Walking With The Wanderer: Market Weighton

This month our Walking Wanderer explores Market Weighton: Parkland, Two Villages and a Disused Railway. DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE PRINTABLE AT THE END.

This is an easy circular walk of just under seven miles. Starting from Market Weighton it heads north into parkland to reach Londesborough. Circling the attractive village it then uses tracks to reach the ancient village of Goodmanham. The easy return to Market Weighton is on the Hudson Way, the trackbed of an old railway line.

GETTING THERE: Market Weighton is 20 miles from York just off the A1079. There’s plenty of parking in the town. X46/X47 buses run regularly from York to Market Weighton. Alight at the Market Place (The Griffin).

REFRESHMENTS: There are numerous options in Market Weighton. There’s a pub and a tea room The Fiddle Drill (closed Mon & Tue) in Goodmanham.

WHAT TO SEE: As well as several fine buildings in the main street and the church Market Weighton has an unusual feature, a life size wooden statue of Giant Bradley, who at 7 feet 9 inches is claimed to be Britain’s tallest ever man. Londesborough is a pleasant estate village. The parkland with a lake and fine trees traversed going to and from the village once surrounded a historic house now demolished. Goodmanham is an ancient village with a historic church. It is said to be the site of a temple to Woden, overthrown in 627 when King Edwin of Northumbria converted to Christianity. The old railway track leading back to Market Weighton (the Hudson Way) passes St Helen’s Well and is a good spot to see a range of wildflowers, birds and butterflies. 

1. From the centre of Market Weighton (the Griffin pub if alighting from the bus) walk back along the main street in the direction of York (York Road). Soon after passing the Market Weighton Business Centre on your left look out for a footpath on the right “Yorkshire Wolds Way”. Take this path across the field following the direction of the telegraph poles to a wooden footbridge. Cross and head along the right edge of the next field. Continue on the edge of several more fields, crossing more footbridges, to reach a main road.

2. Cross straight over the busy road and continue on the Wolds Way through a gate towards Towthorpe Grange. Go between cottages and farm buildings, and keep on the same direction to follow the path across a field. Cross a small bridge and continue, still in the same direction, to a gate ahead passing through a kissing gate to its right. Continue following the path as it bends round along the edge of the field with trees and bushes to the right. Eventually you emerge onto a tarmac lane where you turn left. 

 3. About 150 metres along the lane turn right off the road at the Wolds Way sign going through large iron gates. Follow the clear path across parkland to reach a path junction. To visit Londesborough village keep left (straight on) here. To shorten the walk and omit Londesborough turn right and follow the directions from point 5 (below).

 4. Keeping on go through a kissing gate and follow the gravel path uphill through trees to reach a tarmac lane. Go straight on (not sharp left) soon turning left at a crossroads by a seat. This takes you round the back of the village turning left at a T junction and then left again at Low Street to pass the church on your right. Eventually, having circled the village, you turn right to re-join the Wolds Way retracing your steps on the gravel path to the junction where you kept left earlier (point 3 above).

 5. At the junction now go left (if not visiting Londesborough village turn right). At the bottom of the hill go through a gate then keep right at a path fork. The clear path then passes through a gate, over a bridge and through another gate to continue, still in the parkland, to go half-left uphill. It then joins a hard surface track which you take to the right until a sharp right bend where you go straight ahead following the Wolds Way sign to emerge onto the main road.

6. Cross the road into the picnic site opposite to follow the Wolds Way along the edge of a large field turning left at the corner. Keep on the signed Wolds Way ignoring footpaths off to left then right going under the disused railway at a bridge. Keep left as the track climbs to the road in Goodmanham village with the church on the right.

7. To visit the pub turn right but otherwise go left here passing the Fiddle Drill tea room but soon turning right at the road junction still following the Wolds Way. The quiet road climbs then dips before turning left downhill. At the bottom of the hill take the track off the road onto the disused railway line (Hudson Way) going right signposted to Market Weighton.

8. It’s now a straightforward walk back to Market Weighton along the old trackbed. Pass St Helen’s Well then houses become visible as you near the town. Eventually the Hudson Way comes out into an open grassy area. Here keep to the left side, soon bordering a playground. There are several ways back to the main street but to avoid the road at the end of the grassy area there’s a passage way near the playground which leads to the church. You can circle this on either side to get back to the main street. If returning to York by bus, going right will take you to the Market Place bus stop.

DISCLAIMER: Walks are undertaken at your own risk. Due care must be taken in following the walk, particularly after poor weather. Whilst every care is taken in compiling the description changes may have occurred since publication. Neither the walk author nor Your Local Link can accept any responsibility for errors or omissions.