaca farm,

Alpacas in the sun

We walked down past Lists House into Husthwaite village where we paused for coffee and scones at St Nicholas Church, where there was a handy bench.

Husthwaite from Lists House

Entering the village

Village house

St Nicholas' weather vane

Church of St Nicholas, Husthwaite

A convenient bench

The church was locked and we were approached by two keyholders who apologised for this, saying that it was less than 72 hours since the church was used so they couldn't let us in. We remarked that it was a good job Tesco's didn't use the same criteria and we all agreed that the rules were potty, but nevertheless we could not enter the church.

'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'

War memorial at St Nicholas' Church

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.

Clive resorts to improvised head covering in the sun

Lots of tricky undergrowth to negotiate today

Storm clouds gather on the horizon

Tortoiseshell butterfly

Clive admires the heavy machinery

... at Robson's Tractors

With thunder rumbling in the distance we rejoined the road at Carlton Husthwaite and walked through the village past a blacksmith's, noting its pretty houses one of which was very striking, a timber framed thatched house with tiny windows.

The old reading rooms in Carlton Husthwaite

The Flower, sculpture by the village blacksmith

Old timber framed house

We left Carlton Husthwaite turning right into Croft Lane then left to join Common Lane. For the rest of this walk we had the White Horse in view as we approached Kilburn.

Turning off Common Lane we paused to look at some pigeon lofts, which seem to multiply in numbers each time we do this walk. We wondered if they belonged to one person or a club.