I did it my way
This was to be the spring when at long last I was going to complete one of our splendid National Trails.
My objective was the modest 79 miles of the Yorkshire Wolds Way and it all began so splendidly on a lovely early March day. I greatly enjoyed the glorious views over the Humber and then the first two tranquil dry valleys, so characteristic of this lesser-known part of England’s largest county.
I was feeling especially pleased with myself as I headed down into South Cave for refreshment, for I was going to be amongst the very last, if not the last, to walk the whole Way in 2020, as from March 9th, essential rail embankment maintenance, was going to close the first three miles to Ferriby for the rest of the year. I’d inadvertently just made it, just before guillotine fell. Little did I know as I sipped my beer, that a far greater barrier to completion was about to rear its ugly head.
I’d been planning to take six leisurely days to do the whole trail, living less than 30 miles from any point en route, I would be able to sleep in my own bed each night. But the very next day, the Covid-19 crisis really took hold and it became clear I wouldn’t come anywhere near reaching Filey for months.
Like most walkers, I was left kicking my heels, as the weather turned increasingly enticing. It would have been easy to sit and sulk, but I then hit upon an idea to complete the journey. Each day, I would use my OS maps to create in my mind what I might have seen on the walk. As I know the Wolds well, this hasn’t been too difficult and surprisingly very enjoyable. I sensed red kites soaring on the thermals above Nunburnholme, heard the bleating lambs, deep in the valleys at Huggate, smelled the musty odour of venerable village churches like Wintringham, tasted the tang of the sea as Filey grew near. At the end of my journey, I was even able to imagine the delicious fish and chips
I had by the shore, washed down by a mug of finest Yorkshire tea. So the journey’s done – in my head – now the wait to complete it with my feet on the ground.
Ian Richardson, Beverley
COUNTRY WALKING