Tadlon one

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I walked this route from Tadcaster to Long Marston on a mild overcast day in mid March. I used OS Explorer map 290 alongside an InkAtlas print-out and had no problem finding the route which was straightforward and well waymarked. I would venture that it might be possible to wheel this whole route as there were no gates or stiles.

Tadcaster is proudly a "Walkers are Welcome" town as posters in the bus station show.

The first half of the walk (to Healaugh) was on wide bridleways between tall hedges, and was both safe (the only other user was one horse-rider) and a little dull - great if you're walking with a companion putting the world to rights as there is no chance of getting lost! It was also wet underfoot after recent heavy rain but being puddly rather than slippy I nonetheless made good progress.

Like a previous reviewer I took a short detour to see the ancient church at Healaugh - well worth it - and after that point the terrain began to rise a little and the route passed through open farm fields giving wider views for the first time. The approach to Healaugh Grange was not so obvious at this time of year with the crops still very small, but when I reached the perimeter of the farm (a newly-planted hedge!) there were clear waymarks showing the officially-diverted route which follows the new hedge anti-clockwise round the outside of the farm complex. This led to a grassy track leading downhill which will in time become a lovely wildlife corridor bordered by hedges on both sides.

Descending the last stretch with the sight of Long Marston below the sun came out briefly and I was treated to a distant view of Severus Tower (one of the highest points in York) and behind it, York Minster.

Sadly Long Marston's pub is still closed, and buses (to Wetherby and York) now appear to be running Monday-Friday only.

I followed this route on a very hot day in late June. This was walked from Long Marston and was an extension of another walk from York to Long Marston (LONYOR ONE). On a hot day, I was glad to take the opportunity of refreshments at the café at Rufforth before attempting the final leg of the onward journey to Tadcaster.

The walk from Long Marston to Tadcaster is extremely pleasant, along field-side paths, with a footpath through a farm to negotiate - all fully sign-posted. There are gentle gradients up to Tadcaster, but these are not severe and only a factor given the length of the combined walk on a hot day. The walk took approx. 2.25 hours.

There were welcome refreshments in Tadcaster and a regular bus service back to York. I would recommend this route and would happily walk it again.

This was an enjoyable walk which I would happily do again. It took us about 2.25 hours to complete.
We combined this walk with Lonyor one (https://beta.slowways.org/Route/Lonyor/4123#overview) to create a route from York to Tadcaster.
There are no cafes or shops in Long Marston if you are doing the route from Tadcaster, so bring your own supplies.
There are buses every 30 minutes from Tadcaster to York, which made for an easy return journey.
We did this walk on a hot summers day, so I can't comment on conditions underfoot if it was a wet day.

Long Marston to Tadcaster:
Please note: I used a map to follow this route not the .gpx points.
The route out of Long Marston was very straight forward as we headed gently upwards parallel to the B1224. Views open up (photo 1) all the way to the White Horse north and then we turned left and followed a very long lane up to Healaugh Grange. We were in wonderful farming countryside, feeling very remote but good tracks to walk on. When we reached the Grange, it did take a short while to orientate ourselves through the buildings (there were FP marking to help us but the farmer had actually cut a route in the fields to circumnavigate the buildings - which we didn't realise until afterwards). We joined the cut route near the pond (photo 2) at the end of the building complex and this took us all the way to the next set of buildings - very easy to follow. There were a number of footpaths in this area and if as a walker, you follow the wrong footpath and drop down by mistake onto the "main" road early, don't worry - the road is extremely quiet and can be followed very easily and safely. We then followed the public bridleway past Healaugh Priory (photo 3) all the way to Tadcaster. This lane is very, very quiet, has little or no traffic, (we saw 2 tractors and a delivery van) - even though it is a bridleway, very few cyclists use it. This lane drops us at the edge of Tadcaster and it is a straight forward walk into Tadcaster (photo 4).
I would walk this route again / I would recommend this route:
** it is very quiet
** There are no real safety concerns that I can see
** There were no real accessibility concerns that I remember
** you can get a bus back to York from Tadcaster very easily
My only very minor comment:
** Appreciate that the route is most direct but when approaching Healaugh I would recommend a small detour to see the church there
** Please be aware that from Long Marston to Tadcaster, there were no cafe stops etc. However, within Tadcaster, you can fill your boots.

I did this route on 21st June 2023 on a lovely sunny day, following 2 weeks of warm weather with little rain. I combined it with LonYor2 to make a longer route between Tadcaster and York.

From Tadcaster high street the route crosses the bridge and then heads out onto the Old Coach Road on the opposite side of the river. This is a good firm surface that would make easy walking, and may be suitable for wheelers as long as it's been relatively dry. I've run and ridden this section before and it's usually easy going. It can get pretty muddy after rain, but is generally an easy and flat walk.

The route follows the Old Coach Road to just outside the village of Healaugh, where it follows a quiet road for a short while, and then heads off towards Long Marston on an undulating route past a couple of farms and through some fields. This section of the route was less open than the first part to Healaugh. It was dry when I ran it, but I'd expect it would get quite muddy after rain and in winter.

The route finishes in Long Marston where there's a pub (The Sun Inn), but this is currently closed. There's nowhere on the route to get food or drink, so I'd suggest to bring your own, or stock up in shops in Tadcaster before setting off.

Overall, I found this an enjoyable route on generally good surfaces. The route was direct and generally easy to follow; the gpx file was accurate, and the route was usually fairly obvious.

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