Walks & Cycle Paths: The Hudson Way Trail
Mention walking holidays to most people, and they envisage rucksack-laden, drizzle-ridden days slogging uphill and down dale in high-vis cagoules.
Not so! There are plenty of more civilised and attractive ways to spend time on foot exploring the countryside. The UK is scattered with a host of lowland walks and cycle paths created from old railway lines, along which mainline expresses and tank engines once chugged along at a stately pace.
The disused tracks now ring to the muted trills of bicycle bells and birdsong – a haven of wildlife, colourful flora and stunning rural views, no longer viewable only through a train window.
Why not book a holiday cottage for a few nights outside the Peak Season to explore out-and-back walks or cycle rides along an easy trail lined with old railway architecture, cream teas and beer stops for the weary?
For those to whom the idea of a trip to the Yorkshire Wolds appeals, consider the Hudson Way Trail. This is an eleven-mile stretch from Market Weighton to Beverley on a line that once linked York with Hull – in a roundabout kind of way.
Built by George Hudson, the disgraced Victorian ‘Railway King’ in 1865, it lasted for 100 years before falling to the Beeching Axe in 1965. Thanks to the foresight of the old East Riding County Council, it emerged as a recreational path in the mid-1970s. The trail passes through cuttings and embankments amidst peaceful and unspoilt countryside.
The line forms a section of another long-distance walk – the Wilberforce Way.
Features include:
Kiplingcotes Station: The old station and its platforms, a signal box, name boards and goods shed still stand, the station itself having been converted to a private house. The signal box is now an information centre run by the Yorkshire Wolds Heritage Trust.
The Kiplingcotes Chalk Pit: Administered by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, it is a natural haunt for birdwatchers (as well as birds who come to be watched).
Beverley: Allow time here, for it’s a historic town worth exploring. It possesses a magnificent Minster and a splendid, fully restored Grade II-listed station with an upmarket restaurant.
Cherry Burton Station: Deviate for an hour or so here to visit the Bay Horse pub (purely for restorative purposes) in this attractive village.
View Holiday Cottages in Beverley