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THURSDAY, JULY 3, 2014 The Northern Echo 49 Walks what’son Walks Finghall to Constable Burton importance in Saxon times; indeed Walk information some accounts claim there was a sizeable town here at one time. The Distance: 6.7 km / 4.2 miles village has gone, except this old Time: Allow 2 hours church, and those medieval homes are no more than grassy bumps Map: OS Explorer Sheet 302 in the surrounding fields; a large Parking: On-street parking caravan park now occupies much of throughout Finghall this medieval village site. As with Refreshments: Queen’s Head at countless other Deserted Medieval Finghall Villages (DMVs to archaeologists!) throughout England devastated Terrain: This walk follows field by The Plague, people believed the and riverside paths and tracks, with disease to be water-borne and so road walking at the end. moved to higher ground, hence How to get there: Finghall lies Finghall’s present-day elevated just off the A684 between Patrick location. Brompton and Constable Burton (to From this old church, a delightful the west of Bedale). riverside path weaves its way Caution: Take care crossing the across pastures and through roads and the railway line (stop, woodland to Constable Burton. This look and listen). Take extra care village is home to Constable Burton walking along the road at the end Hall (not visited on this walk), of this walk – make yourself visible which was built by famed architect to traffic or face oncoming traffic, John Carr in the late 18th Century walk in single file and on the verge for the Wyvill family, and still if possible. owned and occupied by them. the stream on your right. As you the river on your right. After the to reach a row of houses and a approach the bottom of the field stile, walk straight on along the metalled road at Constable Burton. Points of interest head through a kissing gate in the riverside path across the field, Continue straight on along this The walk fence to your right then follow the through a gateway in a fence then road to soon reach a T-junction THIS walk was meant to follow field path down to join the stream on carry straight on across the next in the village, where you turn your right. Do not cross the stream, large field (still with the river on left. Follow this road up out of paths between Constable Burton 1. From the centre of Finghall and Finghall, however, a herd of but carry on down alongside your right) to reach another gate in Constable Burton then continue (with your back to the pub), turn this stream to reach St Andrew’s a fence/hedge and a small bridge up along the road (take care - walk aggressive cattle meant that the left along the road through the route had to be changed to follow Church. Head through the gate just across a side-stream. After this on verge) for 650 metres to reach village towards ‘Hunton, Bedale’ to the left of the churchyard wall, gate, walk straight on alongside the the railway bridge across the road. the road instead, which is why then, where the road turns sharp there is a stretch of road walking then walk down (churchyard on fence/hedge on your right (with Follow the road under the railway left at the bottom of the village, your right) to soon join a lane. Turn the river just across to your right) bridge and bending sharp left then at the end of this walk (blame the head straight on along Church bullocks). left along the lane and follow it to for 400 metres to reach a kissing right and continue up along the Lane and follow this down out of reach the road beside Leeming Beck gate to your right that leads into road for 800 metres (passing Sun Our route starts from the the village. Follow this lane down Bridge. woodland. Cross the stile and drop Hill Farm across to your right) to attractive village of Finghall, passing houses on your right and down through the trees to reach a reach a crossroads. Turn left at this which is situated on a rise of land then a barn on your left, 100 metres small wooden bridge across Sun crossroads (signpost Finghall) and overlooking Leeming Beck in lower after which head left through a 2. Head through the kissing-gate Beck. Cross the bridge, then head follow this road (take care - walk on Wensleydale. It is just a short walk kissing-gate beside a field gate, opposite (signpost), then head straight on along the narrow path verge) back into Finghall. along a track and then fields to marked by a signpost (with Spruce straight on across the field bearing through the plantation (pheasant reach St Andrew’s Church, which Gill Farm ahead). After the kissing- slightly to the right to join the enclosures) to reach a kissing gate stands on its own in a field beside gate, walk straight on across the stream (Leeming Beck) on your amongst the dense trees. Cross the a stream. Built in typical Dales top of the field alongside the hedge right and cross a wooden stile over stile then follow the clear, wide Mark Reid style, it is a simple stone church on your right, through a gate in the the fence in the right-hand corner path straight on along the wooded Walking Weekends 2014 Peak District, Yorkshire Dales, that dates from the 12th Century, field corner after which head to the of the field. A clear narrow path riverbank alongside Burton Beck although there has been a place of left across the middle of the field, now leads straight on along the Lake District & Snowdonia for 300 metres to join a clear track walkingweekenders.co.uk worship on this site since at least with the wooded stream to your wooded riverbank (with the river beside Constable Burton Sewage Saxon times; there are fragments right, through another kissing gate just down to your right) to soon Works. Unique corporate activity days, of Anglo-Saxon sculptures inside. that leads across the railway line. reach a kissing-gate that leads navigation skills and team building This was the site of the original Cross the railway line (take care) out onto a field, where you walk experiences in the great outdoors. 3. Continue ahead through another village of Finghall, which appears and head through the gate opposite straight on, bearing slightly right, teamwalking.co.uk to have been a place of some then down across the field with to reach a stile over a fence beside kissing-gate then straight on Countrydiary By Phil GatesBBirdwatch y Ian Kerr HE tall, purple flower spikes of Second World War it ome of our rarest breeding birds of raptors, hen harriers, have not bred. Last rosebay willow herb are such a colonised scorched prey are having a good season. I year a pair on the Durham moors laid T common sight in summer that it’s S earth on bomb sites in recently reported how two pairs of eggs, but then disappeared in suspicious hard to believe that in the 19th Century it city centres. ospreys each had three young at Kielder. circumstances, and a second pair failed to was a rare species. Now you can expect to It’s always worth Now a third pair have two rapidly-growing hatch eggs in Northumberland, the only see it almost everywhere in Britain. taking a close look at chicks, and it could be a record year for attempts in England. these spectacular fish-hunters. Rosebay willow herb isn’t a native patches of rosebay Although a male regularly performed species but botanists are uncertain where willow herb at this With ospreys also summering at Derwent his dramatic ‘sky-dance’ display at the it actually came from, although Canada, time of year because it and Hurworth Burn and appearing at latter locality this year, he failed to attract where it is the floral emblem for the Yukon, is the food plant of the other Durham reservoirs, it must only be a a mate. Three other pairs have been seems to be a likely location. There it’s spectacular caterpillar matter for further colonisation. successful elsewhere so they are just about called fireweed, because it is one of the first of the elephant hawk- The Kielder pairs use platforms erected hanging on as English breeders. colonisers of scorched earth after a forest moth. The delta wings high on lopped trees, showing they The superb bridled tern at the Farne fire. What is certain is that it has spread of the adult insect appreciated a bit of help. When platforms Islands attracted crowds. But just as the length and breadth of Britain over the are striking shades of are stacked with brushwood and daubed impressive was the discovery there of a last century. Some botanists believe that green and pink but the large caterpillar, with white paint to simulate splash they breeding Arctic tern ringed 31years ago. war may have played a part in its territorial which is up to three inches long, is brown really act as magnets. With migrations to and from Antarctica, it gains, which have also been aided by its and has elongated front segments like an It’s a technique pioneered in Scotland must so far have clocked up 600,000 miles, prolific seed production, with up to 100,000 elephant’s trunk. When it’s disturbed it and adopted very successfully elsewhere, the equivalent of halfway to the Moon! wind-dispersed plumed seeds per plant.

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