Tadcaw one

Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Tadcaw here.

Tadcaw one plots a course through village streets, country lanes, farmland and the banks of the river Wharfe. It takes the obvious route between Cawood and Tadcaster so would be hard to improve upon, and I would walk it again in the right weather conditions. The route is not suitable for those using wheels, however, due to numerous kissing gates and stiles.

I walked east to west (from Cawood to Tadcaster). Buses to Cawood run Monday to Saturday only. Tadcaster is better served with daily frequent buses. The route can be split at Ulleskelf if necessary where the railway station offers infrequent trains to York, Leeds and Beverley.

Like the previous reviewer, I found access and route-finding tricky between Cawood and Ryther. The first problem is lack of waymarking. The second issue is that the rights of way between the footbridge at GR564383 and Bryan Lane at GR558387 (i.e. south west to north east of Bracken Hill Hall) appear indistinguishable on the ground. To avoid this you can use the alternative suggested by the previous reviewer, which is slightly longer; if walking from Cawood, you can find it either by taking an earlier turning to the left off the B1223 into Chestnut Road then a right into Fostergate, or follow the original route to GR567380 where you can bear left instead of right to reach Fostergate Lane just as the tarmac runs out.

On reaching Ryther I found a couple of useful benches at the roadside. The road section that followed was narrow in places but not too busy. This road crosses the east coast main line allowing for a brief trainspotting interlude for those so inclined.

At the western end of Ozendyke I found a rickety stile and waymark that the previous reviewer may have missed, which led onto the public footpath alongside the river. Here I found the river Wharfe had burst its banks and flooded the footpath due to persistent heavy rain, so I re-crossed the stile and continued on the road to reach Ulleskelf, where I decided to end my walk for the day.

Returning to Ozendyke a few weeks later once the floods had receded, I was able to follow the Slow Way route all the way to Tadcaster, now completely passable but soggy and slimy in places. There were three minor difficulties. Firstly, soon after Ozendyke I came to a makeshift double metal gate tied with string, where I decided to step carefully through the barbed wire fence to the side rather than try to manoeuvre the gates without their hinges.

Secondly, when I got to Ulleskelf Methodist chapel and emerged from the footpath with the Ulleskelf Arms directly ahead, the pub was displaying a very clear, if small, “no thoroughfare” sign. Despite the map showing the route going straight on here, it’s necessary at this point to turn either left or right on the road then double back to climb the road behind the pub and cross the second railway line of the day (York to Leeds).

Thirdly, just before Kirkby Wharfe it’s pointless following the zigzag marked on the route map to try to reach the river bank as there’s no gap, gate or stile in the fence at the end of the "zig". Instead I continued through the wide gate and a kissing gate opposite and only then turned right to the river. On my OS map this very short section is neither a right of way nor a permitted path.

After that I hit no more snags as I followed the river Wharfe all the way into Tadcaster, its famous breweries visible from afar. The town’s lovely ancient stone bridge marked my arrival.

An easy and pleasant walk. The walk is generally well used, so it shows clear on the ground, but not always waymarked. The section from Tadcaster to Ulleskelf is easy to follow along the bank of the Wharfe. There are a few waymark and access issues from then on (though mostly easily overcome). The footpath behind the Ulleskelf Arms is accessed by going around the pub on the road. Leaving Ulleskelf by the river, it would be easy to follow the well-walked flood bank rather than follow the public footpath, which is shorter and ends at a gate on the road, which was locked. There are gaps in the hedge to the road nearby. The road section from Ozendyke to Ryther is unavoidable, with narrow verges in some parts. Between Ryther and Cawood, the route is not well waymarked. In particular, the field from the Bryan Lane public farm track has crops with no discernable footpath. It is much easier to continue down the public farm track, and turn left through a sign-posted and well maintained path, either picking up the Wolsey Walk to come out by the cemetery or continue to Fishergate. A lovely place to sit by the river Ouse at the end of the walk.

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