Route: Haxey
Area: North Lincolnshire
Date of walk: 11th November 2017
Walkers: Andrew Gilly and James
Distance: 4.3 miles
Ascent: 200 feet
Weather: Mostly sunny
Our son James lives in Westwoodside and after celebrating his birthday there last night we all looked forward to some fresh countryside air to clear away the cobwebs. We started today’s walk from Westwoodside but as James is unlikely to appreciate hikers parking on the drive I recommend that anyone following this route starts in nearby Haxey.
Haxey is in the Isle of Axholme, which is an excellent destination for walkers though it is often ignored despite having a fine network of well-marked footpaths. From the brow of Tower Hill, which commands huge views north, we followed a path through Coney Garth Wood which led gently downhill in the direction of Epworth
After walking across the fields we reached the far point of the walk and from here we climbed up to the railway embankment, part of the former Isle of Axholme Joint Railway. This was the first to be built under the 1896 Light Railways Act, which was enacted to encourage the spread of rural railway lines by avoiding payment of expensive Parliamentary legal costs. After 10 minutes or so we left the embankment to climb up some steps and cross a bridge back over it, and from here we completed our figure of eight circuit by climbing gently back up to Haxey
We’d really enjoyed our walk in this part of the world and look forward to returning to explore the area further
Click on the icon below for the route map (subscribers to OS Maps can view detailed maps of the route, visualise it in aerial 3D, and download the GPX file. Non-subscribers will see a base map)
Scroll down – or click on any photo to enlarge it and you can then view as a slideshow
The start of today's walk from the outskirts of Westwoodside (anyone following this walk should start from the church in Haxey right of picture)
We leave the road to follow a path across the fields
We pass through a newly planted wood
Huge views over the surrounding countryside - Haxey is situated on a hill about 100 feet above sea level which constitutes a mountain in these parts
The rich agricultural soil was created by 'warping', which involves the flooding of low-lying land, allowing rich sediments carried by the rivers to be deposited
We follow the path across the fields...
Black sheep of the family
We walk along a track known as Rocket Lane...
Bridge across one of the many dykes which drain the area
Autumn colours on a group of birches
We cross another small bridge and head towards the railway embankment
Introducing Jazz...
View from the embankment
An inviting path
All too soon we leave the embankment and cross the bridge over it
View from the top of the embankment
Heading for Haxey now, with the route we'd followed earlier on our right...
St Nicholas' Church Haxey
The end of a highly enjoyable walk
The same night, an Act of Wanton Wonder in Hull - 'Land of Green Ginger Unleashed'
An amazing street parade by members of Macnas, one of the hundreds of events marking Hull's year as UK City of Culture...
A great end to a great day
