Skipwith Common

Distance: 2 ¾ miles / 4.4 km

Difficulty: Easy 
Walk Source: Walk 3 in the Jarrold Short Walks book: 'In and around the Vale of York'

It had been chucking it down with rain all day, and it was still raining, but after a hectic week I really needed some fresh air, and this was my free afternoon. So off I went in spite of rain. Luckily I had the presence of mind to put waterproofs on, or it would have been a very wet experience indeed.

As often is the case with the Jarrold guide books, it was a little bit difficult to figure out where to start the walk. The map gave details of the only streets that were not marked with road signs, and the streets with their names marked round the village were not mentioned in the book. But after some attempts I finally found the parking space by Skipwith Common. If you come from York via Escrick you will drive past a pub called ‘The Drovers Arms’, and soon thereafter you will come upon a pond and green that form a triangular ‘roundabout’. At that point you want to keep along the top edge of the green, and carry on straight ahead, not choosing Common Road. After a while on the winding road you’ll find the parking space to the right. It is not marked, so if you’re not careful you might miss it.

After parking the car I headed down the track crossing the common. From the smell I assume a lot of people take their dogs for a walk just there. But in spite of the rain and the smell the area was beautiful. I can’t believe I’ve lived in York for so long and not discovered this jewel until now. I trogged on, avoiding puddles and stopping every few steps to take photos, and was yet again reminded that I could really do with a waterproof casing for my camera.

After crossing some fields and climbing some stiles I came to the village of Skipwith, a charming little place, with a surprising number of new houses – thankfully done in a style to fit in with the older ones. By this time the rain intensified, and I was wondering if maybe I need new waterproofs – there was water just about everywhere coming from all directions. But then I came to the green in the village, and found shelter under a large tree along with a couple of ducks.

The walk back was quite straightforward, after walking past another parking space for the Common I joined the track where I had started the walk, and was soon back by my car.

The walk took me about an hour and a half, but that was including a detour to have a look at the village church and repeatedly stopping for photos. I reckon that without the doodling the walk would take about an hour.  Parts of the walk would be suitable for buggies and wheelchairs, the paths between the two car parks were very broad and smooth, and also the road along the village was lovely. On a rainy day there were a few puddles, but at sunnier times it would be lovely and easy to traverse.