Londesborough

Distance: 3 ¼ miles / 5.2 km

Difficulty: Easy 
Walk Source: Walk 7 in the Jarrold Short Walks book: 'In and around the Vale of York'

After what seemed like weeks of rain, today was finally a sunny day, and I rushed home after work to get out for a walk before it got too late. I set off just before the worst of the traffic started, and after about 40 minutes I was nearing Londesborough. The walk started at the Towthorpe Corner Picnic Site, which, if you arrive from the direction of the A1079, is on the A614 just after roundabout by Karelia Cars. The picnic spot is easy to miss, as the sign for it is very small, but there are plenty of spaces where you can turn around if you need to, like I did.

The first thing to do is to cross the A614, then head along a field and onto a road. Soon the path heads downhill on a grassy track towards two small lakes. There is a little bridge to cross the path between the lakes, and then the path heads uphill again towards the village. The green was a deer park in the 18^th century, when the rich owners of the village used to arrange shooting parties for their friends. As you near the top of the hill you can see the deer shelters, where it is thought that the deer used to shelter and eat.

Next up is a detour to the village of Londesborough. This is an absolutely lovely charming village, with well kept gardens and pretty houses. Many of the houses have the Londesborough cipher on them, and are decorated with very pretty bargeboards. The village church rests between trees in the bottom corner of the village, and is surrounded by the graveyard where Thomas Knowlton, the gardener who designed the park, was buried after his death in 1781. It has a 10^th century Anglo-Danish sundial and cross, and a Norman doorway.

After the village the walk backtracks to where the path left the green fields, and carries on downhill on the grassy banks towards a little stream. It then goes uphill again, and crosses a large field, with scattered trees around. I lost track of the path for a little while, but found it again slightly further to the right than where I was. Eventually I made it to the small lake, and crossed by a bridge. There was a warning sign saying there were cows with calves in the field ahead, making me a little worried, but thankfully there were only sheep with their lambs.

Finally I found myself on the track where I had started off, and I doubled back towards the car. It was a lovely walk, surprisingly restful and unspoilt for such a farmed landscape. The park is relatively small, but as it turns out large enough to make a circular walk suitable for an evening stroll. It took me about an hour and a half to complete the walk, but as I only ambled I’m sure it can be done in a lot less. There is a bit of up and down, and after heavy rainfall some slippery grass and muddy patches, so good footwear would be recommended. However, the hills are sloping, so not too strenuous.