A walk in the Yorkshire Moors from Kilburn, revisted
 |
| Morning sun trying to break through over Byland Abbey |
It was back in Feb of 2013 that Donna and I first walked this route (read about that here) and on that walk we took along a friends dog, Jinny. This time, in October 2016, we were retracing our steps with our own dog, Monty.
 |
| Monty, waiting for us to catch up as always! |
Distance - 8.5 miles
Duration - 3hr 20m
Difficulty - Medium
Starting point - Kilburn
Nearest pub - Forresters Arms, Kilburn, YO61 4AH
Notes - route can be very muddy in winter/after rain and watch out for the stream crossing the just after Byland Abbey
The walk starts from the main car park in the middle of the village of Kilburn and while the parking is free its limited so we started early to avoid the hassle of looking for alternative parking spots - the car park has the added benefit of being next to a great pub, the Forresters Arms, which is ideal for a post walk pint or pie (or both!).
We had a chilly and misty start to the walk but luckily there was no sign of the rain that had been foretasted the previous day so with minimal kit in our bags we headed off along the short stretch of road leading our of the village and then turning off onto a small side road leading to High Kilburn before turning onto the the footpath that takes you past Rose Hill and uphill past Weatherill Barn.
On the last walk here these fields were very muddy and we were lucky that this time, despite some fairly heavy rain, we were able to navigate through without losing boots (or the dog!) in the mud.
Another brief stretch of road through the hamlet of Fox Folly before following the footpath again which skirts around Brink Hill before dropping towards Byland Abbey, the ruins of which can be seen from a fair distance.
You pass the Abbey on a small (but fairly fast) road, walking on the verges, and it's worth nothing that while there is a stile allowing you to exit the field onto the verge in front of the abbey this one isn't dog friendly - so unless your hound can jump the stile with ease you'll need to walk (right) a few meters or so and allow your four legged companion to get under the large field gate - whether you jump this or not (we did!) is up to you...
Luckily the road section is only a few hundred meters and you the turn off this onto the driveway towards the old Abbey House and then across the fields towards Abbey Bank Woods.
As you can see from the route plot (bottom of this post) the footpath marked on an OS map (OL26) is higher than the path we walked which is the one signed to walkers when you enter the field - it's also worth pointing out that there is a stream across this field which is very small but does a great job of flooding the field so beware and aim for higher ground in the winter!
From here the track is uphill for a few km's and through the woods of the conservation area as you head towards Cam Farm - this is well marked on the signposts throughout the woods.
Once we passed Cam Farm and the impressive looking Cam House we decided to cut a few miles off our original route as Donna wasn't feeling great (thanks to a bug that our lovely 2.5 year old daughter had passed on to us) so we opted for the route through Great Cockerdale Wood which would lead us down to Oldstead before arriving back in High Kilburn and through the small churchyard in Kilburn which leads directly onto the car park in the centre of the village..... and the pub!
We had a great walk and while not particularly challenging or strenuous it's a great part of the world to walk in and despite being a clear, dry, Saturday morning we saw only a handful of other people walking - do keep an eye out for boggy fields though and wear decent boots and gaiters if it's been raining a lot as it gets seriously muddy!
Garmin Conect log from my Forerunner 920XT;
 |
| New friends |
We had a chilly and misty start to the walk but luckily there was no sign of the rain that had been foretasted the previous day so with minimal kit in our bags we headed off along the short stretch of road leading our of the village and then turning off onto a small side road leading to High Kilburn before turning onto the the footpath that takes you past Rose Hill and uphill past Weatherill Barn.
On the last walk here these fields were very muddy and we were lucky that this time, despite some fairly heavy rain, we were able to navigate through without losing boots (or the dog!) in the mud.
 |
| Approach to Byland Abbey |
 |
| Byland Abbey |
As you can see from the route plot (bottom of this post) the footpath marked on an OS map (OL26) is higher than the path we walked which is the one signed to walkers when you enter the field - it's also worth pointing out that there is a stream across this field which is very small but does a great job of flooding the field so beware and aim for higher ground in the winter!
From here the track is uphill for a few km's and through the woods of the conservation area as you head towards Cam Farm - this is well marked on the signposts throughout the woods.
Once we passed Cam Farm and the impressive looking Cam House we decided to cut a few miles off our original route as Donna wasn't feeling great (thanks to a bug that our lovely 2.5 year old daughter had passed on to us) so we opted for the route through Great Cockerdale Wood which would lead us down to Oldstead before arriving back in High Kilburn and through the small churchyard in Kilburn which leads directly onto the car park in the centre of the village..... and the pub!
 |
| A well deserved pint at the end of the walk - Kilburn |
Garmin Conect log from my Forerunner 920XT;
Comments