Huggate Circular Walk.

Michael Palmer
Dec 27, 2023
7 min read

Updated: Aug 7

Huggate Circular Walk – 4.92 Easy Miles Through the Yorkshire Wolds

If you're looking for an easy countryside walk with wide-open views and the distinctive rolling landscape of the Yorkshire Wolds, our 4.92-mile Huggate Circular Walk is a lovely route to explore.

Lyn and I personally walked, photographed and GPS recorded this route for The White Shire.

We rate the walk as easy.

At just under five miles, there's enough distance to feel like we've had a proper walk without the route becoming particularly demanding.

For us, Huggate is about the landscape. Rolling chalk hills, hidden valleys, farmland and those big Wolds skies make this a very different Yorkshire walk from the Dales, Moors or coastal routes we've explored.

Explore more East Yorkshire Walks on The White Shire

Huggate Circular Walk at a Glance

Distance: 4.92 miles

Route type: Circular

Difficulty: Easy – based on our experience

Location: Huggate

County: East Riding of Yorkshire

Area: Yorkshire Wolds

Nearby: Pocklington, Fridaythorpe, Millington and Driffield

Terrain: Countryside paths, field paths, tracks and rolling Wolds terrain

Highlights: Huggate, Yorkshire Wolds countryside, dry valleys and long rural views

Walked and photographed by: Michael and Lyn Palmer, The White Shire

Our 4.92-Mile Huggate Circular Walk

Lyn and I found this a really enjoyable easy countryside walk.

At 4.92 miles, it's approaching five miles, but we didn't find the overall route particularly difficult.

There's enough variation in the landscape to keep things interesting without turning the walk into a strenuous hike.

And Huggate gives us something we particularly enjoy – space.

Once we're out into the countryside, the views across the Yorkshire Wolds can stretch for miles.

Starting in Huggate

Huggate sits right in the heart of the Yorkshire Wolds.

It's a small village surrounded by agricultural countryside, and it's exactly the sort of place that makes a good base for exploring this landscape on foot.

There's none of the bustle we'd find in Yorkshire's better-known tourist towns.

We can arrive, put our boots on and head straight out into the countryside.

For us, that's part of the attraction.

Walking Through the Yorkshire Wolds

The Yorkshire Wolds have a character completely different from many of Yorkshire's better-known walking areas.

This is chalk country.

Millions of years of geology have helped create rolling hills, open tops and distinctive dry valleys.

The Yorkshire Wolds Way National Trail describes the landscape as a combination of green dry chalk valleys and wide-open field tops where the views can stretch for miles. (National Trail)

That's a pretty good description of why Lyn and I enjoy walking here.

There's a softness to the landscape.

The hills roll rather than tower over us, and the valleys often feel hidden until we're almost inside them.

Those Huggate Views

The views are one of the main reasons we'd recommend this walk.

On a clear day, the open nature of the Wolds means we can see across a huge amount of countryside.

We don't need to climb a mountain to get that sense of height and space.

As we make our way around the route, the landscape continually opens and closes.

One minute we're looking across fields towards the horizon.

The next we're dropping into one of the sheltered folds in the chalk landscape.

That variation keeps a relatively straightforward walk interesting.

The Yorkshire Wolds Way

Huggate has become an important place for walkers partly because of its connection with the Yorkshire Wolds Way.

The National Trail runs for 79 miles between Hessle, beside the Humber Estuary, and Filey Brigg on the North Yorkshire coast. (National Trail)

It passes through some of the most characteristic Wolds countryside, including sections around Huggate.

The official National Trails website even features several Huggate walks, including Huggate and the Poetry Bench and routes linking the village with Thixendale and Millington. (National Trail)

We're obviously not tackling the entire 79 miles today.

Our 4.92-mile circular gives us a much more manageable taste of the landscape.

Discover the Yorkshire Wolds Way National Trail

Why We Rate Huggate Easy

Our difficulty ratings are based on how Lyn and I actually experienced each route.

We rate Huggate as easy.

The 4.92-mile distance is manageable, and there wasn't anything about the overall route that we found particularly demanding.

That doesn't mean the Wolds are completely flat.

They're not.

There are changes in level as we cross the rolling countryside, but we didn't find them enough to move this particular route into our moderate category.

Interestingly, the official National Trail describes the Yorkshire Wolds Way as a generally gentle route without serious hills apart from a few short exceptions. (National Trail)

The Dry Valleys of the Wolds

One of the most distinctive features of the Yorkshire Wolds is its dry valleys.

They look like valleys that ought to contain rivers or streams – but often don't.

Their formation is connected to the chalk geology and the enormous environmental changes that shaped this landscape over thousands of years.

Today, they create some of the most attractive walking country in East Yorkshire.

We particularly like the way they make the landscape feel more intimate.

From the exposed tops we can suddenly drop into a sheltered green valley, then climb back towards another wide view.

A Working Yorkshire Landscape

The countryside around Huggate is also very much a working landscape.

Much of what we're walking through is agricultural land.

The fields, tracks and boundaries aren't simply here to create attractive scenery for us.

People make their living from this countryside.

We stick to the recognised paths, respect crops and livestock and leave gates as we find them.

It's something we think is worth mentioning regularly on The White Shire.

The privilege of walking through Yorkshire's countryside comes with a responsibility to look after it.

Huggate and St Mary's Church

Back in the village, St Mary's Church provides a reminder of Huggate's much longer history.

The church has stood at the centre of village life for generations and adds another layer to a place we might otherwise think of primarily as a walking destination.

That's something we're increasingly noticing on our White Shire walks.

We arrive because of the countryside.

Then we start looking around the village and discover there's often far more history than we expected.

Is Huggate Suitable for Beginners?

Based on our own experience, we'd consider this one of our more approachable Wolds routes.

At 4.92 miles, the distance is manageable for many people who are reasonably comfortable walking.

We've rated it easy, although there are natural surfaces and the normal changes in level we'd expect in rolling countryside.

Weather can also make a difference.

Field paths can become muddier after prolonged rain, so we'd still recommend proper walking footwear.

How Long is the Huggate Circular Walk?

Our GPS-recorded Huggate Circular Walk measures 4.92 miles.

I've checked this directly against your existing White Shire article, which gives the same 4.92-mile distance. (The White Shire)

How long you'll need depends on your pace.

Lyn and I tend to take our time.

We're photographing the walk, looking at the countryside and stopping when something catches our attention.

And when we've got the sort of views we find around Huggate, there are plenty of reasons to stop.

When is the Best Time to Walk Huggate?

We think the Yorkshire Wolds can be enjoyed throughout much of the year.

Spring brings fresh growth across the countryside.

Summer gives us long days and huge skies.

The official Yorkshire Wolds Way information particularly highlights June and early July for the possibility of seeing vibrant poppy fields, while May and September are popular walking months. (National Trail)

Autumn changes the colours across the farmland and hedgerows.

Winter can make the exposed nature of the Wolds considerably more noticeable, so we'd pay particular attention to the weather forecast.

A Quieter Yorkshire Walking Destination

One thing we particularly like about the Yorkshire Wolds is that they can feel quieter than some of Yorkshire's more famous walking areas.

They don't have the towering peaks of the Dales.

They don't have the rugged reputation of the North York Moors.

But that's precisely why they're worth exploring.

There's something wonderfully uncomplicated about walking across rolling countryside with a huge Yorkshire sky above us.

Huggate captures that feeling particularly well.

More East Yorkshire Walks

Huggate adds another route to our growing East Yorkshire collection.

We've now explored very different landscapes around Welton Wold, Holme-on-Spalding-Moor and other parts of the East Riding.

That's exactly what we want The White Shire to show.

East Yorkshire isn't simply somewhere we drive through on the way to the coast.

There are villages, chalk hills, hidden valleys, historic churches, farmland and miles of countryside waiting to be explored.

Explore The White Shire's East Yorkshire Walks

And if you fancy exploring further afield, we've got our growing collection from across the whole county.

Discover more Yorkshire Walks on The White Shire

Discovering the Real Yorkshire

Huggate fits perfectly with the Yorkshire we're trying to uncover through The White Shire.

There's no huge visitor attraction halfway around this route.

There doesn't need to be.

Instead, we're walking through one of Yorkshire's most distinctive landscapes.

There are rolling chalk hills.

Hidden dry valleys.

A small rural village.

Working farmland.

And views stretching across the East Riding countryside.

It's a quieter Yorkshire than some people know.

And that's exactly why Lyn and I enjoy exploring it.

The more we walk, the more we realise that some of Yorkshire's best days out aren't necessarily found at the places everybody already knows.

Sometimes we just need a footpath, a pair of walking boots and a few hours to see what's over the next hill.

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.

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.

Huggate Circular Walk – Our Verdict

Our Huggate Circular Walk measures 4.92 miles.

Lyn and I rate it as easy.

For us, the biggest attraction is the Yorkshire Wolds landscape itself.

We're walking through rolling chalk countryside, crossing working farmland and enjoying views that can stretch for miles.

Huggate's position close to the Yorkshire Wolds Way also puts us right in the heart of one of Yorkshire's quieter walking landscapes. The National Trail itself runs 79 miles from Hessle to Filey Brigg, but we don't need to tackle anything like that distance to enjoy what makes the Wolds special. (National Trail)

At just under five miles, we think this is a lovely easy countryside route.

No huge attractions required.

Just Huggate, the Wolds and another 4.92 miles of the real Yorkshire explored on foot.