Holme-on-Spalding-Moor: A Historic Village in the East Yorkshire
Updated: Aug 7
Holme-on-Spalding-Moor Circular Walk – 5.83 Easy Miles in East Yorkshire
If you're looking for a longer but easy countryside walk in East Yorkshire, our 5.83-mile Holme-on-Spalding-Moor Circular Walk is a great way to explore one of the quieter landscapes of the East Riding.
Lyn and I personally walked, photographed and GPS recorded this route for The White Shire.
We rate the walk as easy.
At 5.83 miles, it's longer than some of our other easy routes, but we didn't find the overall walk particularly demanding.
What we particularly like about Holme-on-Spalding-Moor is that this isn't one of Yorkshire's obvious walking destinations. We're exploring farmland, quiet countryside and a village with a surprisingly interesting history.
That's exactly the sort of place we're increasingly looking for through The White Shire.
Holme-on-Spalding-Moor Circular Walk at a Glance
Distance: 5.83 miles
Route type: Circular
Difficulty: Easy – but a longer easy walk
Location: Holme-on-Spalding-Moor
County: East Riding of Yorkshire
Nearby: Market Weighton, Howden, Pocklington and the Yorkshire Wolds
Terrain: Countryside paths, field paths, tracks and quiet rural sections
Highlights: Open East Yorkshire countryside, Holme-on-Spalding-Moor, All Saints' Church and the history of the surrounding moor
Walked and photographed by: Michael and Lyn Palmer, The White Shire
Our 5.83-Mile Holme-on-Spalding-Moor Walk
Lyn and I found this a very manageable countryside walk.
The 5.83-mile distance makes it longer than quite a few of our easy White Shire routes, but mileage and difficulty aren't necessarily the same thing.
We've walked shorter routes that have required considerably more effort.
Here, we can settle into a comfortable pace and enjoy exploring a part of East Yorkshire that probably isn't on most people's list of famous walking destinations.
And that's part of the attraction for us.
Exploring Holme-on-Spalding-Moor
Holme-on-Spalding-Moor sits between York and Hull in a landscape very different from the Yorkshire Dales or North York Moors.
It's flatter, more agricultural and dominated by wide expanses of farmland.
But the name gives us a clue that the countryside hasn't always looked quite like it does today.
Historically, much of the surrounding land was moor, common and wetter ground.
A 19th-century description even talks about areas of trackless moor and morass, where travelling across the landscape could be difficult. (Vision of Britain)
That's quite different from the agricultural countryside we're walking through today.
A Landscape Transformed
One of the most interesting parts of Holme-on-Spalding-Moor's story is the transformation of the surrounding landscape.
The parish once contained extensive areas of common and waste ground.
Records associated with the 18th-century enclosure describe around 7,000 acres of commons or waste, as well as large areas of open fields, meadows and other agricultural land. (Holme Local History Society)
Enclosure reorganised this landscape into the fields and boundaries that helped create the countryside we recognise today.
It's a reminder that rural Yorkshire isn't necessarily a completely natural landscape.
What we're walking through has been shaped by people for centuries.
Out into the East Yorkshire Countryside
Once we're out of the village, the countryside becomes the main feature of our walk.
This isn't dramatic landscape.
And we don't mean that as a criticism.
There's something we enjoy about the openness of East Yorkshire.
Fields stretch away towards the horizon, rural tracks take us between farmland and the landscape has a completely different character from the hills and valleys we encounter elsewhere in Yorkshire.
It's quieter and more understated.
Sometimes that's exactly what we want from a walk.
Why We Rate Holme-on-Spalding-Moor Easy
Our difficulty ratings are based on how Lyn and I personally experienced each route.
We rate this one as easy.
The important qualification is the distance.
At 5.83 miles, you'll obviously be walking for longer than on one of our three-mile easy routes.
But we didn't find the terrain particularly strenuous.
If you're already comfortable walking five or six miles, we think this is a very manageable route.
If you're building up your walking distance, one of our shorter easy routes might be a better starting point.
All Saints' Church
One of the village's most important landmarks is All Saints' Church.
And this is where I've corrected something from our older White Shire article.
Historic England's official listing records the nave and aisles as 13th century, with the upper tower and clerestory dating from the 15th century and the porch from the 18th century. The church was later restored by Temple Moore between 1906 and 1911. (Historic England)
The building is Grade I listed.
That puts it amongst the most historically and architecturally important listed buildings in England.
A Church That Has Watched the Landscape Change
We find places like All Saints particularly interesting on a walk like this.
The church has stood here while the landscape around it has changed dramatically.
Generations have farmed the surrounding land.
The old commons were enclosed.
Roads improved.
Agricultural methods changed.
The village expanded.
And yet the medieval fabric of the church survives.
It's one of those places where Yorkshire history isn't hidden inside a museum.
It's still standing in the middle of the community.
Holme Hall
There's more architectural history in the village too.
Holme Hall dates from around 1720–30 and was designed by William Wakefield for Lord Langdale. A chapel was added in 1766 by the noted Yorkshire architect John Carr. (Historic England)
The building is Grade II listed.
It's another reminder that there's more history around Holme-on-Spalding-Moor than we might expect when first looking at the surrounding agricultural landscape.
Walking Through a Working Landscape
Most of this countryside isn't here primarily for walkers.
It's working agricultural land.
That's something Lyn and I always try to remember when we're out exploring.
Fields are somebody's livelihood.
Tracks may be used by agricultural vehicles.
Livestock may be present.
We stick to public paths, respect crops and animals and leave gates as we find them.
We want people to enjoy Yorkshire's countryside, but we also want The White Shire to encourage people to look after the places we're sharing.
Is Holme-on-Spalding-Moor Suitable for Beginners?
Potentially, yes.
We've rated it easy because we didn't find the terrain particularly difficult.
The main consideration is whether you're comfortable walking 5.83 miles.
For somebody accustomed to five or six-mile walks, we think it's very approachable.
For somebody just starting countryside walking, the distance may feel more significant.
Weather also makes a difference.
After prolonged rain, field paths and agricultural tracks can become muddy even when the overall route remains easy.
We'd still recommend sensible walking footwear.
How Long is the Holme-on-Spalding-Moor Circular Walk?
Our GPS-recorded circular measures 5.83 miles.
I've checked that directly against the existing White Shire article, which links to your 5.83-mile Komoot route. (The White Shire)
How long you'll need depends on your pace.
Lyn and I aren't trying to set any records.
We're taking photographs, looking around and stopping when something catches our attention.
And on a route approaching six miles, we'll quite happily take our time.
For us, that's what walking around Yorkshire is about.
A Different Side of East Yorkshire
One of the reasons we're keen to expand our East Yorkshire collection is that the landscape is so varied.
We've got the Yorkshire Wolds.
We've got the Holderness coast.
We've got the Humber.
There are historic towns and villages.
And then there are flatter agricultural landscapes such as this.
They're all Yorkshire.
That's important to us because we don't want The White Shire to simply repeat the same famous destinations that appear on every other Yorkshire website.
We want to explore the places between them too.
When is the Best Time to Walk Holme-on-Spalding-Moor?
We think this route could work through much of the year.
Spring brings new growth across the farmland and hedgerows.
Summer gives us long days and wide views across the East Riding countryside.
Autumn brings another change in the agricultural landscape.
And winter can make the openness of the area particularly noticeable.
Recent rainfall is probably more important than the season itself.
Because we're walking through working countryside, wet weather can make natural paths muddier.
More East Yorkshire Walks
Holme-on-Spalding-Moor adds another very different route to our growing East Yorkshire collection.
That's exactly what we want.
Someone might discover The White Shire because they're looking for this walk and then find our routes around Welton Wold or somewhere completely different for their next weekend out.
We want the website to become somewhere people return to whenever they fancy discovering another part of Yorkshire.
And if you don't mind travelling a little further, we've got walks across West, North, East and South Yorkshire.
Discovering the Real Yorkshire
Holme-on-Spalding-Moor is exactly the sort of place we want The White Shire to uncover.
It isn't an over-promoted Yorkshire tourist destination.
We're not following crowds towards a famous viewpoint.
Instead, we're walking through an ordinary Yorkshire landscape and discovering that it isn't particularly ordinary at all.
We find a Grade I listed medieval church.
We discover a countryside once dominated by extensive commons and moorland.
We learn how enclosure helped transform that landscape.
And we see a village that has continued changing while retaining pieces of its past.
That's the real Yorkshire for us.
Not simply the places everybody already knows, but the villages, fields, footpaths, buildings and local stories we discover by getting out and exploring.
About Michael and Lyn
Michael and Lyn Palmer explore Yorkshire together on foot, personally walking, photographing and GPS recording the routes featured on The White Shire.
We're not professional hikers or historians.
We're simply a husband and wife who enjoy getting outside together, discovering interesting places and learning more about Yorkshire along the way.
Our difficulty ratings are based on how we personally experienced each route.
Holme-on-Spalding-Moor Circular Walk – Our Verdict
Our Holme-on-Spalding-Moor Circular Walk measures 5.83 miles.
Lyn and I rate it as easy.
It's longer than some of our easy routes, but we didn't find the overall terrain particularly demanding.
What makes the walk interesting for us is discovering another side of East Yorkshire.
This is an agricultural landscape with a much older story underneath it.
The surrounding countryside was once very different, while All Saints' Church still preserves fabric dating back to the 13th century. (Historic England)
At 5.83 miles, there's enough distance to feel like we've had a proper walk without making it particularly challenging.
For us, it's another quiet corner of the real Yorkshire that's well worth exploring on foot.
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