Bednor one

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 100.00% of reviewers

My partner and I walked this route from Northallerton to Bedale in completely different conditions to the previous reviewers - we had a very hot sunny day and were grateful for any shade we could find along the way. The terrain was very dry underfoot.

The route is through a lot of farmland but there are some short sections on vergeless roads. We enjoyed following and criss-crossing the lesser-used section of the Wensleydale Railway's line (and hoping for a future when we might catch a train back from Bedale to Northallerton!). The villages of Ainderby Steeple, Morton on Swale and Scruton are all very pretty, making a big contrast with the huge industrial units and busy roads near Leeming Bar.

We got a bit lost on the golf course, and it was disconcerting to spot some waymarks almost hidden some yards away behind undergrowth, but we steadfastly followed the mown grassy sward and with some careful map-checking found our way with relief to the wooden bridge over the River Wiske without too much delay.

The other main difficulty of the day (apart from the heat) was pushing through crops in the fields, nearly at their full height due to the time of year. There were several occasions when, while doing our best to stick to the right of way/Slow Ways route, we had to choose whether to push through the middle of the crop or to walk round the field edge.

We had a refreshing cold drink in Scruton's village pub where we were made very welcome.

Both previous reviewers mention the short overgrown section in Scruton village (final photo). We found it almost impassable with shoulder-high brambles, nettles and thistles on rough ground with an unclear exit. My advice is to stay on the road through the village - it might look like the route takes a short cut but there is no benefit to risking all those stings and scratches regardless of which direction you are walking.

An interesting and varied 3* route which I might choose to walk again in future.

I walked this route with my walking Pal following some very rainy weather brought in by Storm Babet. The start of the route from Northallerton was easy to follow from the High Street across the car park and soon on a quiet road leading to a gate across the Wensleydale Railway.
A walk across a couple of fields took us across the golf course. Getting into a good walking stride we soon came to a stop as the River Wiske which runs through the golf course had flooded, making the 3 bridges impassable. A solution was at hand by diverting past the clubhouse onto the road leading to Yafforth and then onto Dolly Lane, probably adding on an extra mile and a half in total. The original route would have taken us onto this road for a shorter walk before joining field tracks. It is a busy ‘short cut’ road, with some grass verges but definitely one to keep an eye open for crazy drivers.
From here the route follows the Wensleydale Railway across fields to Ainderby Steeple with lovely views to the east. Across a busy road and a pretty lane takes you onto good footpaths through the village of Morton on Swale. Village shop available if needed. Field walking resumes on the far side of the bridge and the route crosses a farmed field. The area is known as Morton Flatts and showed the remains of the recent flooding. It is easy to follow the outside edge on the field on the floodbank, rejoining the track at Glebe Barn. Alternatively it is possible to walk along the verge of the A684 and follow a paved track up to the farm. From here there is field walking to the outskirts of Scruton Village. We needed to keep eyes peeled for ‘hard to find styles’ along this section and definitely needed to keep a close watch on the app.
Following a walk along paths to the edge Scruton, the route takes you through a field of cows (not inquisitive at all) and through a very short overgrown section before joining the lane. Poles came in very handy!
Back on field walking we followed the edge of a field as there was no discernible path across the planted field. Some road walking leads to a the very busy Bedale Bypass with 3 roundabouts to navigate, not for the faint hearted! Once over there is a good tarmac path ( in the direction of the Leeming Rest Area) that leads through housing estates to a lovely leafy lane into Aiskew. The road into Bedale crosses the Wensleydale Railway. This is a lovely North Yorkshire market town with a pretty High Street retaining its original cobbles. There are plenty of refreshment stops with a choice of cafes, pubs and the famous Brymor Ice Cream.
My Strava app showed the walk to be nearer 11 miles than 10, after taking the detour into account.
Definitely a route where it’s necessary to keep an eye open for styles and close attention to the app especially on the Morton to Scruton section. Other than our ‘flood diversion’ and skirting round a couple of fields, the original route as said.

Walked this route yesterday with my walking Pal, just a few days after Storm Babet called by - needless to say there was a LOT of standing water about! We set off down Market Row off Northallerton High Street, following a good paved path along to Castle Hills, where the mud and fun kind of began!
Paths here were easy to find, but they were muddy yesterday and at times quite heavy going. You need stout walking shoes and maybe a pole or two if it’s wet underfoot just to stay steady.
We crossed the railway line and then entered Romanby Golf Course - where the path we wanted was clearly in sight over the river Wiske. Whilst there are 3 bridges on the course to aid crossing the river Wiske, all areas were very flooded with what can only be described as lakes at either side of all 3, so to avoid having to remove boots and socks, we made a detour via the Clubhouse, down the drive, and walking the short distance into Yafforth, then walking along Dolly Lane until we reached the pathway we would have taken had we been able to cross the golf course as planned. Dolly Lane is a busy road, and I wouldn’t recommend walking along here any further than you need. There are some grass verges, but not all the way and the cars are travelling quite quickly generally!
However, detour completed (approx 1 - 1.5 miles we reckoned via our Strava apps) we were back on course. Some good field paths to follow all the way to Ainderby Steeple, a lovely village but again a short section of walking along a busy road before heading down Manor Lane, which offered views over to Warlaby. At the end of the lane we walked into Morton on Swale and through the village on excellent footpaths until we crossed over Morton Bridge and the river Swale.
Babet had done her best here again to thwart our path across the fields to Morton Flatts Farm, leaving yet another small lake to cross. We opted this time to walk around the perimeter of this field on the grassed river defence and it took us exactly to where we needed to be alongside the farm, Alternatively here you could also have just walked a little further along the road after having crossed the Swale and walked up the access road to Morton Flatts Farm and be back on track too. We then walked around the buildings to cross more fields to arrive into Scruton a ‘Thankful Village’ according to the signs! We were thankful to be back on a mud-free surface for a while. Again no footpaths but much quieter traffic-wise here. Be careful as we missed a couple of stiles and also they were a bit ‘loose’, not the easiest to navigate
At the end of the village we crossed a field with some cattle and sheep ( all very uninterested in us both) and then through a good metal gate into what we can only describe as a bit of a wilderness which ran along the back of some buildings out onto Ham Hall Lane . No discernible path to speak of, and we did need to use our poles to hack a few bits back on this quite small stretch.
Back on track we then chose to walk around the edge of another field where there was no obvious path to be seen, the farmer had planted it all! Somehow we both felt it was the right thing to do - and mud reduction was clearly on our minds!!
Navigating the Bedale by-pass and its many roundabouts wasn’t easy. The traffic is fast and furious and you need to be of nimble foot at times. You need the exit road that’s marked up for the Leeming Bar Rest area, where once again we were on a good footpath away from traffic (signposted to Bedale) and that led us into Aiskew.
We then walked through a housing estate before we found a delightful leafy track that took us all the way into Bedale, meeting the main road almost at the railway crossing for the Wensleydale Railway - we had crossed this line a couple of times already on our travels.
Bedale is a lovely market town, lots of individual shops and we felt it only right to partake of a cheeky celebratory drink in the Waggon & Horses while we waited for our lift back to Northallerton.
In all, and having taking the golf club detour into account we made this route nearer 11 miles than the reported 10, and we found that we really had to keep checking the route carefully, especially over the fields towards Scruton. Some of the stiles are not easy to spot or tucked away.
The colours of the trees in the autumn are a delight all the way along this route, and had there not been the standing water in places the original route stands well.

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