6 must see East Yorkshire gems
A couple of weeks ago I was commissioned to write an article for the iPaper about the best part of Yorkshire for a holiday? Myself and three other writers battled it out to defend our home turf, which in my case is North Yorkshire. It was a tough call as each of the counties has their own unique attractions and it really is hard to pick a favourite. If I hadn’t written about North Yorkshire, I would have happily sung the praises of the East Riding, whose charms often remain under the radar to all but those in the know. Whether it is the dry, chalk valleys of the Yorkshire Wolds or the dramatic Flamborough coastline, the unique peninsula of Spurn Point or the endless skies of the Holderness plain, there is so much to discover in this hidden corner of the county. If you are looking for inspiration for some spring adventures, here are 6 places you might like to explore…
The Wolds Way
Worm Dale, Thixendale
The Yorkshire Wolds are something of a secret. Here the wild is reached not by challenging climbs but by travelling down into the beautiful chalk dales that weave beneath the rolling uplands of the mainly arable landscape. One of the best ways to explore these hidden valleys is by following the 79-mile Wolds Way national trail. Pick up sections around Huggate, Millington and Thixendale, or seek out lesser-known stretches such as Swin Dale and the High Hunsley circuit in the southern Wolds for far-reaching views. You will also pass by some of the prettiest villages in the county including Welton and Brantingham as well as historic sites such as All Hallows’ Church at Goodmanham - a landmark of Christianity in Britain, it is where Edwin, King of Northumbria, converted to the faith in AD 627.
The Flamborough Headland
Thornwick Bay, Flamborough
Flamborough has some of the most magnificent chalk cliffs in England. These vertical bluffs have been eroded into dramatic natural arches, sea caves and stacks. Discover the hidden coves of North Landing and South Landing and Thornwick Bay with its clifftop café. These are also great beaches for rock pooling or fossil hunting. Or follow the woodland path along the ancient fortified wall of Danes Dyke to a large, cobbled beach. The 2.5 mile long Danes Dyke earthwork, built as a defence in the Iron Age, cuts across the Flamborough peninsula. To the north of the headland is the UK’s largest seabird colony at Bempton Cliffs, home to puffins (April to July) and a rare colony of gannets.
Spurn Point
The Lighthouse, Spurn Point
Wild, windswept and constantly shifting, Spurn is unique, a remote tip of land that stretches for three and a half miles but is as narrow as 50m wide in places. Curving between the North Sea and the Humber Estuary this iconic, finger-like peninsula is forever at the mercy of the elements, created by longshore drift washing away sand on its east side and depositing it on its west. With its end-of-the-world feel, the best way to explore is to walk along wildflower-fringed paths to its tip, flanked by dune-backed beaches, lagoons and mudflats. You will pass Spurn’s iconic black and white lighthouse, ruins of a wartime forts and the lifeboat station and pier. It is a great place for birdwatching as well as spotting harbour porpoises and bottlenose dolphins so bring your binoculars!
Rudston Monolith
Rudston Monolith, All Saints’ Church
The tallest standing stone in the UK towers over the graveyard of All Saints’ Church in the small village of Rudston. At 7.6m high, the monolith stands taller than any of the Stonehenge Circle stones. It is hewn from sandstone from the Cleveland Hills, more than 20 miles away, and how it got here is one of its many mysteries. It is sited close to the Gypsey Race, a winter borne chalk stream, which means it is intermittent, sometimes disappearing for miles then reappearing unexpectedly, conferring on it an air of mystery. It was revered and honoured by our Neolithic and Bronze Age ancestors who built their burial mounds close to its course, such as that at Duggleby Howe.
Sykes Church Trail
St Edith’s Church, Bishop Wilton
Perhaps the most important collection of small rural churches in the UK, built and refurbished by the Sykes of Sledmere between 1866 and 1913. Using illustrious architects such as G.E. Street (Royal Courts of Justice, London), Temple Moore and leading stained-glass artists, the Sykes family financed the restoration of 18 churches. Highlights include St Edith’s Church at Bishop Wilton with its floor tiles modelled on the Vatican; St Michael and All Angels in Garton on the Wolds for its astonishing wall paintings and the lavish interiors of St Mary’s in Sledmere.
Skerne Wetlands
Skerne Wetlands
The UK’s most northerly chalk streams are the highlight of this biodiverse wetland on the River Hull floodplain, home to kingfishers, water voles and otters. This nature reserve, which is owned and managed by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, stretches across 110 acres of wet grassland and a mile of chalk stream. The West Beck, with its crystal clear waters, lush waterside vegetation and flowering beds of water Crowfoot are a spring and summer delight. As you wander around the reserve, the cacophony of croaks from the male frogs and the melodious birdsong make you feel like you have gatecrashed a party!
Find hundreds more hidden places like these in Wild Guide North East England…Grab a copy here!
