Huggate walk - Fridaythorpe walk - Yorkshire Wolds walks

Route: Huggate

Area: East Yorkshire

Date of walk: 15th December 2020

Walkers: Andrew

Distance: 6.8 miles

Ascent: 700 feet

Weather: Cloudy with a few sunny patches

Although Huggate village lies in a hollow, it is claimed to be the highest village on the Yorkshire Wolds at around 558 feet above sea level. However nearby Fridaythorpe makes the same claim and is said to be 561 feet. I’m not sure which is correct. The village is home to one of the deepest wells in England. I started today’s walk from Huggate, although Fridaythorpe, which is further to the north, would be an equally convenient starting point

I parked on the road near Grade I listed St Mary’s Church and headed north along the lane, turning left to join a track which passed by Glebe Farm. I’d followed this path last year, as part of the long distance Chalkland Way. Beyond the farm there followed a descent into Horse Dale, and then a climb out of it, along a very muddy path along West Lands. It was a relief to arrive at the track leading to Wold House Farm, and I followed the waymarked path through the farmyard and onto Huggate Wold. There were huge views from here but unfortunately the weather was overcast at this point, and so they weren’t seen at their best

An easy walk across the top of the wold was followed by a descent into Holm Dale, a classic chalk valley. My arrival here was greeted with some patches of sun, and there were some good bird sightings as I walked along the valley floor, including a buzzard, red kite, and flocks of fieldfare. I climbed out of Holm Dale, walked over North Field and then descended into another valley, Rabbit Dale, which merges with Cow Dale further along

At the far end of Cow Dale I climbed up to a quiet lane and from here it was a short stroll back into Huggate to complete a walk which had visited five chalk valleys

For other walks here, visit my Find Walks page and enter the name in the ‘Search site’ box

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)