Wetwang Circuit Route Details

The route follows grassy tracks over the rolling countryside of the Yorkshire Wolds in East Yorkshire, in a loop around the village of Wetwang. There are not many technically hard sections, but don't underestimate how long the route will take, especially when it's muddy.  Traces of the long history of the area can be seen all along the route, as it passed everything from iron age barrows and earthworks, roman roads, deserted mediveal villages, to abandoned WWII airfields.

This route has something of a Jekyll and Hyde character. In summer, you’ll fly along gently rolling tracks over pleasant downland. In winter, the grassy track become boggy and hard going, and the gravel tracks gain vast, hub deep puddles. Although the route is within the ability of a relatively fit beginner in dry conditions, it’s not recommended as a winter ride unless you like riding in mud. In wet conditions, mud tyres and a bike which tends not to clog up in mud are highly recommended.

The route can be cut short to roughly 20 miles by taking the road to Wetwang at SE 630 606, and then carrying on south on a series of tracks to rejoin the route at SE 941 547. The section from Cottam, which runs a along a dry valley, can be missed out to avoid a very slow and muddy section. Instead take the BW which heads SW from SE 996 639 and follow it to the bottom and rejoin the route. 

Underestimating the time and effort required is a real risk in wet conditions. There is a short section along the busy A 166, and another on the B1248, which both have very fast moving traffic. It would be nice to be able to have missed these roads, but sadly there are gaps in the bridleway network.

 

Park off the road by Sir Tatton Sykes Monument. It’s easy to find, as it’s a rocket shaped tower, visible for miles around.

 

Head west down the gravel track. Soon the surface becomes grassier, and you can make good speed on the smooth, gentle downhill. Ignore any other tracks, and cross two minor roads, at which point the track starts to climb, and is slightly more overgrown. Shortly after that, the track turns left, and emerges via a muddy track on the A 166 at SE 910 591. Turn right on the A 166 and head towards Fridaythorpe, taking care of traffic. After just over ¾ of a mile, along the unpleasant main road, you will see a driveway to the left, which is signposted for Holmfield Farm. Turn left onto the tarmac road, which gives out to a muddy, grassy track after the farm. The track can be quite overgrown and progress can be hard work. After a while the grass is replaced by dirty, and the track arrives at a junction at SE 874 584.

Turn left onto the bridleway, which passes through a gate, and heads under a horse chestnut tree, before going steeply downhill into Holm Dale. Follow the fast, grassy descent until you reach the bottom of the valley. Carry on along the valley until you reach a gate. At the gate, turn right and follow the BW up the steep, but just about rideable climb to the top of the valley. Just before the top, the track starts to follow an earth bank around the side of the valley, after a 100 yards, turn left and climb the short distance to the top and a gate. Go through the gate, and carry on along the bridleway which passes along side the hedge. After ¼ of a mile, you meet a tarmac drive. Turn right on the tree lined drive, and follow the driveway down slightly. After a short climb you will arrive in the village of Huggate. Carry on climbing through the village until you reach a crossroad. One of the few pubs which is on the route, is to the left. Carry straight on at the crossroads and head down the narrow road, until a BW crosses, at SE 877 542, just as the road starts to climb, 0.6 of a mile from the cross roads. Turn left onto the BW and follow the grassy track along the edge of fields, until you reach a minor road.

 

Cross the minor road onto the continuation of the BW. The surface becomes less easy to ride, as the BW zigzags around the edge of some fields, before passing a water reservoir. Carry on pass the reservoir and head along the track along side a hedge. At SE 920 543, you will briefly join a tarmac track, near Haywold Farm, before the BW continues in the same direction. Follow the BW along side the hedge until SE 927 544. At this point the bridleway crosses the field boundary to the north side of the fence, but there is no waymarking to indicate this (it’s easier to see on an Explorer map which should field boundaries). Once you have crossed over, keep following the BW, along the north side of the wood at 935 545. Keep following the BW along the valley bottom. At the wood at SE 952 546, follow the BW between the fence and the edge of the wood, along a nice (and rare in the Wolds) section of singletrack until you reach a road. Cross the road, and carry on along the edge of the wood on a similar narrow track for ¼ of a mile. At SE 964 549 the BW turns left and away from the wood, and becomes a permissive BW (which is not marked on older maps), Follow the BW as climbs up to a road past a small copse of trees. At the road turn left towards Tibthorpe.

 

At the junction in Tibthorpe, turn right and head up the B 1248, taking care to watch for traffic on this busy road. Just after ¾ of a mile from Tibthorpe, look for a BW on the right, just after some buildings as the road curves to the right. Take the BW and head downhill until you reach a gravel track at SE 955 579. Turn right onto this well surfaced track, which gradually improves into a tarmac road. At the cross roads at SE979 577 carry on east, onto the muddy, and puddle strewn BOAT, until after ½ a mile, you will come to a junction. Turn right (north) at the junction onto another grassy and muddy BOAT, and follow the track until you reach the A 166 at SE 990 588. Cross the busy road and climb up the grassy track. Eventually the climbing stops and the track descends. The surface turns to gravel, and you can descend pretty quickly. At the time of writing (Oct 06) the track was pretty rough and there are some deep ruts to catch the unwary. At the base of the hill, cross the massive puddle (which is usually dry in summer), and you will arrive at a minor road at SE 994 615. Turn right onto the road and follow it east for a few hundred yards, until you will see a turn to the left. Turn left and head up the long draggy climb, until you reach Cottam Warren Farm. Carry on north onto a BW, which carries on climbing gently until you reach a junction with another BW at SE 996 639.

At this point you can use an alternative, slightly less muddy route, by turning left and descending the BW. If you don’t, carry on north, along a concrete track (part of an old airfield). After ½ a mile the BW turns left towards a wood. At the edge of the wood, turn right and follow the edge of the wood for 100 yards, and then turn right again at the corner of the wood. You will arrive at a gate, with a view towards a ruined church, which is part of the deserted medieval village of Cottam. Pass through the gate, and down across the earthen banks of the old village, until you reach a second gate. Go through the gate and descend into the dry valley of Cottam Well Dale. ‘Dry valley’ it might be, but conditions on the valley floor can be very boggy, especially where livestock have churned up the grass around gateways. Keep going, and ignore the BW on the right, until you reach a gate on the right, beside a minor road. Go through the gate, and turn left, and head down the road for ½ a mile until you get to a junction with a BW on the left (which is where you have descended if you took the less muddy alternative route) and a stony track to the right at SE 974 628. Turn right and climb the steep, but rideable track. At the top of the climb, near Sledmere Grange, the track turns into a tarmac road. Carry on along this road until you reach Sir Tatton Syke’s Monument, and the end of the route.