Wolds Rangers Walking Festival: How you can follow in the foosteps of Dog Geordie, Horse Hair Jack and Mad Halifax

Walkers can tread in the footsteps of some of the characters who used to roam the Wolds in search of work at a free walking festival next month.

The charity behind the Wold Rangers Way, a 43-mile circular trail through the ancient green lanes and bridlepaths of the Yorkshire Wolds, are running the event.

Mainly circular walks from Driffield, they also offer a few around the Wolds, and range from just three miles to 44.

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Trustee Mark Blakeston said around a third of the tickets had gone so far, adding: “We are a registered charity and decided rather than charging a tenner, all 19 guided walks are free.”

Members of the Wold Rangers near Sledmere on the Wold Rangers walk , l to r Claire Binnington and Winnie, Mark Blakeston, Barrie Kitching and Fiona Turner with DuggieMembers of the Wold Rangers near Sledmere on the Wold Rangers walk , l to r Claire Binnington and Winnie, Mark Blakeston, Barrie Kitching and Fiona Turner with Duggie
Members of the Wold Rangers near Sledmere on the Wold Rangers walk , l to r Claire Binnington and Winnie, Mark Blakeston, Barrie Kitching and Fiona Turner with Duggie

Walkers can take a pick of walks associated with Horse Hair Jack, Mad Halifax and Dog Geordie - all real-life characters who shared a determination to live as they please.

Dog Geordie was the last male Wold Ranger, a well known sight in Driffield with his lurcher by his side, who “lived and breathed the green lanes of the Wolds” and had a crafty way of catching a pheasant using a lure made of horsehair covered in grain.

Mark, who has organised the event along with Claire Binnington, Barry Kitching and Fiona Turner, said the stories had caught many people’s imaginations.

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He said: “The Wold Rangers were nomadic farmworkers spanning over 200 years. Particularly after the Crimean War and World War One men would come back from war, maybe they had post traumatic stress disorder and couldn’t settle down so they were kind of tramps and vagabonds and wandered from farm to farm finding work.

“Dog Geordie was thought to be the last of the Wold Rangers and there are people who remember him coming to Driffield on market day with a bag of rabbits and swapping them for breakfast.

“It is a unique mix of local history and walking - the two things sit together really well. You go on these green lanes and see a really thick bush - you could see that’s where you’d go to keep out the way.”

The festival runs from June 17 - 24. For more visit www.woldrangersway.org.

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