Michael Tilley

This is a circular tour based on Market Weighton and it follows the Hudson Way, going out to Kiplingcotes, before returning to Market Weighton via Goomanham. It is undemanding and well-signposted as you would expect of a named route. I started in the centre of the town, where there is a free car park. The X46/47 that runs between York and Hull stops in the centre too, outside The Griffin pub. I first visited All Saints Church, which is behind the Griffin, since I was interested in seeing the carved mice in the church: they are the work of a Robert Thompson of Kilburn. Apparently, there are seven mice, but I did not find all seven. The church is not always open to the public, but you will always be able to see one mouse. I then made my way to pick up the Hudson Trail, which is the bed of an old railway line into the town. It starts as a wide gravel track, but after a couple of miles it becomes earthen. On the right is St Helen’s Well. It can be recognized from a distance by the strips of coloured fabric tied to a couple of trees near it. It is particularly lovely at this time of year as daffodils surround it. Later, I crossed over a road and continued on Hudson Way, which was now a cart track. Continuing on, I looked at the Nature Reserve of Kiplingcotes Chalk Pit, but did not see anything of interest; perhaps there is more to see at other times of the year. I went a bit wrong when I got to Kiplingcotes Bridge where I found I should have turned down a farm track before getting to the bridge; both of my SatNav systems were unhelpful here. From the bridge, I started the long trudge along and up Kiplingcotes Lane: a really boring part of the hike. I expected to be able to take a path to the right at the top of the lane, but there was a sign saying there was no public access, with a padlocked gate to reinforce the message. I walked down towards Arras Farm, steering a path between the farmhouse and a large shed to pick up the Wolds Way; there are signs indicating its direction. There are some nice views over arable land from the track, which skirts hedgerows. Eventually, it crosses Spring Road, the Hudson Way and starts climbing up the road to Goodmanham, where I explored All Hallows Church, which dates back to 1130. It has a Tudor font and some interesting carving, particularly of the chancel arch. There is also an interesting squint window in the church. The village itself has one or two interesting houses and a pub called The Goodmanham Arms.; daffodils line the banks if the road. This was a stretch of pavement walking, before I could follow another disused railway track. The start of that track in the village was extremely muddy. Eventually, this footpath joined the Hudson Way. I mostly enjoyed the tour, but if I were doing it again, I would omit the Kiplingcotes stretch: there is not a lot to see until you get to the Wolds Way and there is a lot of road walking before that happens. The highlights of the tour for me are Market Weighton itself, St Helen’s Well and Goodmanham.

This is a linear tour from Market Weighton to Pocklington; both towns can be reached with the X46 or X47 from York or Hull. I was coming from York, so I alighted at the bus stop before the town centre of Market Weighton. I began the route by crossing directly an arable field that at its end had tractor grooves full of rain-water that I had to work around. I then followed three or so field boundaries, crossing small footbridges between each field, before I reached the A614, Towthorpe Lane, which I crossed heading to Towthorpe Grange, which is a small farm. I walked along the edges of fields before reaching Intake Lane, where I turned left and walked along this lane for a short way before turning right at imposing gates into what I think was once the Londesborough Hall Estate. After passing the deer shelters on the left, the broad path took me through a wooded area into Londesborough itself. I was hoping to visit the church there, but it was shut. Londesborough was where the road walking part of the hike began and road walking continued until I reached Pocklington. At one point on the country lane I was walking, I saw a bench and next to the bench was a sign saying what you could see if you looked south over the Vale of York. I think you need exceptional weather conditions to be able to see all those things and while today was sunny, it was also hazy when looking to the horizon and so I could not distinguish them. My route through Burnby took me through the churchyard and I found that the church was again shut. It has interesting carving around the porch and below the bell tower are three gargoyles. Up till Burnby the lanes had been quite free of traffic. However, Burnby Lane between Pocklington and Burnby is much busier – not annoyingly busy, just busier than the other lanes. At the edge of Pocklington I walked through Primrose Wood for a while, which was a nice change after all the road walking that I had done. However, I had to return to the road, but I could continue my journey to the bus station in Pocklington by pavement and ginnel. Much of my route follows the Wolds Way, but, for me this tour had too much road-walking to be truly enjoyable.

This is a circular tour based on Middleton, on the western outskirts of Pickering. I parked near a small pond and walked down the quiet Middleton Carr Lane, crossed Street Lane and continued on the road. Pickering Millennium Wood is on the right with a small pond. It will be prettier in a month or so time when the trees are fully in leaf. Having explored the wood, I went back to the road and took the clearly marked footpath. At the start of the path the trees over the path are quite low and I had to bend down to walk along. This took me to a small bridge that crossed Oxfold's Beck. In fact, it was the first of three bridges that cross the beck. There are a few clumps of daffodils along the beck that provide some colour and interest. After crossing the last bridge, the path becomes muddled before eventually emerging at another pond on the outskirts of Pickering at Keld Head. I turned left here and walked along the main A170 toward Middleton. Just past the garage, I turned right up High Back Side to avoid walking along the busy A170. Near Church Lane there are some clumps of daffodils on the bank of the road. The lane ended opposite Middleton Village Hall, where I had parked the car. This is a pleasant and undemanding tour and I think will be more interesting when the trees in the wood are in leaf.

This is a tour around part of Tavira combined with a there-and-back hike to Santa Luzia, the octopus capital of the world, or at least of Portugal, or at least of the Algarve. I started and finished my recording at the railway station. Just outside the station is a sculpture of a service-man departing for war and waving goodbye to his girlfriend on the roundabout. (To the right of the station is a large Lidl.) The first main sight in Tavira for me was the Pousada, converted from the Convent of Grace. I then looked in the church of Santiago, but was not overly impressed by its interior. I decided to give the interior of the church of saint Mary of Castro a miss too. The castle, with its great views over town and the two nearby churches, was a great place to visit; it also has public toilets and pretty formal gardens. I then made my way down to the river where I was able to get good shots of the old bridge over the river. The bridge leads directly to the main square in the town: Republic Square, where there is a large obelisk. I walked through the Coreto Garden, which is next to the river and then through the old market building. Past there, I continued along the road of the four rivers before turning back towards town. I then did some pavement-bashing before reaching a wide dirt road that was going to lead me to Santa Luzia. It bought me to the road into the village and I made my way to the riverside, where the fishing boats were. A guidebook had mentioned that you could see pots that had been used to catch octopus; I saw one or two, but they did not look as if they had done serious duty. There is an octopus trail that you can follow around the village, but for me the village held no charm. I had intended to walk on to the next village of Pedras where there is a small pedestrian bridge leading out to a small island. However, the weather had changed and I could see dark rain clouds forming, so decided to return back to Tavira. My route back was very straightforward – along the pavement next to the main road and follow it until I saw a sign for the station.

This is a circular tour that I started from my hotel at the eastern end of Monte Gordo. Some pavement bashing was required before I reached the broad gravel path through the pines at the western end of the town. That eventually led me to the quiet road that runs around Casas de Audiencia taking me to the main EN125 road. Fortunately, I did not have to walk too far along here before I was able to take the road off to the right towards Castro Marim. In any case, there is a little path by the side of the road, so you are not that close to the traffic. I was expecting I would be sharing the road to Castro Marim with cars, but was more than pleasantly surprised to find there was a cycle and footpath running adjacent to the road. This made walking so much more enjoyable; however, one had to be vigilant to hear the sound of approaching cyclists, or else be caught up in their slipstream. I passed the railway station for Castro Marim and thought that taking the train from the station at Monte Gordo to here would shorten the hike. When I got to an entrance to the Salinas I decided I could visit them without going too far out of my way. That was a mistake – a big mistake. These wetlands are like Venice – there are only certain points where you can cross the water channels, so I ended up having to walk to the main road to Castro Marim and walk back along it to the village. I didn’t find anything of interest on this detour, apart from some big salt hills. I didn’t even see that many birds. Thus, my recommendation is to stay on the road. The village is worth seeing. I visited the castle which has some great views over the village and is only 1.10 euro to visit. There is also a church on a hill close to a windmill and these overlook the strange Andalusian garden. There is a big fortress on the hill opposite the castle, but it cannot be visited. The chimneys on the houses are interesting since they are all individual. From the village back to Vila Real there are a couple of metal sculptures: a jogger and a woman on a bicycle. At the edge of Vila Real, I took the opportunity to visit the Aldi. My route took me past the Lidl before I turned right to take the broad gravel paths through the pine forest back to Monte Gordo. Although I made this a hike I think it would work as well if not better as a cycle trip. There is not that much to see on the route on either side of Castro Marim and a cycle would eat the miles faster than a pair of hiking boots.

Well, this one didn’t go to plan at all! I started recording this linear tour at the edge of the village. The village is far smaller than I had imagined and it almost seems that the cemetery is as big as the village. There are a few houses, prettily painted in yellows or blues. The church is far more interesting from the outside. There are the remains of a fort, but you cannot enter it. Things started to go wrong when I wanted to leave the village by the path leading down to the beach: it was closed by a sturdy metal gate owing to the risk of landslips. I had seen another path earlier leading down to the beach so decided to follow that path. I reached the beach sown a set of steps with no problem but after a few minutes’ walk I came to a little stream that was too wide to jump across and a fraction too deep to walk across without my waterproof hiking boots. Fortunately, my navigation showed me that there was a path outside the village that began by a small bridge over a little brook. This path was pretty with a carpet of yellow flowers to either side of the path and the sweet smell of blossom in the air, with bees making their pollination trips. It eventually brought me to the path I had planned. The path was not too narrow and did not undulate. There was a small stream to cross at one point and then some broad sand flats to navigate before I eventually reached the outskirts of Monta Roja where I walked through a mobile home parking place. There was then some pavement bashing though the village before reaching a quiet country lane. That was followed by a cycle track taking me past a picnic spot with benches and tables before bringing me to Altura with more pavement bashing. There were some benches and tables here so I made that my lunch stop. I followed a cycle track and started along a boardwalk until my navigation told me I should have turned left. Where I should have turned was a locked high wooden gate and next to it a pedestrian door with an intercom. A distant voice told me the path I had planned to use was private property and I would have to find an alternative. Fortunately, the alternative was not too difficult as I simply followed the boardwalk down to the beach and turned left when I reached it. I think the walk along the sands was about a mile – good for firming up those calf and thigh muscles. I mostly enjoyed the hike, although walking along the beach is relatively boring. I was mildly disappointed with Cacela Velha itself. I used the bus from Monte Gordo to get to Cacela and had then walked from there to Cacela Velha down a quiet country road. You can also take the train from Monte Gordo to Cacela.

This is a circular tour around the Spanish town of Ayamonte. It is on the opposite side of the Guidana River from Vila Real de San Antonio; if visiting from Portugal, it should be remembered that Spanish time is one hour ahead of Portugal and this could affect a schedule of when you might expect churches, etc. to be open. From the ferry disembarkation point, I went first to the pretty Plaza de la Laguna. This has a statue of the Virgin Mary at its centre and is surrounded by tiled benches that seem to be popular in Andalusia. I managed to visit the church of Our Lady of Anguishes before it shut. The next sight on my tour was the Bull Ring. After that I saw a mural of fishes by the docks and not far away the Palace of the Marquis of Ayamonte, its chief feature nowadays being an ornamental door. Near this old palace was the church of San Francisco (closed). I didn’t look at the Ermita of San Sebastian although it was more or less on my route. I was impressed with the interior of the Chapel of Help. The church of Our Saviour has an interesting bell tower, but, it too was closed. Along the street of the Balearic Islands is a good point for viewing the modern bridge that links Spain and Portugal; it is better than the mirador on the street below, which is really only good for viewing the river. I then followed the road next to the river to arrive back at the ferry embarkation point, (tickets are sold here only 15 minutes before ferry departure.) This was not the route I had planned since I thought the ferry arrived slightly further south. There is a park and a couple of monuments there that I would have liked to have seen. I was pleasantly surprised by how much there was to see in Ayamonte.

This is a circular tour of Faro; I started and finished the tour at the railway station. The route is all on streets through the city. I had a list of places that I wanted to see, but, unfortunately I did not find them all. The places that I did find and was able to visit in order were: 1. Arco da Vila 2. Cathedral 3. Arco de Repuso I wanted to see the Bone Chapel at the Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Carmo. However, it is only open between 09:00 to 13:00 and 15:00 to 17:00. I had on my list: 1. Igreja de Misericórdia 2. Igreja de São Pedro 3. Igreja de São Francisco However, I did not find any of these churches, which shows my planning skills need improvement. The highlight of the tour is undoubtedly the cathedral with its wonderfully decorated, baroque chapels. Included in the price of admission is a visit to the Bell Tower to be able to gaze over the city. The fact that one of the churches was not open when I got there shows the need for advance planning to check ou opening hours; my guide book did not suggest it would be shut.

This is a circular tour from Monte Gordo to Vila Real through the pine forests. I started and finished recording the trail at my hotel at the eastern end of Monte Gordo. The path through the pine forest on the way to Vial Real is broad and gravelly. It is quite relaxing walking along it as there is no problem in finding or keeping to a track. It eventually comes out at a road a little south of Vila Real, where there are some small shipbuilding and repair yards. At the end of this road, to the left, is the lighthouse. To the right is the Guadiana river and a small statue dedicated to fish at a small roundabout. I then walked along by the river before turning off to the left to go to the main square in the town where the church is a a column to the Marquis of Pombal. After that I walked to watch the ferry depart for Ayamonte on the other side of the river. (There are free public toilets here by the ticket office for the ferry.) I then walked back to the main square and visited the church. There are in the town a number of metal mesh statues of women. I then walked to the western end of the town, where I took the opportunity to visit a Lidl supermarket, before continuing my journey back to Monte Gordo. I almost missed the path off to the right through the pine forest. At the start this path was sandy rather than gravel. However, it soon widened out into a broad gravel path through the pines. In the forest are many bushes with a small white flower that are reasonably attractive. Eventually, I reached a camping park on the edge of Monte Gordo and it was not too long before I was back at the hotel. The main interests in this hike are the pine forests and a number of sites in Vila Real, chiefly the main square. It is an extremely easy hike.

This is a circular tour, starting and finishing near Priory Farm, Langstone. The start of the hike here is not easy to spot. It is to the right of, and, down from the large white farm building. There is a very small yellow arrow on a rounded and I think a small sign saying dogs must be one a lead. Once you've found the path, it is quite straightforward, though there are one or two fallen trees to provide a challenge. Eventually it comes to a T-junction where you turn right to reach the seventh hole of one of the Golf courses at the Celtic Manor. From there you can see a white building and the exit from the golf course on to Catsash Road is here. It is about half a mile's walk along the road before you can turn off right. There is a surprising amount of traffic along this road and I didn't enjoy walking along here. The route then went around a lake and followed some paths of another Celtic Manor golf course. You have to look out for a wooden post with a yellow top for this indicates where you will soon enter the wood. The entrance is marked, but the path through the wood is not that easy to negotiate, since there are brambles both on the ground and at head height. I guess it doesn't get used too much. My going here was really slow. Eventually I came to a road where I turned right and then immediately left along Uskvale. The route crosses a field and then a small beck where there are stones to help with the crossing. It is then upward through the wood and I found this the nicest part of the tour. The path crosses a field to reach a cemetery and then goes over a bridge spanning the M4 motorway. At Christchurch, I got a bit lost trying to find the footpath. It was just a short way down the road and on the right. It led downhill and crossed the motorway on a bridge. In the housing estate, the route continues to reach the Chepstow Road by a series of alleys. After Chepstow Road, it is a matter of taking sufficient caution to negotiate the Coldra Roundabout, though there are pedestrian crossings to help you. I was very disappointed with the tour: there is nothing much to see, part of the route is difficult to traverse with the overgrown vegetation and finally it ends with a boring walk along Chepstow Road: not to be recommended!