Introduction
Starting from the village of Rudston, this is a short and fairly easy route over the low rolling hills of the eastern part of the Yorkshire Wolds. The landscape of the area is crammed with ancient monuments, and you’ll pass by everything from prehistoric megaliths to a Victorian folly. In summer this is an ideal route for beginners as there are few difficulties, and no steep hills. It is also perfect as a night ride, although it is not an easy ride in winter.
This route is reasonably accessible from public transport, as there is a station in Bridlington, which is only a 3 miles from the eastern part of the route. If you do this, just use the B 1253 to get to Boyton, and join the route.
Conditions
In dry summer conditions the gravel tracks should present few problems, but in winter it becomes very muddy indeed, and suitable only for those who don’t mind getting very filthy.
Hazards
Nothing really, but the route can be prone to thorns during the hedge cutting season.
Alternatives
The route can be started from Carnaby. There are a few variations to avoid muddy sections. There isn’t much scope for extending the route, as there is a limited amount of offroad riding in the area. Although the route is described in an anti clockwise direction, it is equally suitable to be ridden clockwise.
Route Description
Park in the village of Rudston. There’s plenty of on street parking in the village. The first section of BW can be skipped by carrying on through the village to TA 095 672. Head west along the B 1253 for 200 yards past the pub. You will then see a sign for a BW on the left. Turn onto the BW and pass though the fields, and many, many gates. Eventually you’ll arrive at a road. Turn left and head back towards the village. After 300 yards, at the edge of the village, look for a turn on the right onto South Side road (which is signposted as a dead end). Follow the road past the houses, and onto a gravel track. At the junction with the track at TA 103 672, turn right and head up towards the woods. After climbing alongside the wood for a few hundred yards, you will reach another junction. Take the left hand fork, and follow the track up the hill. After passing through a small wood, the track continues alongside a hedge, before reaching a road.
At the road turn left, and follow the road for a third of a mile, until you see a track on the right at TA 120 664. Alternative route: If conditions are muddy, carry on a further half mile, and take the road on the right, and carry on to the BW at TA 138 660, where you rejoin the route. Turn right onto the track, and take the left fork when the track splits very shortly after the start. Follow the track, which can be very muddy, down and across the fields. After half a mile, take the left turn onto another track. Follow the track for ½ a mile until you reach a tarmac road. Alternative route: turn right on the road, head down to Carnaby, and then up the road, which becomes a bridleway which passes Carnaby Temple. The folly is worth seeing, but the section between the folly and the road is very muddy. Cross the road and take the BW which heads north between the trees, until you reach a road.
At the road, turn right and head down the road for a few hundred yards until you see a BW sign. Turn left and cross into the field. If the field has been ploughed, or is impassable due to growing crops, it’s best to stay on the western (left hand) side of the field, as there is a wide margin along the edge of the field. Sadly, the obvious track through the woods isn’t actually right of way, despite this, many horse riders seem to use this track, which is understandable as the official BW is blocked by stiles. When you reach the bottom of the field, look for a stile, with a waymark on it. As the path is a bridleway, there should be a gate here. Cross the stile, and head down the field for a further 150 yards until you reach a further stile. Cross over the fence, and carry straight on between the house and the barn. Pick up the track that runs through the farm yard, and head north over the bridge, and through the wood towards the village of Boynton. Join the road, and go through the village until you reach the B 1253 road.
Alternative route: Carry on north through the village and climb the hill. 1.6 miles from the road junction, at Fox Covert Plantation (TA 130 705), look for a track on the left heading into the wood. Head down this track for 1.2 miles until you rejoin the route.
At the B 1253, turn left and head west towards Rudston. Pass the industrial plant on the left, and after just over a mile from where you joined the road, look for a cottage on the right, immediately followed by a sign for a BW. Turn right onto the track and climb the gently sloping, chalk surfaced track. The track reaches the edge of a wood and begins to descend slightly. 1 ¼ miles from where you joined the track, you will arrive at a minor road, by High Caythorpe Farm. Turn left and head down the narrow road, until after ½ a mile on the road, you will see a BW sign on the left. Turn left onto the BW and head downhill briefly before gently climbing again. After reaching the top, the track starts to descend towards a wood. At the wood, there is a junction where you need to turn right, and follow the BW along the righthand edge of the wood. Soon after the end of the wood, the track ends at the B 1253 road. Turn right here, and head towards Rudston. At the junction by the church, turn left, and head downhill into the centre of the village, where you will arrive at the start of the route.