This walk is designed to be taken slowly and savoured to the full.
This walk was published in May 2013, so the details of the route may no longer be accurate, we do advise these articles should only be used as a guideline for any potential route you take and you should double check an up to date map before you set off.
Few villages can claim to be quite as welcoming to walkers as Millington. It lies close to several long distance paths, including the 79-mile-long Wolds Way national trail and boasts a friendly pub, The Gait Inn, a cafe which boldly proclaims itself the Ramblers Rest and a church where walkers are its newest focal point.
St Margaret's, with its stumpy tower, dates back to at least the 12th century but has additions from the 13th and 14th too. However, its most recent addition was a stained glass window on the south side. It depicts the biblical story of walkers on the road to Emmaus accompanied by the risen Christ but the setting has been transported from the Holy Land to a more familiar Wolds setting.
The church, which also boasts a slightly incongruous brick porch, is normally open to visitors between 10am and 4pm and well worth a visit.
DIRECTIONS
The walk starts from the large lay-by car park by the church on the edge of the village and with your back to the building head right for a few paces to the crossroads and then take the left turn up the narrow lane, known as The Balk. At the T-junction at the top, carry on straight across the road to follow a farm track, sign-posted Minster Way. This 50-mile route joins the glorious minsters of York and Beverley and this brief section offers broad views across the Vale of York spread out below and captures the airy sense of huge open spaces and vast skies that are such a delightful feature of much Wolds walking.
After passing the buildings of Little Givendale Farm continue along the bottom of one more field before turning right up the hedge line to regain the road crossed earlier. This short dog-leg could be missed out but this route provides safer and more pleasant walking than the Tarmac. At the road turn left for just over half a mile making for the solitary wind turbine of Millington Heights Farm ahead. When the buildings are reached take a bridleway on the right by Millington Heights Farm and walk past the farm buildings.
The track becomes a path which crosses a series of pastures before it reaches a slight jink in the fence on the left-hand side where the path passes through a narrow gate heading towards a small curving valley opposite. The path drops down between scrubby trees in a shallow groove to a lane. Cross straight over, walking over a footbridge and boardwalk to enter the narrow dale.
After a couple of hundred yards a signpost signals a footpath which takes the steep slope to the right. This is part of both the Wolds and Minister Ways and climbs to a kissing gate. Go through this and continue uphill with a wire fence on your left. The path continues round the edge of the large field and then passes behind Warren Farm. A couple of hundred yards past the farm a kissing gate on the right, signposted Minister Way, offers a quick return to Millington but no-one goes to the Wolds to rush.
This delightful corner of Yorkshire is designed to be taken slowly and savoured to the full. So a more enjoyable route is to carry on along the main track past another pasture before a left and then right turn in quick succession lead the way to the edge of Warrendale Plantation. On reaching the wood turn right along the edge of the trees with the path dropping down to open fields and then a lane.
Turn right along this which leads pleasantly back to Millington.
Fact file
Start/finish: Lay-by next to St Margaret's Church, Millington
Distance: 6miles/10km
Time: 2-3 hours
Terrain: Field paths and country lanes
Refreshments: Pub and cafe in Millington. Full services in Pocklington (2 miles/3km)
Map OS Explorer 294 Market Weighton and Yorkshire Wolds Central
