THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2015 The Northern Echo 39 Walks what’son Walks Hauxwell and St Oswald’s Church

Only’). Follow this road straight on, Walk information passing Garriston Farm on your left after 700 metres then continue Distance: 5.75 km (3.6 miles) on for a further 200 metres (passing Time: 2 hours a couple more houses) to reach the end of the road and a fork of tracks Maps: Ordnance Survey Explorer – carry straight on along the track 302 ahead, passing Low Farm on your Parking / Start: On-street left where you continue straight parking at Hauxwell; please park on through a red metal gate. After considerately. the gate, carry on along the track Refreshments: Bring a flask. then, where the track bends right through another red metal gate Terrain: A mixture of field paths, (derelict house to your right), farm tracks and quiet country take the grassy track to the left lanes. Muddy and overgrown in (signpost) and follow this straight places. Several stiles to cross (one on through some enclosures and stile was missing, which meant a metal gate, after which follow crossing a wooden fence), as well as this grassy track curving round two small streams to cross. to the right then straight on along How to get there: Hauxwell lies the top of a wooded bank above about 3 miles to the south west of Garriston Beck (down to your Catterick Garrison, along minor left). Follow this grassy track for roads; Grid Ref: SE 168 938 250 metres then, where it opens Caution: Take care walking along many to move to higher ground. Where this track ends after a short where you skirt to the right of out slightly on your left into a the roads. I encountered cattle What is known is that this is the distance, cross the stile beside this woodland, walking alongside rough area of grass, turn sharp along this walk – always give them oldest church in . the gate ahead, after which walk the fence and woodland on your left back on yourself down along a wide berth and avoid completely In the churchyard is a weathered straight on across the paddock left, over a small stream and on an indistinct grassy track. Follow if accompanied by a dog. Some 9th Century Anglo-Danish to another stile that leads into to join another stony farm track this down then bending round to of the paths are overgrown and preaching cross, whilst the church woodland. Follow the path straight – follow this track straight on for the right heading down to reach a muddy. itself retains much 11th Century on and curving down to the right 600 metres (over two cattle grids) metal footbridge across Garriston herringbone stonework. Indeed, into a small wooded valley to join to join a road beside Barden Lane Beck and through a gate beyond the present church dates mainly Hauxwell Beck (stream) on your Farm on your right. that leads out onto a field. After the from when Alan Rufus of left. Follow this straight on for a gate, bear right heading up across Points of interest built nearby . short distance then cross over the the field to join the field boundary As you reach the road, turn left Inside there is a wealth of interest, stream and over the wooden fence on the other side (planted mature 3along the road for a few paces AUXWELL (or rather East including two 13th Century Gesso (stile missing - waymarker), after trees), which you follow on (field to reach a road junction, where Hauxwell to give it its effigies of Sir Walter de Barden which climb up the bank to the left boundary on your left) to soon you turn right (‘phone box and Sunday name) is a sleepy and his wife, the earliest known out of the shallow valley to emerge reach a stile that leads into the cottage on the corner) and follow H examples in , as well as a onto a field. Head straight on with churchyard of St Oswald’s. Walk village that lies hidden this road straight on for 300 metres, amongst the quiet lanes of lower memorial to Sister Dora Pattison, a the fence/hedge on your left and across the churchyard, passing to gently dropping down, then take Wensleydale, its sloping main street pioneer of the nursing profession follow this across the field for 400 the right of the church (around the the footpath to the left (signpost) during the mid 19th Century. Take chancel) and through a small white lined with old stone cottages. There metres to reach a kissing-gate in through a gate just before the first are extensive views from the fields time to explore. the corner of the field that leads gate that leads onto a driveway/ house on your left (Barden). After small car park. Cross straight over around the village across the broad onto an old overgrown grassy track the gate, walk straight down the acres towards the distinctive shape (halfway across this field gorse through the kissing-gate opposite, middle of the field to reach a gate after which walk across the field of Pen Hill, with Coverdale snaking The walk bushes encroach onto the fence at the bottom, after which bear off into the distance towards the – just walk to the right of them and through another kissing-gate left diagonally across the field to that leads onto the road. Turn left bulk of Great Whernside. Some of parallel with the fence). After the reach a gate in the hedge on your the paths are not well trodden, as From the centre of Hauxwell, kissing-gate, cross straight over along the road and follow it back 1walk down along the main road left towards the bottom left corner up into Hauxwell. you will find out, but they are well this old grassy track and out onto a of the field. After this gate, bear marked and make for an enjoyable through the village (enclosed by crop field, where you walk straight low stone walls) then, just before right diagonally across the middle circular walk. Another highlight is on along the old field boundary of the field to reach a stile in the the small but deeply incised valley the road bends to the right at the (grassy bank and old fence), with hedge (hidden – it is just before Mark Reid of Garriston Beck, with its mature bottom of the village by the ‘phone this old fence on your right, and the distinct bend in the hedge) Walking Weekends 2015 trees and small footbridge. box and the triangular ‘bends’ road follow this for 350 metres until you warning sign, take the enclosed that leads onto a road. Turn right Peak District, Yorkshire Dales, reach a stile tucked away in the along the road and follow it for 250 Lake District & Snowdonia path back on yourself to your right corner of the field, with Glasshouse The highlight of this walk is that leads up (enclosed by holly metres to reach a crossroads (Cross walkingweekenders.co.uk Farm across to your right. Lanes). undoubtedly St Oswald’s Church, bushes and wooden handrail) with Unique corporate activity days, that lies in a field to the south of the road now on your right to soon navigation skills and team building Hauxwell. Historians believe that reach some cottages, where you After the stile, walk straight Turn left at the crossroads experiences in the great outdoors. this was the site of the original turn left along the gravel track 2on across a stony farm track to 4(‘Dead End’ sign and ‘Garriston teamwalking.co.uk village until the Plague forced in between the houses (signpost). join the copse of beech woodland,

Birdwatch By Ian Kerr

he exciting influx of Siberian the coast at Redcar, the Leas at main concentrations over the past Asian breeder, a typically skulking species which has marked South Shields and at Bamburgh. week included four at Marsden Radde’s warbler which was present T the past three weeks has These impressive pipits with Hall, two or three around Dawdon in the famed willow patch at Chare continued, thanks to the persistent long legs and a bold upright and six on Holy Island where Ends, Holy Island, for at least a and cool easterly airflow which stance are rare but fairly regular onward movement reduced their day. To find a species which spends A glance at local has dominated our weather. These autumn visits to Britain. Finding presence from a peak of 16 last nearly all of its time in thick cover ornithological history shows light easterly winds are forecast these pipits is always an autumn Thursday. Still with very small you need to be extremely thorough just how many first-time to continue for the next few days, highlight. rare migrants, firecrests were at and patient or just very lucky. rarities were “collected” in giving the prospect of the arrival Yellow-browed warblers have Whitburn and Cresswell. This extremely rare species our region. For example, of still more outstanding species. Durham’s first White’s thrush, continued to appear in many Great grey shrikes appeared takes its name from a Prussian These are certainly exciting times another Asian species, was coastal localities and there were at either end of the region at doctor and explorer, Gustav for birders. Ferdinand Radde (1831-1903), who shot in Castle Eden Dene other inland records, this time at Flamborough and Holy Island Once again those little eastern Houghton and Gateshead Metro came across the hitherto unknown in 1872. The first red-footed where there was also a report of gems, yellow-browed warblers, Centre. It’s always difficult to species lurking in a garden in falcon had suffered similarly a juvenile pallid harrier. The only pictured, dominated the scene. judge how many are involved Central Asia in 1856. Following the at South Shields in 1836 From the same breeding areas, in these now seemingly regular little bunting record involved an ways of the time, he “collected” while the first arctic redpoll Richard’s pipits, large and striking autumn invasions because of the individual trapped and ringed in it, which means that he shot it. was ignominiously killed cousins of our familiar meadow danger of counting the same birds woodland near Bamburgh Castle. Also following the custom of the by a hurled clod of earth at pipits, have also appeared along as they move down the coast. The Other rarities included another period, he prompted named it after Whitburn in 1855.