The Grey Panthers

Explorer Map 302, - Northallerton and Thirsk

A good winter walk, as the greater part utilises quiet country lanes. These lanes DO carry traffic, and because of this you must walk on the correct side of the road. But the traffic is fairly minimal.
About 20% of the walk involves field footpaths, which in winter-time can be EXTREMELY wet and muddy. One field, in particular, involved crossing an enclosure in which pigs were kept where the mud was VERY evident.
With these problems aside, the walk takes in some delightful villages and two churches. On a fine Summer's day the walk would be especially rewarding.
Navigation is reasonably straightforward, though use of a 1 : 25000 map to help follow field patterns is recommended.

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 availabe 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 website, - just use QUO!!

Start from the lay-by parking area beside the bridge over the River Swale at Morton-on-Swale (SE31799 91756).
Cross the road (EXTREME CARE needed, - the A684 can be very busy).
Cross a stile to enter the field. Cross the field diagonally to reach a field gate which opens on to a muddy farm lane. Follow the lane until you come to an underpass under the Northallerton-Bedale railway.
Turn left after crossing the railway, then head diagonally across the field to a stile.
The footpath goes across this field to a field corner (though we found it easier to skirt round the edge of the field).
Just before the field corner another stile takes you to a path that leads to Scruton Lane.
In Scruton Lane, turn right and make for the village. At the T-Junction, turn right in order to visit the Church.
Now retrace your steps and cont8inue on the minor road (Fleetham Lane) past Scruton Grange. At the bend in the road a stile leads into a field.
Here take the fairly clear field footpath in a Northerly direction and follow it to Raisin Hall Farm. Continue onwards to the village of Kirby Fleetham.
Just past the village Post Office, take the road that is signposted to Great Langton.
When you reach Great Langton, cross the River Swale by the bridge (this bridge takes a single lane of traffic, and some care is needed).
Once over the bridge, turn right.
Continue on the road to a junction, where a minor road branches off on the right. Follow this road for a few hundred yards until you come to the lane that leads to St. Wilfred's Church.
After visiting the church, return to the road and turn left. Continue until there is anotherroad junction. Take the minor road (Bramper Lane) on the right and follow it to Thrintoft.
In Thrintoft, turn right and after about 100 yards take the footpath that leads to Morton-on-Swale. This footpath is not immediately apparent (there is no way mark or finger post) but lies immediately beside a house. The footpath is recognised as being a "cutting" that leads to some stone steps.
Follow the footpath back to Morton-on-Swale. Turn right when you reach the A684 and follow the road to the bridge over the River Swale.
Cross the road to return to the car park.