Ripley to Ripon Hike

We enjoyed a short break at Ripon this week.

Here are a few photos from a walk around Studley Royal and details of a good old hike from Ripley to Ripon completed from memory as we had forgotten the OS map.

Cheers Bri. for the help and advice today.

(We did not have time for bins or camera on the walk).

The walk:

We left Ripley heading north to pass the Boars Head Hotel on our left. Nearing the roundabout we took a path on our left that passes a quaint mile post before reaching the Patley Bridge road.

We crossed straight over to go up Braithwaite Lane.

We stayed on this lane for a while until we reached a sign pointing left for a B&B, here we turned right.

Pheasants were all over the shop, with Red Legged Partridge making an appearance now and again.

We passed through a metal gate with a bridleway sign.

At the next gate we turned right downhill to pass two wooden bench seats.

The path goes steeply downhill through a wood and when the fields appear on the right, we turned right with the path and rose slightly to turn left and skirt the wood.

We were now between two wooden fences.

We took a gate ahead and dropped down to follow a path right along the side of an open scrub land field.

C20 Pheasant, 1 Red Legged Partridge and a Buzzard were seen hereabouts.

Three quarters of the way along the field edge, a small rusty old wind turbine marks the spot where our path turns right to go through farm buildings and arrive at a 4 way bridleway sign.

Here we turned left and after 100yds we had to bear right to cross a large field to a gate.

(The last time we did this walk, this field was full of pigs, and a sudden hail storm with golf ball hailstones had us and the pigs running for shelter.

I can't remember who squealed the loudest when the hailstones hit us or the pigs).

We crossed the centre of the next field to a gate. Here we turn left to follow the hedge to farm buildings.

We turned half left to follow the farm track to leave the buildings.

We followed the lane/track for quarter of a mile or so, until the lane turned to the right where we went ahead to drop down on a sunken way to a road.

Here we stopped for a sandwich.

We turned right and followed the road for 100 yds before turning left to cross a small stone bridge.

Immediately we turned right at a sign for Brook House.

We followed this track (left) around the cricket pitch and kept ahead around the football pitch to arrive at some wooden steps on the left.

There were a few Jay about here.

We climbed the steps and went ahead keeping to the right of the hedge to exit in the top corner of this large field, where a kissing gate leads into a field.

Here we headed across the field to the houses ahead and joined the lane there.

We went ahead along the lane passing Inglethorpe Farm, and continued along the road.

Ignoring the road on the left, we take the bridleway on the left just beyond this road.

After 300 yds a step stile on the right admits us to a large field which we cross to a track, rising to a wooden stile where a warning sign regarding dogs & cows advises anyone with a dog to go around instead of through this field.

A Buzzard was soaring in the bright sunshine.

Being dogless, we go ahead through the field, and arrive at a large metal gate at Markington Hall.

Here we turn right and then take a metal gate on the left within 100 yards.

We rise up through the field to pass the splendid buildings and locate a track on the left that takes us into a large field.

We cross this field with the exit pointed to by the line of electricity wires going across it.

After a step stile we turn left for a few paces before we cross the wall via a stepped wall stile to reach a good bridleway.

Here we turn left and follow the path that leads up the field to reach a tarmac farm access track. The farm building is 50yds to our right.

A Pied Wagtail is on the farm roof.

We follow the tarmac track for 1 mile.

After a mile a blue mesh fence is reached where a Wren is flitting about.

After a few yards a pretty area is reached and a gap in the wall allows entrance to Whitcliffe Woods.

Here we keep with the fence on the left until the path rises to exit into a field.

We turned left and dropped down to the road to pass Helwath cottage.

Here a right turn allows you to follow your nose and the river into Ripon.

Our path went ahead to eventually cross a pretty stream.

100 yds before a road, a crossroads of paths is reached, where we turned right to exit opposite River Laver Caravan Park.

Here a right turn takes us all the way into Ripon (about 25 mins to Ripon from here).

A few pictures taken during a walk to Studley Royal: