5 of us (Myself, David, Justine, Andrew and Rebecca) met on a scorching summer evening at Kirkham Abbey, between York and Malton, for one of the midweek evening walks. As we crossed the river Derwent a boat load of people floated downstream past the Abbey making quite an idyllic scene.
After crossing the railway we headed up a steep climb through the woods and then turned left to follow a woodland path, the shade and cooler air providing a welcome change from the baking sun. After popping out into some fields, we dropped steadily down past a farm to join a country lane. This crossed the railway again and was busy with cyclists enjoying an evening spin.
Reaching a small wood which was to be our turnaround point, we headed through the trees towards the river and could hear a strange, regular ‘sloshing’ sound, which turned out to be coming from Howsham Mill across the river. This was the sound of the first archimedes screw turbines in the UK, generating electricity as part of the Renewable Heritage Trust’s restoration of the mill site. http://howshammill.org.uk/ if you're interested in more information!
We watched some kayakers practising their skills in the mill weir, and further upstream there were a few swimmers cooling off in the river at this popular wild swimming spot. A pleasant walk back along the western bank of the river Derwent through fields and along the occasionally overgrown path took us back to Kirkham Abbey. Along the way we came across a patch of pineapple weed, which I’m sure I’ve seen before (it’s fairly common at field edges apparently) but didn’t realise it was wild chamomile. So thanks Andrew and Rebecca, I learned something too, and the handful I collected is currently drying out ready for when I next fancy a brew.
Just up the road from the Abbey is the Stone Trough Inn, so we finished a lovely evening with a beer out in the garden, enjoying the last of the sunshine. A warm orange sunset followed, and the final rays of the day illuminated the tops of the trees across the valley, reminding us it was time to think about heading home.
