As a small boy growing up in the West Riding of Yorkshire my Dad would often say, if I misbehaved, that I would be sent to Bubwith. What awaited me there was unknown, but confusingly my dad would also occasionally say that my mum had gone to Bubwith if I asked where she was. For over half a century I avoided going there but on an unseasonably warm February day in 2019 it became the launching point for my final section of walking the River Derwent. The village is very nice and not at all the stuff of my childhood nightmares and the church of All Saints dates from the 12th century and is Grade one listed.
The Derwent rises on Lilla Rig in the North York Moors just a few miles from the east coast, but was stopped from flowing into the North Sea in the last Ice age by debris from the glaciers. Instead it flows south then west before turning south again at Stamford Bridge and emptying into the River Ouse at Barmby barrage near Howden. This was the stage I was now walking. It is a lovely river to follow with large lazy bends surrounded by farmland.
Passing through the village of Breighton which in times past had a ferry to carry passengers across the river I followed the minor road a little way until I could find a path by the river bank. The whole area is low lying and liable to flooding so huge banks were built above the water to prevent flooding and to provide me with some easy drier walking. The next village was Wressle and again I had to find the road as the river passed through the grounds of the impressive Wressle Castle.
Built in the 14th century for the Earls of Northumberland the Percy family it provided a deterrent against raids from the Scots which were a regular event in the area. I regained the river having had a break at the church of St John of Beverley before walking the last few miles to Barmby Barrage.
The barrage prevents salt water from the tidal Ouse coming into the Derwent as upstream, at Loftsome Bridge water is extracted which supplies the city of Hull. The River Ouse was running fast as the tide receded, revealing shining mud banks and floodwater from the recent high water. This and the clouds of steam from nearby Drax power station gave an eerie reflection on my photo.
I followed the River Ouse downstream for three miles until the tower of Howden Minster and the M62 Ouse Bridge came into view.
It was now time to head north and leave the rivers behind and cross farmland until I returned to my starting point at Bubwith. I am glad I have followed the Derwent from source to Ouse and even happier that Bubwith was not the place of my childhood terrors. Naturally there was only one thing left to do…
Thirteen miles walked and negligible ascent…. Cheers.
walkingtalesofayorkshireman 