Thixendale Round

 4. Once you have climbed to the top of this part of the path you can just follow it along the Centenary and Chalkland Way path enjoying fabulous views down into Court Dale. 

The Centenary Way celebrates the 100th anniversary of Yorkshire County Council and crosses the Howardian Hills and Yorkshire Wolds via Castle Howard and Wharram Percy, linking York and the Foss Walk with the Yorkshire Wolds Way and Cleveland Way National Trails. 

5. At the end of this part of the path go through the gate where there are signs again about keeping dogs on leads in the Raisthorpe Estate (because of wildlife) and where the path forks, almost straight after this, take the right-hand fork, keeping the hedge on your left.

6. Follow the path along the edge of the field until you come to the next Public Bridleway and Centenary Way sign and turn left. 

7. Walk along the stony path, following the various signposts for the Centenary Way, until the next fork in the road and sign post and bear left.

10. After about a mile you will come to a stony part of the path with a signpost that points straight ahead along the Centenary Way and left through a clump of trees on the Yorkshire Wolds Way. Take the left which follows a small path through the trees with an ancient earthwork on your right. When you come out of the trees, continue following the path down the edge of the field with the hedge line on your left. 

Far from being a waterless and remote area in the past, the Yorkshire Wolds was an area of high-levels of human settlement, with many archaeological monuments and sites. Remains of this Wolds-wide settlement include barrows, chariot burials, deserted medieval villages and Anglian cemeteries. The earthworks here are thought to have been built in the Late Bronze Age and were then used for land division and boundary markers for farming, during the later Iron Age and Roman periods.

11.Go through the gate at the end and you are in glorious Vessey Pasture Dale.

 16. You will eventually come onto a farm track swinging slightly left and away in front of you (look for the yellow way marker sign on a post). Follow the track straight ahead with fields either side and you will come to a fork in the road at some trees. Look for the sign post and it will take you on the right-hand path.

17. Go through the next gate with great views down into Cow Wold and then Thixen Dale on your right. There are some really good viewing points along this path as you head down the stony slope back towards the village of Thixendale in front of you. 

18. Go through the gate at the bottom of this slope and you will find yourself back on the main road through the village. Turn left to follow the road back through the village, passing the church and the village hall where there is some interesting signage about the village and its history. On reaching Town Street turn left if this is where you parked and if you are lucky the Cross Keys Inn might be open (weekends during the day only and night-time otherwise) although dogs can only be outside.