Garrowby Hill Walk

8.5 miles (13.6 km)

This circular walk from Bishop Wilton explores the area to the north of the village. On the route you will visit Garrowby Hill, Cheese Cake Wold and Kirby Underdale.
It's a classic Yorkshire Wolds walk, exploring a landscape of rolling chalk hills, secluded dry valleys and wide open farmland.... The route passes through some of the highest ground in the Wolds, with expansive views across the surrounding countryside that are particularly impressive from the top of Garrowby Hill.
The climb to Garrowby Hill is one of the highlights of the walk. Standing at over 240 metres above sea level, it is one of the highest points in the Yorkshire Wolds and offers far-reaching panoramas across the Vale of York towards the North York Moors on clear days. David Hockney's famous painting Garrowby Hill (1998) was inspired by the sweeping views from this part of the Yorkshire Wolds. One of the artist's best-known landscapes, it captures the rolling fields, winding roads and distinctive patchwork of the Wolds in Hockney's vibrant, colourful style.
The route then crosses the open ridge at Cheese Cake Wold before descending into the picturesque village of Kirby Underdale, where attractive stone cottages and the historic church sit in the shelter of the surrounding hills.
The walk finishes back in Bishop Wilton, an attractive Wolds village with a long history and a fine medieval church. The surrounding countryside is rich in wildlife, with skylarks, yellowhammers and hares frequently seen on the open downland, while the quiet lanes and well-maintained footpaths make this one of the finest circular walks in the Yorkshire Wolds.