Thornton-le-Dale and Ellerburn Circular

A complete 2-mile (3.2 km) loop, taking about 1 hour, starting and finishing at the Thornton le Dale (Maltongate) car park, YO18 7SD. It is easy and mostly gentle, with very little climbing overall, so it suits walkers wanting a short village and beckside outing rather than a hill day.

• Leave the car park and walk through the village, passing the market cross and stocks, the village green and pond, the Lady Lumley almshouses and the thatched Beck Isle Cottage.
• Pick up the path along Thornton Beck and follow the riverside fields upstream.
• Arrive at the quiet hamlet of Ellerburn and St Hilda's Church, where the present building dates from at least 1050 and incorporates earlier carved stones.
• Return through farmland and a farmyard, then along a narrow minor road and Brook Lane back into the village.

Although the walk is gentle, it is not a smooth surfaced route. The beckside path is natural in places, with exposed tree roots, cross-slopes and mud, and there are kissing gates to pass through. Boots give better footing than trainers. One short part of the return climbs a tarmac slope of up to 1:3, and you can avoid it by retracing your outward route along the beck instead.

The route crosses farmland and passes through a farmyard, so move through steadily and leave gates as you find them. Take care on the village roads and on the narrow return lane, which carries traffic and has limited space. Dogs are allowed, but keep them under control and on a lead near livestock.

There are toilets near the lake at the start and finish, and the village has pubs, cafes and shops for afterwards.

This is a short village and church walk. For a longer day among trees and waymarked trail networks, Dalby Forest nearby is a larger, more forest-focused option and a different kind of outing from this beckside circuit.