Time
3½ to 4 hours
8 miles
This walk links two of the Wolds highest villages through a route that takes in several of the area’s characteristic deep valleys as well as field paths and a quiet stretch of road. Nearly two thirds of the walk follows the Wolds Way long distance footpath so the route is generally well signposted. A fairly long walk, there are several ups and downs but no really steep climbs. Most of the walk is on good surfaces with little mud. Cattle may be grazing in some of the valleys.
Getting There
The recommended starting point is the green and pond in Fridaythorpe accessed by turning left off the main road in the centre of the village. Fridaythorpe is 20 miles east of York using the A166. An alternative starting point is Huggate. There’s ample roadside parking in both villages. There are no feasible public transport options to either Fridaythorpe or Huggate.
Refreshments
Fridaythorpe has the Manor Inn and Huggate the Wolds Inn. Both are open at weekends but otherwise have limited daytime opening hours. In Huggate there’s Rachel’s Walnut Cottage Tea Room (open daily except for Tue. and Wed.) – the scones are highly recommended.
What To See
The highlight of this walk has to be the two deep valleys traversed, Thixen Dale and Worm Dale near the start, and Horse Dale and Holm Dale near the end. There are also good views over the Wolds, especially towards the east. Both villages have attractive churches, especially Fridaythorpe, tucked away behind the houses. Huggate, with its pond and green, is typical of many quieter Wolds villages.
Directions
1/ With the pond behind you go left, up the tarmac road. Ignore a footpath and road right keeping left (signed Thixendale). In front of the ABN complex turn left on the signed Wolds Way. Cross an access road and continue with a hedge to left. Continue to a kissing gate at the edge of a deep valley. Through the gate, go half right following a grassy track that contours down the valley side. At the bottom, swing right to a gate.
2/ Follow the Wolds Way sign going left up the side valley on a grassy path climbing to a track at a kissing gate. Continue ahead with hedge right to the end of the field, then dogleg left and right. Where the track right angles left, continue ahead (signed Wolds Way), on a grassy strip beside trees to a gate and narrow road.
3/ Turn left on the road leaving the Wolds Way. Continue on the quiet road for more than a mile going through several bends and a dip to reach the main road (A166).
4/ Cross the road with care and go down the tarmac lane opposite but in 25 metres go left on a signed bridleway with a hedge left. Continue ahead over a tarmac access road still with the hedge left. Keep by the hedge when it swings right to continue downhill with a fence now right.
5/ Where the fenced track ends go through the metal gate and turn half-right downhill with a post and wire fence left. At the bottom go through a wooden gate and left as signed, initially in the dip but soon climbing the slope on a narrow trod. At the slope top, continue ahead with a fence to the right but in about 200 metres go through a gate as signed and follow field edge grass track with hedge left. At a tarmac track re-join the Wolds Way going half left downhill. In about 150 metres, where the tarmac swings left, go right down a narrow path with a wooden fence to the left. Where the path returns to tarmac, continue ahead downhill. At the bottom of the dip look for a signed kissing gate giving access to a grassy field. Go diagonally across, following a faint path leading to the gate in the corner.
6/ To continue the walk turn left on the tarmac lane downhill (to visit Huggate village turn right. The church and pond are off to the left. To reach the refreshment facilities continue to a crossroads. Rachel’s Tearoom is 100 metres right, the Wolds Inn 100 metres left). Follow the road keeping right (signed Fridaythorpe). Ignore signed path right to continue on tarmac Wolds Way uphill through an avenue of cherry trees.
7/ Where the tarmac track swings right, go left on the Wolds way as signed with hedge left. At the left field corner, go through the gate to head half right on a faint path steeply downhill. This levels briefly at a ‘ledge’, passing a ‘poetry bench’, then goes left again, resuming the descent to valley bottom.
8/ Reaching the bottom head towards the nearby gate and footpath sign. Turn left as directed following the Wolds Way up a grassy valley, at first with fence left. Where the fence ends continue in valley bottom gradually ascending. Towards the end of the ascent ignore the side valley on left to head up more steeply to a wooden gate beneath trees. Through this, ignore paths left and right to follow the Wolds Way ahead on a stoned, hedged, track leading into Fridaythorpe. Turn right at the main road then left by the Manor Inn to return to village green and pond.
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