A linear walk of about 23 miles from River Head, Driffield to Bridlington, finishing at the harbour or at the Priory Church in the Old Town. Nature lovers will enjoy much of the walk, but some of the villages along the route date from before roman times. There is no special waymarking, but standard waymarking should be present for all the rights of way.
Start from River Head, Driffield close to the rail and bus stations and where there is plenty of parking space. Walk along the road by the side of the canal, passing the pleasantly converted warehouses. The road narrows as it approaches 'Lock View' bungalow and becomes a gravel track as it passes by its side. Open fields, between the alternatively named River Hull or West Beck, are soon reached. Keep to the track by the side of the canal unless looking at the fish in the river. Swans and other waterfowl abound here and, with luck, kingfishers may be seen.
Soon after an electricity transformer station is passed, it is, at present, necessary to continue straight ahead. (Perhaps one day, the bridge that crossed the river here to link with the track at the other side, which takes us to the Skerne Road, Wansford, will be replaced. I hope that the people of Driffield,and beyond, will keep on asking for this lovely and safer route to be opened up again!)
Reach a stile and take the narrow path between the trout farm and the canal. A bridge crosses the canal close to a lock. Turn right, along the road (B1249) to reach Wansford. (A footpath can be found on some sections of the canal bank, on the right hand side of the road. TAKE CARE however. The traffic travels quickly here. The canal itself will continue to provide interest along the way.)
Reach Skerne Road on your right. Opposite is the access to buildings including an old mill. Nafferton Beck joins the river here.
You may wish to go a very short way down Skerne Road to have a last look at the canal and the river. There is usually plenty to see.)
Keep to the left and walk round, on front of the mill, to find the almost hidden path at the left hand corner of the building, by the beck side. We follow the beck up to Nafferton. Cross the beck by the footbridge at the side of the mill. Continue along the beck side in a field to reach a stile and a path, which can present a little difficulty, between a plantation and the beck. At a minor road, cross to the other side of the beck, and follow the path by its side to a road at Nafferton. Cross the bridge here, to continue on the opposite bank. The path now crosses the railway close to Nafferton station. TAKE CARE! Reach a metal kissing gate and enter a meadow. Follow the path within the field, along the beck side before swinging left, to reach a second kissing gate in the field corner. Ignore the footbridge passed on the way. Now, on a road, turn right and soon pass above Nafferton Mere on your right.
(Before turning right, into Coppergate, at the corner of the mere, there is a very pleasant place to rest. Behind you is the fine church, and in front is the beautiful mere. Swans are usually present as well as a variety of other birds)
Turn right, into Coppergate, cross the road, and turn left into Howe Lane. Quickly reach, and turn into Lowthorpe Road. As Nafferton is left, open fields are reached, and a turkey farm is passed on the right. The road turns right at a well restored farm house. Here, go along the wide track ahead, and, passing through gates, reach Lowthorpe, passing a 'cottage' and the old vicarage at the end of the track. Cross the road and turn right.
(You will see the church. A track gives access and you may feel that a visit is worthwhile. This used to be a monastery, some remains of which adjoin the church)
Walk through part of Lowthorpe to reach a cottage worth a careful look. A telephone box is nearby, and close to it is a stile. Cross into a field and walk straight ahead, to reach a small footbridge. Cross this, and walk towards a stile that is found a little to the right of a gate near to far right hand corner of the field. Over the stile, turn left for a few yards to reach a path junction. Take the path to the right, beside a small, fairly new plantation. Pass through a hedge ahead and follow on the drainside reached, to a footbridge. Here is another pleasant place to stop, before crossing a second footbridge over Lowthorpe Beck. Reach the Harpham — Lowthorpe road and turn left towards Harpham. The road crosses a steam pleasantly named Rattling Water, then, on the right, is a stile. Cross and bear half left, towards the opposite corner of the field. Go over the footbridge here and continue diagonally, along the side of an old moat visible in the grass field, to reach a stile just before Harpham church. Pass by the side of a disused well.
(This is the 'Drummer Boy' well. An earlier St. Quentin, the local lord, argued with an archer, and the drummer boy was accidentally pushed into the well, and, alas, drowned. His mother cursed St. Quentin, and now, before a St .Quentin dies, drumming can be heard. Harpham church is worth a look inside. Harpham also had a roman villa.)
Keep left, towards a corner by the tennis court. Turn right at the path junction and continue along the side of the church. (Go ahead from the junction if you wish to visit St. Quentin Arms inn.) Through a gate, turn left to reach a crossroads, and pass straight over. (The inn is a short distance to the left.)
(At the cross roads, the road to the right leads to St. John's Well. Dedicated to St. John of Beverley, born here, an annual service is held to bless the well. Attempted restoration apparently has left the well dry.)
From the crossroads, quickly reach a footpath on the right, which passes along the side of a nicely converted chapel. Waymarks should guide you over the fields to Burton Agnes though do not rely on their presence.
Cross a stile to enter the first field and bear slightly left towards the end of a hedge. Walk alongside it to a stile. Proceed half left over the next field towards a gap in the opposite corner. Bear right, hedge on the left, to reach a stile. Cross and bear a little right, towards a telegraph post. Turn right from this, directly towards the hedge opposite. (A clear path may be present which goes directly to the other hedge. Use if present.) Find and cross a small footbridge. Keep by the fence on the left until you find another stile. Cross and walk half right, towards a gate, and the busy A166 Driffield — Bridlington road. Turn right, towards the Bluebell Inn.
(The Bluebell has had more good reports than bad, but is often closed. You may wish to explore Burton Agnes, with its Elizabethan Hall and Norman Manor House, a fine ancient church and a pleasant pond.)
Opposite the inn, turn down the road to Rudston, and, where this bears right, continue along the narrow road ahead to reach the old roman road, Woldgate. Rudston Beacon can be seen as a higher point to the right. (The road provides good views towards Hull on a clear day.) Turn left, and quickly right, along a headland bridleway, with the hedge on your left. This goes straight down to the Kilham — Rudston road. Turn right, towards Rudston. There is little sign now of the site of the roman villa which is passed on the right.
At the road junction, cross to take the road almost opposite to the left. Pass a sign post just before reaching a bridge over the Gipsey Race stream. (Return to here later.) Cross and turn left, alongside the stream. Reach a road at a fairly sharp bend. Turn right, to arrive at the church.
(The ancient church is again well worth looking inside. In the churchyard, can be found, to the West, the last resting place of the Macdonalds, Lords of the Isles, surprisingly far from Scotland! Close by is the grave of Winifred Holtby, author of 'South Riding'. In the North - East corner stands the Rudston Monolith, the tallest standing stone in the land. Note that mosaic pavements from the roman villa can be found in the Hull museums. The village inn has been a pleasant stop for several groups walking this route.)
Take the road downhill from the side of the converted schoolhouse, and turn right at the bottom. Re-cross the bridge, and turn left at the signpost, between houses, to find a stile on the left. Pass through the quiet farmyard to reach a track. Follow this to the left. It turns sharp right, and bears left. Ignore a bridleway passed on the right. Continue uphill, alongside Zig — Zag plantation. Near the top of the hill, follow the bridleway as it turns left alongside a hedge. Keep ahead to pass through 2 gates, and then kep to the headland up to a small plantation, Pass through and shortly the bridleway, now a wide track again, changes to the left hand side of the hedge and bears a little to the right, to reach Woldgate. (On the way, good views are seen of Thorpe Hall below, the home of the Macdonalds.)
Turn left. Hopefully, the views will compensate for the long stretch of road ahead.. Carry straight on at the junction with the road from Carnaby, and again when a road descends to Boynton. Woldgate passes through a plantation. Ignore the track through this. Shortly, arrive at a bridleway on the right. Turn along this across a field. (Anyone very tired may take the direct way to the finish along Woldgate. Just aim to reach the large church that is clearly visible in the Old Town above the newer part of Bridlington!) The bridleway passes the strange octagonal folly, Carnaby Temple, now sealed up, and passes by the left hand side of Temple Farm, and becomes a surfaced road which descends to Carnaby as Temple Road. Bear left at the junction and reach the A166. Turn left along the footpath and follow the road until a stile is reached on the opposite side of the road at a corner of a field which, a little further on, adjoins a road down to Bessingby. Cross the road with care, and take the footpath which crosses to near the opposite corner of the field, and to the left of buildings.
Turn right and keep straight ahead to reach a gate. Follow the path on the right here, which passes round the outside of a smallholding. Enter a field, turn left to the corner, and then right,along anow clear track, and cross the railway with care. Pass by the side of the modern sewage disposal plant, hopefully not too smelly. Cross its access road and follow the field side track and arrive at the A165 road. Cross to the South Shore Village access road opposite, at Wilsthorpe.
Keep to this, passing a road (bridleway) on your right, and an access to a caravan camp on your left. Enter the holiday village, and keep straight ahead along the road between chalets. Pass the entertainment centre on its left hand side to reach a path above the beach, towards Bridlington. Descend a little to the much improved promenade. You may complete your walk at the harbour, or, with the help of a map, hopefully accompanying this, make your way through Bridlington to finish at the Priory Church.