Route – Circular from Constable Burton via Finghall
Distance – 3 ½ miles
Terrain – Tracks and field edges
Start at the Reading room, Constable Burton, DL8 5RG. If you need to park your car – you can do so at the rear of the building – there may even be signs to help you. Continue along the road into the village. Turn into Mill lane (first on the left), and continue to the end, and follow a FP sign along the track ahead.
You will pass the Mill House on your left. When this was a working mill, the mill stream flowed across the field, having been diverted from Burton Beck on the other side of the road bridge.
On the right there is a Chapel built in 1891. The various stones set into the building bear the names of those who contributed to the cost of construction. It was a place of worship until the 1970’s
At a fork, bear left through a kissing gate, beside a metal field gate. Ignore the FP and hand gate on the right. Continue ahead on a grassy lane running beside the beck. Do not cross the footbridge on the left.
Go through a kissing gate into a small wood. Continue with a high fence on your left, to a wooden footbridge
Cross the footbridge and through a kissing gate. Turn left along the side of a wood then beside a hedge on your left.
Keep the going, past (not through!) a single metal field gate on your left.
Keep following the hedge on your left until you reach a conjunction of metal field gates at an angle to each other. Pass through the right hand gate and head over the field, at a slight angle, keeping the beck to your left.
Follow the beck for a few hundred yards. At the next fence, turn slightly right, up a small rise to a kissing gate. Go through a small wood, over a stile and cross the field towards the telegraph pole and kissing gate onto the road.
Cross the road, and follow the track ahead. On reaching the church turn right
St Andrews Church built originally in the 12th century and a Grade 11 listed building. The church is now somewhat isolated. Fields close to the church have earthworks from a former village of Aykeburgh recorded in 1290 and in 1342 when it was acquired by Jervaulx Abbey. A map of 1627 shows four houses round a green. The Black Death of 1665 may explain the village’s demise.
Pass the church on your left and walk up the hill with the hedge on your right. As you enter the field at the top of the rise, turn right and walk up the hill, keeping the stream on your left
Go through small gate and continue until you meet the railway line.
Cross the line, continue up the field, making for a hand gate in the top right of the field.
The Wensleydale railway stopped passenger services in 1954. In 1990 and association was formed to reopen it with volunteers and a small paid staff. It re opened in 2003 and now runs regular services between Leeming Bar and Redmire.
Follow grass track, onto the road and turn right.
Having reached the main road turn left into the village passing the Queens Head on your right.
The Queens Head is currently open for Lunch on Fridays 12-2PM and for Dinner 5-8:30PM on Wed, Thu & Fri each week.
At weekends, meals are served from 12-8:30PM on both Sat & Sun.
Further details – including Menu – are available here: https://queensfinghall.co.uk/ and reservations can be made over the phone: 01677 450259
Follow the road past the pub straight on to the edge of the village.
Having passed the derestricted speed limit sign, the road bends to the left, but bear right through a metal hand gate, and follow the path by the hedge. When it ends, lift the metal wicket gate, and go through into the field. Turn left about 75 yards, then follow the path downhill. Having reached a track turn right, following it to the railway line. 
Cross and continue to the concrete bridge across the beck. Take the path opposite across the field, between the crops, to a kissing gate next to a sewage farm. Turn left and retrace your steps into the village.
Did you follow this route ?
Let us know what you think. Please leave a comment below:
This was a very well described route and easy to follow. We started in Finghall, walked and had a picnic in the playground area at Constable Burton and then followed the instructions back to Finghall. Easy to manage walk, dog was on and off the lead due to sheep in some fields but that was ok.
Great walk this, lovely varied countryside and very clear detailed instructions. We did this walk on a pleasantly warm October day so we had the chance to sit in the beer garden at the Queens Head.
The only draw back to doing the walk in autumn is that it’s pheasant season and the dogs pulled the whole way round, it was nice to see them though.
I would happily do this walk again, too walk
Lovely walk with the dog and husband. Lunch and lager at the queens head. Caesar salad was immense!
Lovely autumn walk with pub break two thirds of the way round. Definitely recommend.
Cracking route, myself and my wife took our two Chihuahuas around with us, we have backpacks to pop the dogs into when the terrain got too much for their little legs.
We found the walk itself exactly what we needed with grass, tracks , woodland etc. We were a little gutted to get to the the Queens Head on a hot Tuesday morning to be told by an old chap that due to Covid the pub closes on a Monday and Tuesday😂 but we cracked on down the road to the end and we give the whole experience with the photos and clear instruction a massive10 out of 10.
Dear Sam Alert/D Smith, its taken a long time – but I can confirm the route is open. The ‘Private’ notices attached to the two metal gates refer only to the field on the left. The route only requires entry to field which crosses at right angles.
The instructions have been amended with the addition of two (unseasonal!) images and instructions which should make things clear.
Sorry about any confusion…
Mike
In view of Sam Allert’s comment, can you please confirm that this route is open or closed. Thank you
Fantastic walk !! Really well explained and easy to follow! Would recommend a slight deversion to the friars head , lovely pub with a great atmosphere. Unfortunately unlike the local pub, the queens head , which our husbands went into and felt very uncomfortable and left before even finishing there drinks . Which is a shame considering it’s location.
Hi
We have just started this route, and got so far as over the footbridge along the hedge, but the metal fence has a sign that says no public right of way… we carried on but another 2 gates said the same so we backtracked.
Sue,
many thanks for your kind comments – look forward to your return in the Summer!
🙂
Staying in Constable Burton during a beautiful, sunny and very cold winter week (Jan 2019) and struggled to find local morning walks – googled and found this one to our delight.
This is a fabulous walk for both dogs and humans, not too strenuous but with wonderful ever-changing scenery, a bit of farm life and places where the pooch can be let off the lead.
Your clear and concise instructions were much appreciated Mike. Loved the photos which were clearly taken in a different season and made me want to come back in the summer to see things in a different light.
Thanks Mike
Many thanks for your kind comments. I’ve updated the page with your improved instructions….
Just did the walk yesterday , meet a lovely couple gardening at the reading room. Walk was lovely but sad to say info about the queen’s head is it of date as it is only open from 5 most days
Enjoyed a nice walk and met friendly locals along the way. Directions are very good. Only one slight bit of uncertainty after St Andrew’s Church. The area pictured immediately after the church is actually not the next step but the one after. For clarity “pass the church on your left and walk up the hill with the hedge on your right. As you enter the field at the top of the rise, turn right and walk up the hill, keeping the stream on your left.” This then takes you to the stage pictured after the church currently.
Also after the Queens Arms in Finghall Village, “follow the road and where it bends to the left by the derestricted speed limit sign” is where you bear right thru the metal gate (not 30 mile per hour sign as there is one of these in the village itself).
These were minor points on an otherwise excellent set of instructions. Thank you!
We are really looking forward to our visit this next week, staying in Finghall, I hope all the residents are as friendly as you sound. Need to know of any walks suitable for semi- disabled “old birds” like me.
Hmmm, ‘semi-diasabled’ might cover a wide range of restricted abilities! Why not email info@constableburton.org with more detailed information to receive some specific advice?
As a resident – reading this is very sad as we do have some beautiful walks to be enjoyed by all visitors. As far as I understand it there are no parking restrictions in Constable Burton Village so please come back soon.
We were really looking forward to doing this walk, but when we parked near the Reading Room, in a place where there were no parking restrictions, a man came out of his house & started taking photos of our car ‘for evidence’. He was so rude to us & we felt so unwelcome that we got back in the car and went to Leyburn.