Thank you to John and Nigel for organising a fine walk via Wharram Percy for March 2019
Here are a few photos from the B walk, it appears that the A Team photographers were on holiday
March saw Doncaster Outsiders return to the Yorkshire Wolds. We started off from North Grimston. The warm weather of the previous week had brought the gardens into flower. Violets were a pleasing sight on the verges accompanies by daffodils, flowering red currant and vivid dense blue spikes of muscari. Today though, the weather was a little cooler. The skies were overcast though the day remained dry.
After an invigorating morning’s walk we stopped for lunch at Wharrem Percy. This has been the focus of intensive research, making it one of Europe’s best known deserted Medieval villages. Today, we can see the ruins of St Peter’s Church, the grassed over remains of two manor houses and about 40 peasant houses . According to some sources, Wharrem Percy was inhabited from the mid 7th Century. The Domesday Book records the village as being held by people of Viking descent. William The Conqueror granted the land to the Percy’s, an important Norman family. During the 14th Century the village suffered Scottish raids and the plague with subsequent decline. The final remaining villagers were evicted in about 1500 to make way for sheep as part of the clearances.
On our descent into Burythorpe we saw in the distance the grand Grade II Listed Kilnwick Percy Hall. In days gone by, it was the showpiece of the Percy family but it is now a Buddhist retreat and meditation centre with vegetarian peace café.
Finally we got to the pub. The Bay Horse at Burythorpe is a cosy old fashioned pub with a roaring fire and lots of paraphanalia, brass pots and the like, hanging from the ceiling. They had a fantastic range of real ale, including their own beers from the All Hallows Brewery.
The afternoon walk was to Acklam. Thanks for a really interesting walk.
Wharram Percy

