Circular Walk from Thixendale through Kirby Underdale
This walk in the Yorkshire Wolds provides a mixture of walking through quiet secluded dales and across the wide open spaces of a limestone plateau with extensive views over the Vale of York. It starts and finishes in the village of Thixendale which has a pub and a small shop.
Technical sheet
n°293230
A Thixendale walk
posted on 04/07/16 by Walking Britain. Last update : 04/08/16
(S/E) Park outside the church in Thixendale village (Not shown on OS Landranger 100 but at grid ref. SE843611). With the church on your left walk out of the village, passing the village shop on the right and the road to Uncleby. Look for a bridleway sign post on the left just before the road swings right. Follow this bridleway soon swinging further left (waymark) up Thixendale. Follow the valley bottom: where it divides take the right fork through a gate. Continue following the valley bottom and at the top reach Thixendale Grange. Go through a gate, turn left and follow the farm drive out to the road.
(1) Turn left along the road. Now to the right you can look over the Vale of York. Look out for a finger post on the left pointing right. Here turn right and follow the footpath down the field edge - hedge right - now facing over the Vale of York. At the end of the field turn left and continue to follow the field edge to a gate. Turn right through the gate and follow a line of hawthorns down to a gate and then still straight on to a second gate. Here turn left and then right to follow the field edge - hedge on left - still downhill to a cross path. Turn left through a gate and go over a field to join a farm track which is followed straight on to a road. (When you dip down to cross a small brook, this almost insignificant feature is the boundary between the ancient North and East Ridings and you have now passed from one to the other.)
(2) When you reach the road turn right and, at the next junction, left to go through the small village of Kirby Underdale. Follow this road through the village, mentioned in the Domesday Book, down past the church on the left, and then up through the hamlet of Painsthorpe to a T-junction. Turn left and again there are views over the Vale of York. Very soon turn right up the first farm track and follow this bridleway past Painsthorpe Wold Farm. Follow it round when it turns left but when it turns right leave it to go straight on through a hedge gap and then turn right (back into the North Riding) to follow the field edge - hedge on right. Look out for a gate in the hedge with waymarks.
(3) Go through this and turn left to go under a large tree where you should pick up a disused cart track and you leave the plateau, going down into Worndale on you left. Follow this little used dale along its floor until you go through a gate and come to a junction of dales. To the right is Bradeham Dale but you turn left to follow the Wolds Way along the floor of Grass Dale through a couple of gates straight on to a road. At the road turn right and, after passing two roads coming in from the right turn left back into Thixendale village(S/E).
Waypoints
S/E : km 0 - alt. 134 m
1 : km 3.25 - alt. 229 m - Turn left
2 : km 5.82 - alt. 97 m - Turn right
3 : km 9.47 - alt. 227 m - Go through the gate
S/E : km 13.4 - alt. 134 m
Useful Information
The Yorkshire Wolds is one of those less frequented places which when found are truly rewarding. The Wolds is a chalk plateau crisscrossed by dales which on the western and northern sides are deep, steepsided and winding. They provide secret secluded places while the plateau provides a feeling of space and at the scarp edges wide views. This walk is a mixture, starting up Thixendale from the eponymous village, walking on the scarp edge overlooking the Vale of York and returning down some other delightful dales. Some of it is on roads, but they are very quiet, and it was our experience that the local drivers are very considerate of walkers.
Always stay careful and alert while following a route. Visorando and the author of this walk cannot be held responsible in the event of an accident during this route.
Date of walk : 10/03/23 Clarity of route description : ★★★★★ Very good Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good Walk interest : ★★★★☆ Good
A snowy walk in the Wolds, lovely dry valleys, a geosculpture outside Thixendale and the lovely village and church in Kirby Underdale. Nowhere for refreshments on the walk but in Thixendale the village hall is open for tea and cakes on a Sunday and the pub is due to open again in April.
Tony
rgirdham
Overall rating :
4 / 5
Date of walk : 10/01/23 Clarity of route description : ★★★★☆ Good Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good Walk interest : ★★★★☆ Good
An easy walk with some good views and interesting topography.
Yapham
Overall rating :
4.7 / 5
Date of walk : 25/06/21 Clarity of route description : ★★★★☆ Good Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good Walk interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very scenic walk that takes in classic Yorkshire Wolds terrain in the first and last sections, spectacular views across the Vale of York, and pretty villages in Thixendale itself and Kirby Underdale. This is the third time I have done this walk and it never loses its appeal
The walk took us 3.25 hours, and had sufficient uphill sections to make us feel that we had had some exercise
The pub in Thixendale is a welcoming end point to the walk.
Simon_jaggers
Overall rating :
4.7 / 5
Date of walk : 08/06/19 Clarity of route description : ★★★★★ Very good Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good Walk interest : ★★★★☆ Good
We did this walk by parking by the church in Kirby Underdale and then following the route to Thixendale and onwards. The advantage of this was that the village hall in Thixendale is open on Sundays for coffee, scones and cake. The cheese scones were superb!
ZombieChessClub
Overall rating :
4.7 / 5
Date of walk : 07/05/19 Clarity of route description : ★★★★☆ Good Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good Walk interest : ★★★★★ Very good
A really beautiful walk with lovely views. We went during lambing season and it is honestly a MUST if you want to see some adorable lambs frolicking along the dales. We were even fortunate enough to have seen a ewe in the process of giving birth.
ROUTE UPDATES:
The instructions were good but perhaps a little old as there were a few small changes. When you first enter the off-road section of the trail and head onto the bridleway, the trail you need to follow is not visible - however as well-used tractor track is visible. Don't be fooled as we were.... you need to cross the bottom of the dale to the visible fenceline.
Later in the hike when we arrived in Kirby Underdale, the GPS showed a different route from the map description. Both ways would have gotten you to the correct place - but the path across the pedestrian footpath was prettier with views of a little lake.
Later, upon the last 1/4 of the route - there is a gate which should be passable (has trail blazes) but looks to have been broken and repaired, however, the repair has closed the gate and it cannot be opened. We hopped the gate (carefully) but it is worth noting for hikers who might have mobility issues.
We will definitely take this hike again - particularly during lambing season!
Sarita J
Many thanks for the feedback. Please feel free to share any photos you have of the walk
Chrismerrell
Overall rating :
5 / 5
Date of walk : 27/08/18 Clarity of route description : ★★★★★ Very good Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good Walk interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Lovely walk that started going up through the chalk valleys leading to stunning views of the York valley.
Highly recommend, not too difficult.
Littlebeewhitesocks
Overall rating :
5 / 5
Date of walk : 20/05/18 Clarity of route description : ★★★★★ Very good Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good Walk interest : ★★★★★ Very good
