The Grey Panthers

Explorer Map 300, - Howardian Hills and Malton

A very pleasant walk that starts from the picturesque village of Hovingham, using field footpaths and farm tracks. The walk passes through woodland and over farmland. In the woodland South of Slingsby the walk passes some ancient British earthworks, which were used a fortifications over 2000 years ago.
There are no especially great gradients, and navigation is straightforward.
After wet weather, some of the paths are quite muddy.

For a Memory Map overlay of the walk described, please select the above link.
(Overlay made with Version 5 of Memory Map)

Some new mapping software is now available which you may want to try, - QUO mapping. You can download the software for free from the link below, complete with demonstration maps. Having installed QUO, you can import and export Memory Map overlays. Thus YOU DON'T NEED Memory Map to use any of the overlays provided on the Grey Panthers web site, - just use QUO!!

Start from the village hall car park in Hovingham (SE66776 76559).
Turn right on leaving the car park, and then left along Brookside beside the Marrs Beck. At the end of Brookside turn right and then almost immediately take the field footpath that takes you West South West. Turn left at the end of the large field, where the waymark indicates.
Walk across the bridge in Hovingham Park to reach the minor road, where you turn right. (An alternative is to cross the parkland before you reach the bridge, to find a white field gate that lets you on to the road).
Take the track that leads South Westwards through woodland, becoming a field footpath heading towards Scakleton Lane.
When you reach the lane, turn left and follow the lane past Hovingham Lodge.
Where the lane then turn sharp right, take the field footpath on your left to eventually reach a minor road.
Cross this road and head South. After a short distance there is a farm track that leads to Airyholme Farm.
Just before the far, the track is diverted to pass North of the farm buildings. Continue on the track Eastwards until you come to where the Ebor Way now heads South.
At this point, the footpath continues by crossing a beck on the farm track, then almost immediately turning right over a field and heading uphill to reach a gate in the corner of the field. However, you may find it easier to head Northwards up the farm track, and where you meet another farm track heading Eastwards at the top of a small gradient to take this track instead.
Continue East South East on a farm track until you meet the track heading up to Fryton West Wood.
At the summit of this track, turn right and follow the broad track through woodland until you come to a "cross-roads". Here take the track North to Slingsby.
Using the field footpath, cross a series of paddocks to reach the village, then continue Northwards past the parish church.

The footpath then brings you to the disused railway track that now serves as the footpath back to Hovingham.