Explorer and broadcaster Paul Rose offers a guide to the Yorkshire Wolds Way, one of Britain’s finest but less appreciated walks
I’ve been lucky enough to spend my life exploring the most isolated parts of the planet. From being run over by an iceberg to being attacked by a polar bear, I’ve experienced nature in its truest and often most terrifying form.
Thanks to the BBC, I spent the majority of last summer on a new expedition. This time it wasn’t in the Polar Regions or a deep ocean, it was a little closer to home – but much to my delight, it was another part of the world I knew very little about.
This was to be the most refreshing adventure I’d done in years.
What springs to mind when I mention rolling chalk hills, tranquil secret valleys, and enough cafes to keep you fed and watered for miles?
The Yorkshire Wolds Way? Possibly not. A lot of people don’t even know it exists – and that could be about to change.
“The breathtaking chalk landscapes with dry valleys and stunning wildlife alongside vibrant market towns and ancient villages – it’s all waiting to be explored.”
Thirty-five years since the Yorkshire Wolds Way opened as a National Trail, it’s still one of the least-trampled landscapes in the UK.
It stretches from the famous Humber Bridge in East Yorkshire, to the North Yorkshire seaside resort of Filey, travelling through villages as charming and as quaint as their names suggest.
South Cave, Market Weighton, Millington, Fridaythorpe, Wintringham, and Ganton to name just a few.
Five things to look out for on the trail
1. Stand on the beach underneath the Humber Bridge to appreciate the beauty, the engineering challenges and the sense that it’s not just an ordinary bridge – it feels alive.
2. Take photos of your favourite David Hockney paintings and match them up to the landscape. I loved this and found it a very satisfying way of connecting to the land. It’s not easy!
3. Link your walk with Wolds Way artwork such as Time and Flow at the junction of Thixendale and Worm Dale. The perfect place to stop for a cheese and pickle sandwich.
4. Enjoy an early morning thermos of tea at “Sea Bird City” – the wonderful Bempton Cliffs.
5. Stop walking and lay down in a meadow of wild flowers. This was a first for me.
The trail is home to the Kiplingcotes Derby, the oldest horse race in the country. And it has provided inspiration for David Hockney, arguably our greatest living artist.
There’s a surprise at every turn on this trail, and while we’re celebrating Hull’s year as UK City of Culture, we felt it was important to explore the natural environment surrounding the region’s music and arts scene.
From rowing a vintage boat across the Humber, to collecting moths, gliding, and camping with hundreds of sheep at Bempton Cliffs, this was a trek like no other I’d done before.
I even met a family of penny farthing enthusiasts, and now I own two and ride them every day. I’m a self-proclaimed semi-professional penny farthing rider!
The thing about the Wolds Way is that it’s so accessible and easy to walk. It’s perfect for all types of ramblers, and could comfortably be completed in a week.
The breathtaking chalk landscapes with dry valleys and stunning wildlife alongside vibrant market towns and ancient villages – it’s all waiting to be explored.
In comparison to most of my other expeditions around the world, it doesn’t take a long, hard slog for the scenery to change either. Nobody was more surprised than me to find that a walk this rewarding could be so easy.
We should celebrate the fact that we’ve got these wonderful areas of nature right on our doorstep – something most of us are probably guilty of overlooking.
I really want our documentary to encourage more people to explore this unsung gem – I just hope the locals and regular walkers don’t mind that we’ve lifted the lid on their big secret!
I’ll be back to walk it again in the summer – hopefully see you there?
Yorkshire Wolds Way – BBC Two, Saturday 13 May (7.30pm) and 20 May (8pm)
