Lovely walk this one, and if your quick you can have a drink in a pub at each end of the walk, Lamb & Flag quick dash round and a final glass of ale in the Masons Arms, smashin’ .
Get yourself parked somewhere in the centre of Bishop Monkton, reference points will be the two pubs, the Lamb & Flag and the Masons Arms. Once you have found either of these the map will make a little more sense.
Start from the Lamb & Flag, walk down the Main Street and you will pass a building on your right called the Mechanical Institute (pictured below). About 50 metres on you will come to Fern House again on the right. Directly opposite is a track leading towards Ashbrook Farm, there is sign to Ashbrook Farm. Walk along this track until you reach the farm, pass the farm through two gates, please shut the gates, don’t want any cows escaping!
Below, the path leading to Asbrook Farm, passing the farm and the field beyond.
n the field after the farm, watch out for the cow poo! You may wish to stick your trousers in your socks here. Keeping the hedge to your left, cross the field to a stile at the other side. Cross this stile, there are chicken sheds, big sheds, to your left carry straight (pic below) on down the track to the corner of a field jutting out, follow this down keeping the hedge to your right. At the bottom there is a stile and you should be able to see Oxclose Lock beyond, if not you are lost! Walk to the lock and River Ure.
Turn right and walk along the banks of the River Ure, across the river you may catch a glimps of Newby Hall. After a short while you will come to a small footbridge, cross this and continue on till you reach a gate. Just past this gate there is a footpath marked off to the right through another gate.
Pass through this gate and follow the track all the way until you reach a road. Turn right on this road and head back to Bishop monkton.
You can now walk back through Bishop Monkton, cross the little stream that runs through its centre, and have a well earned drink in either the Lamb & Flag or the Masons Arms, not to much if you are driving though!
