"There must be dales in Paradise
Which you and I will find.."

Saturday 14 May 2022

 


Coxwold and Beacon Banks from Kilburn


10.5 miles              Fine, 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.

Tom Scott Burns starts his walk in Kilburn but our preference is to begin at Coxwold, where parking is easy on the High Street. 

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

The Fauconberg Arms at Coxwold


We parked next to the pub, booted up and walked along the High Street to the crossroads admiring the attractive houses. At the crossroads we turned right to commence a steady climb out of the village, passing the old railway track where the signal box has been kept in its original condition.

Wisteria in full bloom



Houses on Coxwold High Street

Turn right at the crossroads

Approaching the old railway track

.. which is now a house drive


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.

Leave the road at the sign


.. and enter fields


Looking back we see the White Horse

... and Coxwold


At the farm we turned right onto the farm track for 100 yards or so, before returning to fields at a sign, and then followed the ridge of Beacon Bank Wood.  This provided fine views in TSB's day but now there is no view whatsoever, the whole ridge being covered with gorse and bushes. We passed by a trig point and came to Beacon Bank's alpaca farm.
 
Lots of bluebells on Beacon Bank

Male Orange Tip butterfly, the females have black wing tips

Speckled Wood Butterfly

Old ash tree with bluebells

Beacon Bank Trig Point

Beacon Bank ridge, no views!

Beacon Alpacas



We walked down past Lists House into Husthwaite village where we paused to look around St Nicholas' Church, which like most other churches in the area, has re-opened its doors to visitors.

Lists House


Husthwaite from Lists House

The Old Hall, Husthwaite


Houses in Husthwaite


Old shop

Wesleyan Hall 1823


St Nicholas Church




Clive examines the font

The porch dates from 1140


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.  

Leave the road at Rufus's Roost

Over the stile into dense vegetation for a while


Robson's Tractors, Ing Lane

We followed Ing Lane to the village of Carlton Husthwaite where we found a bench ideally placed on the outskirts of the village and looking back at our route so far.  We decided to stop here for coffee and scones.

Useful ironwork at Carlton Husthwaite

Time for coffee!


Refreshed, we set off along Carlton Husthwaite high street 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.

Houses in Carlton Husthwaite

The Old Hall



Blacksmith's art


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.  The owner was present and he and Clive had an interesting chat about the dying art of pigeon racing.


Pigeon talk

Pigeon lofts


Saying cheerio to the pigeon fancier we walked on through fields, seeing hares and deer, to reach Kilburn.

Hasty shot of hare


Even hastier shot of deer







The White Horse is ever present on this walk

Kilburn


Turn right at the Forresters



Passing reluctantly by the Forresters Arms we came immediately to St Mary's Church which we looked around playing 'spot the mouse'.  
Robert Thomson's famous mouse carvings are found on pews, rails and boards.  Thomson was a resident of Kilburn and his first commission was from the parish priest at Coxwold, a crucifix, and he is said to have taken up the mouse symbol when he considered the expression 'poor as a Church mouse.'

St Mary's Church Kilburn



A mouse and (unusually) a crocodile on the lecturn




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 was once a duck pond in the village green but all that remains of that is the old village pump.

High Kilburn


We passed an old barn with a curlew weather vane and reached Fox Folly Farm where we saw the farmer with an unusual looking terrier.  She told us that it was a rottweiler-patterdale cross.  They breed patterdales at the farm but an accident (an unobserved encounter!) occurred and this dog was the only survivor of the litter.  They decided to keep it as a household pet and named it Yeti!


"Get up, mum"


Yeti



Leaving the farmer and Fox Folly Farm we crossed more fields to enter Coxwold. 




Coxwold

Entering the village we passed by Lawrence Sterne's cottage and Coxwold's fine church where Sterne was once the parish priest. Boots were quickly removed and we found ourselves reflecting on our walk, sitting in the afternoon sun outside the Fauconberg Arms.

Shandy Hall


St Michael's Church, unusual and large church dating from 1540


To short walks and long glasses!


This is a lovely walk at this time of year and very highly  recommended.













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