Carnaby, Boynton, High Caythorpe, Rudston Walk

The weather was windy, changeable and frequently wet, so I opted for another local walk today. It’s one I could start from my front door but, to avoid wandering through town and not wanting to walk along the busy A614 road, I drove a couple of miles to begin at Carnaby.

I got kitted up just in time to catch the beginning of the promised rain. It accompanied me, on and off, all the way the High Caythorpe.

I passed Carnaby Temple, an 18th century folly, and walked through Boynton, with its Hall and church, before taking the lane towards Grindale.

I optimistically decided to use a route to High Caythorpe marked on the map as an “Other Routes with Public Access”. As I’d feared, the route did not exist on the ground. I had to improvise a course, following field edges and rough tracks, before eventually joining a bridleway, which brought me to the farm at High Caythorpe. In this process I got thoroughly wet and muddy: but at least the weather was improving.

On the way to Rudston, now in grand Wold country, I caught sight of a fox running across the track.

I took a breather in the churchyard at Rudston, after reacquainting myself the impressive monolith, the tallest standing stone in the UK and the centre of an extensive system of earthworks. A family wandered into the yard: they sensibly give a wide birth to the suspicious, scruffy, mud-stained old tramp, sat barefoot, scoffing fruit and swigging coffee.

An attractive path leads out of the village, through woodland, gaining height to meet the Woldgate Roman road. Another “Other Route with Public Access”, this one extant, leaves Woldgate, dropping through large arable fields with wide ranging views over Holderness, to eventually join a lane just outside Carnaby.

The walk was eleven miles or so. Despite the weather it was very enjoyable and full of historical interest. It’s all too easy to drive miles for a walk whilst ignoring the countryside on one’s doorstep. I didn’t see any other walkers out today, but saw plenty of evidence of path use - muddy boot prints aplenty.