Kirkham

Tranquil figures fished under umbrellas on the slick green River Derwent. A train rattled by, we crossed the bridge, then the line, and climbed through the resinous scent of wet mixed woods.

It is the only climb and comes out to farmland, sloes and convolvulus trumpets and a back lane.

The village of Crambe didn't delay, but note there is roadside parking hereabouts, and we tracked out.

A horizon church is at Whitwell-on-the-Hill. This is land with a bit of elevation, a hill with a view, out came the binoculars, is it a cooling tower?

No York Minster, if misty. A view-bench would be nice - there's sight of Howsham Hall and Howsham Bridge and you'll probably see the Transpennine Express.

We descended, down the ridge and furrow, over the line and along Riders Lane. It was ongoing quiet, but a bit disturbing in that the fields around some oaks have been cultivated to within a stride of their trunks, which is disrespectful to these ancient boundary markers.

Soon the sound of roaring water told that the weir was very near, the connecting footpath that cuts through a wood of coppiced hazel wasn't signed, gated or stiled, but it wasn't difficult because we took a line of least resistance. In there is a site of revelry, to judge by the beer cans and blackened campfire embers.

Howsham weir and mill are in the news, an eco-restoration project. A fisherman covered the pool below the wide falling water with a spinner and caught a pike.

Then there are three miles by the river, which is serene once out of earshot of the weir, just the crunch of acorns and beechnuts and song from the trees.

Serenity increased with the disappearance of barbed wire. The land stretched out with pastures mottled with rather plump Jacob's-type sheep, the curiosity of a private park golf course and soil smeared shiny by the plough. The water is wide, but not beyond pheasants.

Re-entry into Kirkham is spectacular, another weir and the ruins of the priory, the image slightly spoilt from this angle by the English Heritage stone shed and some distressed alders.

Directions

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

1. Left down road from car park, bridge, railway line, 50 yards, gate on left (fingerpost) to path up through wood (waymarked posts), across grass 25 yards at top.

2. Left to road (verge), first right, right-hand bend at church. Road becomes track.

3. Crest hill, gates on left to field-edge path (fingerpost).

4. At far end of wood, right downhill (no sign), gate to field-edge path with hedge to right, stile, cross railway line, stile, 100 yards across field and join track between barns.

5. Right to road. After start of wood to left, 50 yards, here at an unsigned gap on left in barbed wire but not in wire fence starts official line of path, no style (was unsigned). There was no path. So we retreated 50 yards to wood corner, over wooden rails and kept within 30 yards of left-hand edge of wood.

6. Left to riverside path. Few steps and seven footbridges.

Fact file

Distance: Six miles.

Time: Three hours.

General location: Near York.

Start: Kirkham.

Right of way: Public.

Map: Drawn from OS Explorer 300 Howardian Hills And Malton, Yorkshire Wolds North.

Dogs: Legal.

Date walked: September 2006.

Road route: Kirkham is signed from the A64.

Car parking: At priory, £4 in season, free in winter, or north of Crambe.

Lavatories: None.

Refreshments: The Stone Trough Inn and at Priory.

Tourist and public transport information: Malton TIC 01653 600048.

Terrain: Riverside and hill.

Points of interest: In 1310, the retirement package for the Prior of Kirkham Priory included "14 gallons of better ale weekly". His companion got seven gallons.

Difficulty: Easy.

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

Map of the walk>>