Haxsta two

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I walked this route from Stamford Bridge to Haxby in August. The route is well served by 7-day-a-week buses at each end, and in the middle third as well for those wanting a shorter route or needing to bail out early to York city centre.

The route features kissing gates, flights of steps and narrow bridges, limiting its accessibility. Both the River Derwent in Stamford Bridge and the River Foss south of Haxby can flood after heavy or prolonged rain, closing the riverside paths completely.

Shortly after leaving Stamford Bridge I found the short section of path beside the disused railway viaduct very overgrown with cheek-high nettles. This can be avoided if necessary, as can the crossing of the busy A166 shortly afterwards, by continuing along the right-hand pavement alongside the A166 all the way from Stamford Bridge to Gate Helmsley. (By doing so you'll also miss the delightful short section of Sustrans cycle route through mature trees.)

The least pleasant bit of the route was the road section between Warthill and Bad Bargain Lane. There was no walkable verge; 10 vehicles passed me on the "yellow" road (Rudcarr Lane) and a further 40 on the section of "orange" road.

Bad Bargain Lane, whatever the history that gave it its name, proved to be a pleasant and popular bridleway bounded on each side by fruit-laden hedgerows.

There are various options for zigzagging through the streets of Heworth/Burnholme. The route shows the quickest, but people needing refreshment at this point may choose to stay on Bad Bargain Lane a bit longer where there is a Spar, a Londis and the fantastic Centre @ Burnholme (open 7 days; cafe serves food Mon-Fri, coffee and cakes on Sat).

After crossing the A1036 (traffic island and pedestrian lights both available) and more suburban meandering (don't miss the left turn across a grassy patch just before Nightingale Close) the route then joins the River Foss by the double chicane on Huntington Road, where it was lovely to get off the hot streets and back into the shade of a riverside path. Following the winding Foss northwards to Haxby is always a delight to me.

I found benches at Gate Helmsley churchyard, Warthill pond, Stray Road, Huntington Road, New Earswick, Huntington churchyard and Earswick. As well as the Heworth options mentioned above, I found refreshments available at the Balloon Tree Gate Helmsley and the Hound Lounge New Earswick, although sadly the two pubs marked on the map at Gate Helmsley and Warthill are currently closed.

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