TODAY 'The Crayke Estate Walk 2000', just ten miles north of York, a nice amble where the southern skirt of the Howardian Hills eases down to the flat lands. The walk is made possible by the ever more popular Countryside Stewardship Scheme (CSS), whereby the hard financial edge of modern farming is softened by public funds, the better for the birds and the plants.

If access is part of the deal, we walkers benefit. Sometimes it can be but a single CSS field but this route is a generous construction.

We start at the lovely cobbled village of Crayke. An info plaque on a brick wall provides route and history and off we go, tracking out to the gentle low curved countryside. You will hardly need my directions, with a waymark a minute. Walking surfaces are good, though some field edge borders could have been a bit wider till they have toughened up with time.

Ditches lead water to the River Foss, hedges guide us past Launds Farm, a neat and useful looking operation. Oaks are bare of leaves, ashes bare but dripping seeds, and seemingly one of those cyclical bumper years for acorns. A fine horse in a paddock has a companion donkey, with very big ears.

After an oak wood flows the Foss, an innocent metre wide. The walk is quiet except for tractors catching up on delayed autumn tasks. Crayke Manor is passed, more track. Here the hedges are best, not trimmed in brutal tidiness but rampant with hip-laden roses and garlanded by vivid bryony berries; and sprouting pithy wands of elder, strong grey spears of ash and angular spikes of black berried sloes. Good for the birds, and the sloes good for gin, after a frost.

The castle shares an elevation with a church. We are rewarded for the 100ft climb up Gallows Hill by a sheltered view-bench, from where we survey the valley. If you've had a soak recently, appraise each of the hundred fields for its run-off potential. The White Horse at Kilburn stands proud on a distant promontory. A pterodactyl-like crop sprayer unfurls enormous wings. Generally an optimistic picture I thought, pretty, plenty of trees, all of which hopefully indicates agriculture on the mend.

Topping the hill, temporarily bypassing its castle, brings an awesome vision. On the horizon, at ten, twelve and one o'clock are clusters of cooling towers, each with a dark plume, a spooky symmetry of warming.

At the outskirts of Crayke, you could carry straight on to the Durham Ox. My mind on higher things, I climbed steeply to the castle, a severe block, once a house of the Bishops of Durham, and before that given to St Cuthbert by Egfrid King of Northumberland. After another ace view-bench is St Cuthbert's church, adorned with gruesome gargoyles.

Directions

When in doubt look at the map. Check your position at each point. Keep straight on unless otherwise directed.

1. From The Durham Ox pub, Bransby direction road, track on right (beside house with 1893 crest, CSS info board). Left to field-edge path at sewage works, bridge, dog-leg left to field-edge path.

2. Right to Tarmac drive, 100 yards, grassy track into wood, path on right just inside wood.

3. Cross River Foss, fieldgate and left, cross Foss near farmyard, fieldgate, cross road.

4. Fieldgate to track.

5. At oak tree, field-edge path on left (signs), footbridge and stile and right to field/wood corner, uphill by hedge.

6. Stile and right to track.

7. Left uphill at T-junction. Right to road, ten yards, road on left.

8. Pair of gates on left to grassy track through field, skirt above farmyard, farm drive.

9. Left to road into Crayke OR at outskirts, stile on left in brick wall (signed, by bungalow), fenced path uphill. At top, left to road, 50 yards to viewpoint bench, turn round and follow road into Crayke.

Fact file

Distance: Three and a half miles.

Time: Two hours.

General location: Ten miles north of York. Edge of Howardian Hills.

Start: Crayke.

Right of way: The complete route is along public rights of way and permissive paths.

Date walked: Sunday, November 19, 2000.

Road route: Crayke is between Bransby and Easingwold.

Car parking: Roadside.

Lavatories: None.

Refreshments: Inn.

Tourist & Public Transport Information: Easingwold TIC 01347 821530.

Map: Based on OS Pathfinder 642.

Terrain: Flattish.

Points of interest: Mostly CSS permissive path.

Difficulty: Easy/moderate, second and steep climb to castle avoidable.

Dogs: Suitable.

Weather forecast: Evening Press and recorded forecast 0891 500 418

Please observe the Country Code and park sensibly. While every effort is made to provide accurate information, walkers set out at their own risk.