Yorkshire Wolds Way: The 79-mile trail through Yorkshire which is 'a piece of Southern England in the North'

A stone sculpture standing in the shadow of the mighty Humber Bridge is where many walkers of this 79-mile (129km) national trail begin their trek northwards along the crescent of chalk hills known as the Yorkshire Wolds.

Purists, however, back-track half a mile to the east, where the front of the now-closed Ferry Boat Inn overlooking Hessle Haven was designated the official starting point when the trail opened in 1982.

Since then countless thousands have completed the route, which ends on the cliffs above Filey Brigg.

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The idea for the walk came from members of the Ramblers Association’s East Yorkshire and Derwent Area back in the 1960s.

The stone marking the Yorkshire Wolds Way's starting point on the Humber shoreplaceholder image
The stone marking the Yorkshire Wolds Way's starting point on the Humber shore

Short stretches of the route were soon waymarked but obtaining formal approval for a continuous route took more than a decade.

By the time the opening ceremony was performed at Fridaythorpe by a Wolds landowner, Lord Middleton, in October 1982 around 10 miles of new public rights of way had been created.

The Yorkshire Wolds have been described as “a piece of southern England in the north” because of their resemblance to the chalk landscape found in the North and South Downs and Chiltern Hills.

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The trail strings together an impressive range of landscape features, including many small, steep-sided chalk valleys, most of which have no roads.

Sites of historical interest include the deserted medieval village of Wharram Percy.

More than four decades after it opened the trail has been a big success with walkers.

Although not as well-trodden as the better known Pennine Way, the route is thought to be completed by between 500 – 1,000 walkers each year.

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Many ramblers come from abroad, particularly from the Netherlands owing to the convenience of the Rotterdam-Hull ferry.

It is also said to be popular with walkers from Germany, Canada, the USA, Australia and New Zealand.

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