Wednesday 23 May 2012

Across the bridge to the North Bank

Good morning. What a glorious day we had yesterday, maybe summer is here at last. We desperately need some sunshine to get the veggies growing, but a day walking will be good for my soul, I'll see to the garden in the next few days.

So, yesterday I drove to the Humber Bridge, and parked directly underneath it on the Southbank. The toll has recently been reduced to £1.50 each way, but even so, there is still a saving to be made by walking across if I only have a small rucksack and don't need to carry anything else. The view as I start to cross.


There is a path which leaves the main road just before the toll booths, and takes you down into a car park. I popped in to browse the leaflets in the Tourist Information Office. I find these places are a great source of free maps, and finding out what is going on and where. Good for ideas for future trips. The lady on the desk was very helpfull, pointing things out to me.

For this walk out I dug out the map I printed off for the last leg of the long walk I did last month, and added a bit to it to cover the area west of Hull. There is a little pocket of villages to explore around there. This pic is looking down on the North Bank, the main A63 trunk road from Hull to Leeds. The windmill is just a monument, and the building beyond it is a pub/restaurant. I walked along the foreshore for as far as you can see in the picture. This is part of the Trans Pennine Trail, a long distance cycle path. The Yorkshire Wolds Way also shares this section of the track.

It opens out into quite a nice country park as you reach North Ferriby.

Here we are in the village.

I remembered this church from the last day of my Blackpool - Humber Bridge walk I did last year. Oh how I remember that last day, 30 miles of hard slog from Selby to the Bridge, arriving at 9pm, then ringing my friends to come and get me. Todays walk is a bit more leisurely, so I have time to enjoy :o)

Through North Ferriby, and pausing to stop at the Co op shop for my favourite Magnum choccy ice cream on a stick, I crossed the A63 at Melton and took a left turn off the slip road to follow the Yorkshire Wolds Way through the woods.

Here I had just crossed a B road and set off down a track alongside a quarry towards Welton. I really wanted to get some photo's of the quarry, I could see bits of it through the fence but couldn't get anywhere closer to get a good shot. I love big holes in the ground, and love to see the different rock formations in the layers. This one was pure white chalk, but alas they had made sure no one could get in. There are a lot of newish finger posts on this walk, someone has made an effort to encourage walkers, cyclists, and horse riders.

This is the Church at Melton. There is a stream running through the village which opens out into a duck pond just in front of the church. A perfect place to sit and eat my lunch.

A quick peek inside, and to spend a few minutes giving thanks for my fabulous life.



Welton Dale is a beautiful tranquil place place, there are woods on one side and grassy banks on the other.

The last bit takes you through some woods, delightful in the sunshine.

Now I must think about heading off back towards the bridge, I could wander around here forever, but I want to get back to take Rocky for a late walk. The next and last place to visit is Swanland. Another pretty village. They have made a start on their flower displays in this bed overlooking the village pond.


Sadly I didn't see any swans, but plenty of ducks and other wading birds. Across the pond is the Village Hall.

Heading out of the village I crossed the main A164 towards Anlaby, then did a right turn towards Hessle, picking up the last section of the Morecambe to Humber Bridge walk I did last month. This bit passes a lot of big posh houses, I gaze in awe at some of the entrances, must be a lot of rick folk around here.

Now, do I get a bus to cross the bridge, no, I decided to walk, might as well go for it. Even though there is a good bus service across, every half hour, I still hate hanging around and waiting. I got back to the car at 7pm, and back in time for Rocky.

A lovely day out, I walked 17.5 miles, and all it cost was £1.65 for the ice cream, and a drop of petrol for the 22 mile round trip to the bridge and back.

18 comments:

  1. Sounds like you had a lovely time and great pics as usual.
    One thing that surprised me though - you paid 'how much' ? for an ice cream ? you could live for a week on that - ha ha

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lovely pictures and what a great day out, great weather too!
    Sarah x

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yes, Magnums are a bit expensive, but I did choose the cheaper one. Some of them are £1.85. My treat for taking a packup lunch.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ilona, Thanks for the pics, my OH lived in Ferriby for most of his young life until he met me, we were married in that church there 32 years ago next month. My kids used to love stopping off at the pond at Swanland to feed the ducks on the way back from visiting Grandma and Grandad. You certainly picked the best day for it as well, it was lovely.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Beautiful walk Ilona, thanks for taking me along. It does you good to treat yourself to something you truly like. Magnum have just brought out a new model, I think, called Infinity. You might like to try that one at some point.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I wish I wasn't so nervous of rural, remote places - I just look at those paths and think "serial killer".

    ReplyDelete
  7. Another great day out, and my legs aren't even tired. The shot of the plain windows in the church is stunning...and who could resist the pond by the church for a lunch break?!
    Jane x

    ReplyDelete
  8. I am very rarely envious but I was today reading your post - 17+ miles - freaking amazing. You are THE woman Ilona.
    Keep on walking !

    ReplyDelete
  9. Lovely pics!! Love reading about your travels. Always inspiring.

    ReplyDelete
  10. A lovely walk! Tourist Information centres are one of my favourite places, even the one in my own local town - you never know you will find!

    I like 'big holes in the ground' too and looking at all the layers of rock. Perhaps we'll have to have a Derbyshire walk together one day as it's not far for either of us!

    P.S - did you get my comment about photos - I replied to your question about whether I had changed settings to display my photos the old way.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Lovely!!! Wish I would have been able to be there to walk with you :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thank you for the walk and lovely pics. My favourite is the duck pond by the church. What a beautiful spot.
    Love from Mum
    xx

    ReplyDelete
  13. Gorgeous photo's. I have never been to Swanland but my granny and her sister were in service there around 1910.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Gorgeous photos and I think that Magnum was well earned. Actually you got it pretty cheap from the Co op, if you'd bought one off an icecream man they cost at least £2.50!!

    Sue xx

    ReplyDelete
  15. Why don't you lead a walk Ilona? take some old farts like me ! Out somewhere easy?xx

    ReplyDelete
  16. I'm glad you got the good weather also. Isn't it crazy just how warm it is?

    ReplyDelete
  17. Great photos of some familiar places, my hubby and 2 of my 3 boys cycled the Trans Pennine trail in 2007 - the summer when it never stopped raining for all of July and most of August. Parts of it had been washed away. I was the 'recovery' truck and had to find them at the end of each day, without a satnav.... I got to find my way around lots of previously unknown places and it cured my apprehension of driving in new areas :0)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Bought 10 Mini Magnums for £1.50 from Heron.
    Walk looks lovely. We went to Barton upon Humber and had a good walk around the lakes and along the Humber. Its on the right of the bridge approaching from the south.

    ReplyDelete

Some comments will be accepted. I decide which are published.

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.