Thixendale Route Details

The route is a mixture of on-road and off-road riding in the pretty hills of the northern part of the Yorkshire Wolds. This area is nice alternative to the moors during really bad weather.

The good news is that chalky soils and gravel tracks tend to dry out faster than the peaty soils of the Moors. However, the bad news is that the Wolds can be very muddy in winter; with lots of slippery, transmission destroying mud, especially when it rains. With care, it should remain rideable all year. In summer, a fast rolling, narrow tyre is a good choice for the smooth gravel and long road sections. In winter your will need tyres which can cope with mud, even though they will be very slow on the road.

You can shorten or lengthen this route in many places. If conditions are dry, carrying on along the BW to West Lutton and then back over some more BW to Thirkleby Wold is a good alternative route. Sadly there is not enough BW in the area to make an all off-road loop, but in winter you’ll probably be glad to have a respite from the mud.

There are no particular hazards to be aware of.

Park on the verge at SE 812 644, to the south of Birdsall village. Take care not to block the road to farm traffic. Turn on to the minor road, and head north, past the manor house and through Birdsall. At the junction just after the phone box, turn right onto a small road. Continue along this road and go around a sharp right hand bend. The next bend is a sharp left hand bend. On this bend, on the right hand side, look for a gate leading into field and a BW way-mark.

 

Go through the gate and head across the fields, parallel to a hedge. Keep an eye out for way marks, as towards the end of the field, the BW crosses the other side of the hedge you have been following. After 1.1 miles on the BW you will eventually get to a minor road. Cross the road and carry on in the same direction on the more distinct BW. The BW passes under the old Malton - Driffield railway before ended in the village of North Grimston. Turn left on the B 1248 and head up the steep hill. At the next cross roads. keep on the lower road, and ignore the turn to the left. You will then arrive at Wharrham le Street village.

At the junction in the village, turn left and continue west to Duggleby. Ignore the cross road in Duggleby and continue down the valley towards Kirby Grindalythe. At junction just above the village, turn right into the village and then right again onto a small road with a stream and houses either side. 100 yards from the start of the minor road, look for a driveway on the left with a small BW sign. Follow the path up through the gardens and across a large grassy area before passing through a gate and on to a lane.

On the lane, turn right and carry on up the hill. After you reach the top, near a small wood, take care to stay on the BW, not the lane which turns sharply to the left. The BW carries on across the fields in a south westerly direction before reaching the B 1263 road at SE 894 650. Turn left on the road and head downhill towards Sledmere. After a mile and a third on the B 1263, take a right turn onto a minor road signposted for Mill Farm. At the next junction, turn right again, and go towards the farm. The BW runs along a track which passes by the farm, then carries on past several gates, through a small wood and out along the edge of a field. After following the edge of a field, the BW then joins a track which descends to a gate. After a short but steep climb, you will get to a junction with several tracks at Towthorpe hamlet. Turn right and pass through the farm yard, and onto a track which leads west. Although this is a legal right-of-way, it’s not used much, and the track becomes very overgrown just before it joins the B 1248.

At the B 1248, turn right and climb up the steady hill. After ¾ a mile along the road, look for a BW to the left, just as you pass a band of trees on the right hand side. Follow the BW west, along the edge of the fields. The path can be overgrown in summer. After just over half a mile, you will cross a minor road, after which the track becomes slightly better surfaced. Continue west along the BW, ignoring the BW sign posted to the left. Instead carry on along the grass track, and through a gate. The BW then runs along the left hand edge of a small valley. Slight over half a mile since the gate, look for a on the left BW, at the corner of a wood. Turn left onto BW. This soon leads to a stronger track heading towards an abandoned building. Follow the track downhill, past a BW joining on the left. After quarter of a mile on the track look, for obvious signs telling you the BW is to the right, and there is not right of way ahead.

Turn right, off the track, and follow the BW along the edge of the field until you go through a small gate. The BW turns left immediately after the gate, and then descends down into a valley via surprisingly fun single track descent. At the bottom of the hill, pass through the gate and join a short track taking you to a minor road. At the road, turn right and go towards the village of Thixendale. Go right again at the next junction and go into the village. There are two shops, a pub and a café in this isolated village. The café round the back of the Post-Office serves reasonably priced, filling lunches if you need to refuel.

Head west through the village. At the edge of the village, a BW starts on the left. If the conditions are muddy, carry on up the road, via the long but easy climb. Turn left onto the BW, and head up the dry valley (although called a ‘dry valley’ due to the lack of stream, the path can be very wet in winter). Near the end of the valley, make sure you follow the BW as it goes up the right hand side of the valley to the farm at Thixendale Grange. At the farm, follow the farm track west track to the road. At the road, turn right and follow the straight road north west. 

Ignore any side roads and continue along the road, which after one and half miles, descends steeply and ends at a ‘T’ junction. At the junction, look for a gate immediately opposite. Go through the gate and follow a grassy BW that descends across the hill to the right (i.e. trending north east). Ignore the other track, as it goes straight down the hill. After a few inevitable gates, the BW reaches Mont Ferrant Farm. Join the road at the farm, and head east down the hill. After three quarters of a mile on the road, you will come to a ‘T’ junction. Turn left here and you will be back at the start in a few hundred yards.