I walked the Cawood to Escrick section last August and the Escrick to Wheldrake section today (early April). There's a narrow footbridge and a kissing gate on the Cawood to Escrick section, sadly excluding some users....

Yorkie Christine

Also the path should turn off one turn earlier from the river Ouse to make it easier and more accessible...

Dave Lamb

Not many dog bins along the route...

Kathryn White

We walked this route in November 2023 on a sunny day preceded by several days of rain which made some sections of this walk a bit boggy. In Escrick we turned right and passed the church before turning left and following the path past Crabtree Farm and out onto the Naburn Lane before joining the original route heading through the fields to Gillrudding Grange. We took the path down to the river and followed this under the ring road, through several fields and re-joined the original route at Millennium Bridge before finishing in York. The Slow Ways route was accurate, and the route was safe to walk - though care is needed after rain or when the rivers are in flood....

James

I did this route in 2 parts, walking Cawood to Escrick at the end of August and Escrick to Wheldrake in early October. On reaching the site of the former Escrick station the route leaves the old railway line to join a road for about half a mile. At my speed it was about an hour of road walking like this, so it was a relief to get to the footpath sign and leave the road for the last section taking me over farmland to approach Wheldrake by its back lane. Added March 2024: I revisited Escrick last week to see if I could identify a better route between Escrick and Wheldrake which would avoid the road walking....

Yorkie Christine

As mentioned in the previous review the route seems a little long but I tried a more direct route on the way back and it meant walking along a long section of road with no path and limited grass verge so I can’t recommend that (for info, this involved walking along the road towards Crockey Hill, turning north to join the footpath leading up to Heslington Tillmire and then using footpaths to return to York). The route turns right up towards the racecourse a little bit after the Millennium bridge and follows the trans Pennine cycle route (first photo). Alternatively you could continue straight on through fields along the river on the Ebor Way and re-join the route by Bishopthorpe Crematorium if you prefer. The alternative river route I mentioned re-joins just after this. At the end of Bishopthorpe you need to go left uphill back to the cycle path but the sign can’t be read from this direction (photo below). The route turns right just past the gap and follows the curves of the treeline to Deighton. I continued past where the route turns off the A19 as the road was very busy and I thought there was an alternative route which looked nicer on the map. If you want to follow the standard route I expect it’d be easiest to either cross immediately at Deighton traffic island or walk a bit past the turn off and cross near the Shell garage (photo below)....

Dan

Two of us walked this route together from Wheldrake to Wilberfoss on a chill-damp frosty day in December. Point of interest include the 2 lovely villages of Wheldrake and Elvington, both of which have attractive churches that we found open to visitors, and the ancient Sutton Bridge over the River Derwent about half way along the route....

Yorkie Christine

This walk is one of the group which forms a circumnavigation around York. There were good bus links from and to York at each end of the walk, and we had no difficulty finding the walk's beginning just past Wheldrake's picturesque St. We had no option but to continue to the end of Carr Lane, which brought us out onto the A1079 near Nelson Park Florida Keys holiday park, where, fortuitously, there was a bus stop which took us back to York via Wilberfoss (the original end of the walk)....

greenmountain

The route was easy to find; the only time I hesitated was in Deighton village where the turning off the residential road onto the footpath through a farm is not marked (turn left beside a tall yew tree). On reaching the busy A19 I'd suggest crossing straight away using the grassy traffic island (limit 50mph) as there is a pavement on the other side; however, if you choose to continue up the verge on the right side of the road there is another crossing point opposite the White Swan and just before the turning into Deighton village (limit 40mph)....

Yorkie Christine