A walk at Sheriff Hutton takes you to the castle ruins set upon a hill. From here the walk passes through fields and villages with some good views across the Vale of York.
The ruins of Sheriff Hutton’s Neville Castle dominate this walk. The castle sits as it is on a slight rise and to this day include some impressive high walls. The history of the castle is centred around its prominence in the War of the Roses. Warwick the Kingmaker owned the lands around Sheriff Hutton, as did Richard Duke of York who stayed here many times as he plotted the Yorkist uprisings. Today the castle is privately owned although it has benefited by some tlc from English Heritage. The original remains sit closer to the village but there is little to see.
Now the ruins are privately owned and stand testament to a bygone age. The lands nearby are largely for farming. However because the walk is basically set upon a gradual slope (leading to the Hambleton Hills) there are continual excellent views across the Vale of York. The nae Sheriff is in fact supposedly related to the high ridge of land that the village and castle are set. It is good walking country with a fine network of paths (albeit muddy after rains) and I certainly enjoyed the peace and tranquility. I have to say that it makes me want to follow in my father’s footsteps and learn more about our birdlife.
The castle reins supreme but it is worth visiting the 900 year old parish church of St Helen as well.
Much of the walk follows the Foss long distance Walk. It is a 28 mile trail roughly following the River Foss from York to near Easingworld. Just follow the ‘frog’ logo!
I’d echo what Jones say. Pretty all walks directly North of York are the same. Waymarkers not maintained. Paths often overgrown or covered with crops. Stiles buried in hedgerows.
It’s a pretty miserable area for walkers.
This walk was very unpleasant. Many of the way markers were missing or so faded you could not tell which way they pointed. Wooden bridges over ditches were broken. Stiles were missing or broken. Many of the farmers fields had crops completely covering the public footpaths and a new fence around a renovated property blocked the path which meant having to find an alternative route. It felt as though we were unwelcome and I would not recommend this walk sadly.
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