Yesterday had been a tough day in the sun and a rollercoaster kind of a trail so I was relieved to wake up and see that it was cloudy and cooler. Today would be a very long day with a few unplanned miles in cooler conditions and not as many hills, a lot of today would be on nice level paths, quick walking and getting my shoes wet for the first time on the trail.
After a good sleep and a very nice breakfast, I left the pub in Thixendale and walked through the village. I knew the start of the day would be steep and this soon woke up the legs but it didn’t feel as bad in the cooler conditions. The track soon levelled out before a very long grassy path would get my shoes wet, I think possibly some rain had fallen during the night. There was low cloud all around so the views were not as nice as previous days or as far around.
Although the grass was slightly wet, it was still nice to walk on it as it was flat, meaning a quick start to the day. Eventually though the grass stopped and a track led to a road. After a while I came to a small car park and signs for Wharram Percy so I decided to take a small detour to have a look. Unless you’re really into your History, I wouldn’t waste your time or energy going to it as there’s nothing visible to see, just the ruins of a church that was built well after the deserted village of Wharram Percy.
After a small wander round, I looked at my GPS and decided that instead of just retracing my steps back to the road, I would take a different path to the nearby village of Wharram Le Street. It seemed a good idea but somehow I was not on the path, it was over a small stream, fence and impassable bushes so I just kept going. Soon I had to admit defeat and head all the way back to the original route, I had wasted a lot of time and effort on something not very interesting.
Back on the road, it was a quick walk now to try and make up some time and pretty soon I got to Wharram Le Street. A couple of benches welcomed me to the village. I had seen there was a steep track to be climbed next so I needed little excuse to have a rest. I passed through the village and started climbing it but it wasn’t as steep as I thought it was and I was soon at the top of it and heading onwards.
The day had got much warmer now and plenty of blue skies, the grass was dry and so too now were my shoes. The trail dipped then climbed back up again and later would go through some woodland. At the end of it, the views down towards Winteringham and surrounding villages were very nice and another bench gave me an excuse to stop and admire it. The low grey clouds had long gone and above Winteringham I could see the next few miles of my walk ahead of me.
The descent to the village didn’t take long and at this point the direction of the route would change for the day. The path went round the back of the village and past a church before it started heading up through the trees. It was supposed to be steep out of the village and I was thinking they were wrong until I noticed a Yorkshire Wolds Way sign just ahead pointing upwards. I thought the sign was broken until I reached it and looked to the right to see a very steep path.
Not only was it steep but the surface was quite loose and slippy in places, I’m glad I wasn’t coming down it. Many stops were taken to get my breath back before eventually reaching the top. I passed through a nicely carved gate and saw a small pond and statues but what I noticed most was that the weather was changing. Rain wasn’t forecast but it looked like it could be wrong as the clouds were really low and it looked like rain was falling in some places in the near distance.
I noticed now traffic noise for the first time in days and saw the busy A64 down below, I would be walking in the same direction as it for the rest of the day. I was on road by now past a campsite and wondering whether I would reach Ganton before any rain and I started to speed up a little bit. Some woodland walking followed and field edges, the grass was slightly wet now as there was a bit of moisture in the air but not rain.
For the next few miles I just headed mostly in a straight line, above the main road but I started descending gradually. I could see Sherburn wasn’t far away, it’s slightly off the route but it has a small shop so I intended cutting off to get some food from it, this is the first shop since Fridaythorpe about 20 miles earlier. To pass the time I started to think about what I hoped I could buy at the shop for tea and this worked as I was soon at the road. You cut off from this road quite soon or head straight on to Sherburn a short walk away, the goodies from the shop most welcome packed into my bag and back up the road to rejoin the trail. I was sure I only had 2 miles left to Ganton then a sign told me it was actually 4 miles instead, I sighed loudly. I had walked a long way today and hoped I was nearly finished so the extra miles were not welcome.
Back on the trail, a narrow steep hill soon had me cursing under my breath, I just wanted a nice gentle path to end the day. I was soon on a very narrow path, overgrown in places I tried to avoid the nettles with my bare legs, not always successfully. It eventually widened and I reached a golf course and started walking downhill at the side of it, I was tempted to cross the fence and walk on the nice level grassy golf course but I behaved. A sandy path past a pig farm was a bit hard on the legs but it didn’t last long and I could now see Ganton, to my relief. I reached the road and headed down towards the small village, passing the bit where I will rejoin the trail in the morning. I reached the busy road, my accommodation was just over it and I crossed with weary legs and checked into my room.
I had managed to avoid any rain, it’s forecast however for my final day tomorrow but it’s a much shorter day and it feels good knowing I will be back in my own house by tea time. Today was very long but mostly on nice level surfaces and many miles spent not going up or down, quick walking. Tomorrow is my last day on the Yorkshire Wolds Way and even the forecast rain won’t spoil what was been a very enjoyable trail.
Yorkshire Wolds Way, The Final day. Day 5 - Ganton to Filey Brigg
