Walks 35 what’son Walks The Lost Village of

Walk Information feudal farming, of lord and peasant. The present hall dates Cross the road (take care) and from the late 16th Century, and 2continue along the track Distance: 8.5 km / 5.3 miles replaced the original manor house. opposite (signpost bridleway) and Time: 2 – 3 hours The medieval ridge and furrow follow this straight on for 600 Map: OS Explorer Sheet 304 field systems can be seen all metres (ignore tracks off to the & Richmond around the deserted village, as well left), over a cattle grid then, just Start/parking: Plenty of on-street as the “hollow-way” or old road before a small bridge, turn left parking throughout High through the village and the alongside the stream to soon reach Coniscliffe rectangular toft plots. a stile. Cross the stile then walk Refreshments: straight on with the stream on your Terrain: Field paths, farm tracks Castle can be seen in the right to reach a stile at the corner and roads. distance along this walk, an of Willowbeds Plantation How to get there: High Coniscliffe impressive fortress with its round (woodland). Cross the stile, and lies along the A67 three miles to the towers. It was built in 1189 by carry on along the perimeter of the west of Darlington. NB: the A67 is Gilbert Hansard, brother of Lord field then, after the woodland, closed to the west of High Raby, who lived at nearby Raby continue along the perimeter of the Coniscliffe (April 2013). Castle. It remained in the Hansard field with the stream on your right Caution: Take care crossing the family until 1539, when Elizabeth (views of Walworth Castle ahead). busy B6279, as well as walking Hansard married Sir Francis As you reach the far corner of the along Ulnaby Lane at the end of Ayscough. The castle and its estate field, turn left up the field with the this walk – face oncoming traffic, were then sold in 1579 to Thomas fence/hedge on your right (ignore walk in single file and walk on the Jennison, auditor-general to Queen footpath signs to the right). verge where possible. Elizabeth I, who subsequently Continue across fields with the rebuilt much of the castle – hedge on your right for 800 metres Points of Interest although significant building work then, at the gap in the hedge, bear also took place in the 18th and 19th slightly right along the perimeter HE “lost” village of Ulnaby is Centuries. In April 1603, King of the field to soon reach the road a fascinating place to walk T James VI of Scotland succeeded (B6279). through, for here you will Elizabeth I and travelled down to find grassy bumps and ditches in London for his Coronation, staying the fields surrounding Ulnaby Hall Cross the road (take care) and overnight at Walworth Castle. It 3take the footpath opposite that were once homes, roads and remained in the Jennison family slightly to the right over a stile fields. This village was occupied until 1759, when it then passed (signpost). Head diagonally to the throughout the medieval period, through successive owners until it right across the field to pass to the but in the 16th Century something was eventually sold in 1950 and left of Ulnaby Hall and its happened to cause this village to used as a girl’s school before being surrounding buildings, then after literally disappear. There are opened as a hotel in 1981. hundreds of deserted medieval the houses and buildings skirt villages throughout the country, around to the right and cross a with several in the immediate The walk stone wall stile then carry on over vicinity including Walworth and From the centre of High another stile to reach the road . The cause for 1 Coniscliffe, walk down through beside the entrance to Ulnaby Hall. their abandonment was due to a the village along the A67 towards variety of factors including climate Darlington, passing the village At the road, take the footpath change, disease or changing green and the Church of St Edwin 4opposite to the right (signpost), fortunes as farming moved away on your right then, just before you through a gate and head straight from arable to grazing and some reach the edge of the village, take on alongside the fence/overgrown greedy landlords saw more profit in the turning to the left just after hedge on your right along a wide grazing sheep for their valuable The Spotted Dog (Mill Lane) and grassy track across two fields then wool coats than a village full of follow this up past tennis courts at the end of the second field follow people. and passing through the gate to the the field perimeter round to the left right of Mill House out onto open and head on to join the road at a The place-name of Ulnaby fields. Head on over Ulnaby Beck sharp bend. Turn left along this indicates Danish origins for the then continue straight on along the road (take care – walk in single file suffix ‘by’ means settlement, while wide grassy track keeping close to and on the verge where possible) ‘ulna’ was probably a personal the hedge and Ulnaby Beck on your for 500 metres to reach a road name. However, it was between the left – ignore the stile across the junction where you turn right 13th and 16th Centuries that the fence to your right. Follow the along Ulnaby Lane for 1.25 km to village flourished with a dozen or track on through a gate, then return back to High Coniscliffe. so small farms, known as tofts, continue along the track as it bends lining a main street as well as to the right up to reach a stone Mark Reid Hill Skills and Outdoor Adventures gardens, a village green, pond and wall. Turn left here and follow the Author of ‘The Inn Way’ with Mark Reid a manor house set in its own clear path straight on to eventually guidebooks teamwalking.co.uk enclosure. This was the time of join the road (B6279). www.innway.co.uk Countrydiary Birdwatch

HE fragrance of bluebells may be the other direction, into EW spring migrants are as large and Saltholme and 15 at Castle Lake. Single arriving in woodlands later than gardens as culinary graceful as common cranes, and the blue-headed wagtails were at Saltholme and T usual this spring, but some fresh herbs. F past week has seen an influx of these Cleadon. White wagtails, continental green leaves that are appearing have a People respond to impressive visitors, apparently off-course cousins of our own familiar pied wagtails, distinctive scent of their own. scents in different en route to breeding sites in northern also paused to feed at several sites. Perhaps the most noticeable is wild garlic, ways, but there are Europe. Six flew north over More warblers joined the growing numbers also known as ramsons, whose glossy some that most find docks on Sunday morning and shortly of chiffchaffs, willow warblers and green, tongue-shaped, edible leaves cover disagreeable. Crushed afterwards were seen again as they passed blackcaps, now enlivening our woodlands the woodland floor and emit a strong leaves of dog’s over North Tyneside. On Tuesday, what despite the weather seeming to alternate aroma of garlic when crushed underfoot. mercury have been appears to have been the same party flew between pleasant warmth and distinctly The same smell is produced by Jack-by- described as resembling southwards over the sea off Whitburn. chilly days. The first grasshopper, sedge the-hedge, the tall, white-flowered plant in rotting fish, while most Elsewhere, three were seen over Croxdale and reed warblers also moved into regular the cabbage family that lines hedgerows in people recoil at the acrid and singles also overflew Boldon Flats, wetland breeding areas and the two early spring and whose seed pods are the food smell of hedge woundwort, but there are Filey and Burniston, making it difficult to pied flycatchers sang in nesting territories plant of the orange tip butterfly. many strong natural smells which most known just how many had arrived in the at . Early redstarts, tree pipits Hedgerows and woodland edges are also people enjoy. In boggy places, new leaves region. and cuckoos also appeared and firecrests home to another distinctive aromatic of meadowsweet are beginning to appear Other migrants included those attractive were at and Croxdale. species – the aniseed-scented sweet cicely. and if you crush them between finger and small ducks, garganey, at Saltholme, An early little tern passed north at the This plant was originally a garden escape thumb you’ll detect a soothing antiseptic Dorman’s Pool, and Seaton Common and, in South Gare. Rangers on the Farne Islands that was once used to reduce the tartness fragrance that appears in some brands of , at Bothal Pond, Cresswell reported that more than 300 Sandwich of apple pies, long before sugar was readily healing ointment. Plant resins also tend to and East Chevington. The first of the year’s terns had arrived in their breeding colony available. The leaves of borage, a garden have pleasant aromas and often feature as American waders, pectoral sandpipers, by Sunday and early arctic and common plant that sometimes escapes into the wild, components of commercial fragrances. were also in Northumberland at terns had also appeared. They also found have a pleasant aroma of cucumbers and One of the most attractive is the balsam Backworth, Holywell and Bradford Kaims. their first eider duck of spring already have been used to flavour summer drinks, scent of the sticky resin that coats leaf A further influx of yellow wagtails incubating her eggs while wild mint and thyme have moved in buds of some poplar trees. Phil Gates produced gatherings of more than 40 at Ian Kerr