Allerthorpe Woods Walk
We discover loads of great places on our GoGet Active outings. We like to share here at GoGet, so we’d love to tell you a bit about one of the walks that we enjoy with our GoGet Active clients.
Written by Susannah - March 2021
Having been born in Manchester, it pains me to say this, but Yorkshire really does take the lead when it comes to nature spots. I can’t go so far as saying that it’s “God’s own county”, (I think that might be a step too far... I’d still like to be welcomed back to Manchester now and again) but I suppose that I can concede that what Yorkshire lacks in musical ability, it just about makes up for in beauty. As has been the case for everyone, the current situation (if I don’t use its name… will it disappear?) has left us all with fewer options as to where to explore but I suppose that’s one of the great things about this part of the world: you’re never more than a stone’s throw away from an adventure.
At just under 4 miles, the flat, circular walk of Allerthorpe Woods has been a firm favourite with GoGet for a while now. Be warned… This one can get a bit wet and muddy so have your wellies at the ready!
There is a small amount of parking just behind The Plough Inn on Back Lane. So, step one is that you need to try your best to tear yourself away from the deliciously smelling pub lunch. A 10am roast dinner has never been so difficult to refuse. If you’ve managed step one, well done. From here you’re going to be walking through the gate and onto farm tracks leading into the woods. After a short distance, the track forks. Take the left fork (the right is clearly marked as private property so it’s tricky to go wrong here) and head on to the woods.
Click on the picture to open the map.
Once you’ve made it to the woods, there is a very clear, albeit slightly muddy path that will take you through the trees. Much to my own pleasure, there are bound to be dog walkers aplenty, but if the four-legged friends aren’t to your liking, fear not, the path is wide enough for them to avoid you. Eventually you will come to a gate, often a slightly flooded gate. Once you’ve waded through, you come to a choice, another fork in the road. Don’t worry, there’s no right answer with this one. The left route leads you down a straight path, eventually ending up at a small gate at the edge of the wood. If you choose the right route however, this would add a short loop to your walk and would see you following the pylons until the two paths met. I reckon taking this route would add on an extra 15 minutes to your walk so it really depends on how quickly you want to get back for lunch.
When you have navigated your way through the mud, keep your eyes peeled for a small gate on the very edge of the wood. Through this, you’ll pass through a farm field. This bit is definitely the best bit of the walk – We come across a LOT of animals while out and about, usually dogs, sheep and my favourite, cows. Now, personally, I get very excited when I see a field of cows. It’s rare that I’d show that same level of excitement for another animal, however, the field you’re about to walk through… At certain points in the year, plays host to loads of little baby pigs! There’s nothing like a piglet wiggling his way to greet you halfway through your walk. If these little guys aren’t there, then you’ll instead be met with the fields and fields worth of cabbages and carrots. Although maybe we shouldn’t talk about when the pigs aren’t there.
If you can manage to take one last photo and pull yourself away, make your way back on to the main track. The path will then take you past Warren Farm Cottage and if you follow it to your left will take you down a quiet road, between the farm fields. At this point, it might be worth a note that although not at all busy, there can be the occasional farm or local vehicle that may pass by but not to worry, there is plenty of space at the side of the path for you to wait and offer a cheery wave to the driver.
Continuing on, the lane will take you through the middle of the golf course and down to the end of the road which will then lead out onto Back Lane. At this point, just turn left and follow that familiar delicious smell back to the Plough Inn. Ok now this is tough decision time... Do you head back to the car and end the walk or follow your nose to find out what is inevitably drawing you inside?
So, I can’t talk about the joys of Allerthorpe without a quick mention of our friends over at Allerthorpe Lakeland Park. Just up the road, lies the perfect place to work off that pub lunch. If you haven’t made your step count for the day, I can definitely recommend that you take a stroll around the lakes in search of the resident goats and donkeys. The fantastic team here offers an abundance of activities: water sports, boat hires and my personal favourite, the aqua park. There’s really nothing like making the conscious choice to climb 15ft up a slide to then swoop into the fresh ‘warm’ lake. If clambering back on to the inflatable doesn’t warm you up, then there’s a delightful little café that does a perfect hot chocolate and has some wonderful looking cakes… there’s always room for dessert right?
We absolutely love Allerthorpe at GoGet and it’s somewhere that we are very excited to be able to share with you. We are always on the lookout for more places to explore so feel free to get in touch with your suggestions! Take care and enjoy!