Castle Howard Circular Yorkshire Walking Trail

Today we are starting our walk at Castle Howard’s free car park situated in the Howardian Hills between York and Malton. Castle Howard does have facilities in the courtyard where you don’t need to pay admission.

We need to make our way down the drive towards the obelisk. The obelisk is a large stone monument designed in the classical style. It was erected in 1714, making it one of the earliest large-scale garden monuments in England, standing around 70 feet (21 meters) tall and is made from local stone.

At the obelisk we want to turn right along The Stray Road and down slope. There is no need to walk on the road side at this point as there is a path through the trees. However, you might want to explore the reserve pond and bridge where you might encounter some waterfowl.

As we walk under the shady treelined canopy, you will receive views of the house on your right hand side before you get to The Great Lake.

Once you reach the crossroads, we need to turn right and walk towards Coneysthorpe, an idyllic village part of the Castle Howard estate. The Castle Howard Lakeside Park will now be on your right hand side before you reach the village. It is characterised by its charming, traditional stone cottages, a quaint village green, and a peaceful rural atmosphere, all in a Georgian style.

On the right side of the road, you will see a public right of way with a signpost for Bog Hall. We need to follow this track across a large expanse of green pasture. If you have your canine chums with you, you may need to keep them on a leash as there are grazing animals around.  However, this is a very dog friendly route to be sure.

Keep following the track and you might hear sounds of a kiddies playground on your right in the Castle Howard grounds. The wood you see is known a Ray Woods. Keep following the route until you see a signpost for Welburn.

As this is a narrow path in the middle of anywhere, this may be a little overgrown at times yet accessible. This is probably the only challenging part of the walk, but not challenging enough to prevent you completing your walk.

We keep following this trail until we reach a gravel track where you can turn right. Here you will find a white farmers gate with a pedestrian gate at the side.

Keep following the trail with a retaining wall on your right hand side. This is where things start to get really interesting. Ahead, you will see an unusual construction known as the Temple of the Four Winds.

we are now heading towards the New River Bridge to cross it. This is actually not the nearby River Derwent, but a faux river. The New River Bridge at Castle Howard is an elegant stone bridge that spans one of the estate’s man-made lakes. The Mausoleum is on your left and Castle Howard on your right hand side.

The straight road over the New River Bridge takes you directly to the Centenary Way where we turn right.  This again is a very stunning area with the Howardian Hills along with the south side of Castle Howard and its various statues and follies.

You will see the Pyramid on your left and Castle Howard on your right. Follow The Stray Wall through to the gatehouse.

At the gatehouse, we want to head down hill towards the Obelisk we encountered earlier. Again, there is no need to walk upon the road as three is a path through the trees on the right hand side of the road.

You can follow the path out towards an old pavilion and walk across the grass to the car park outside Castle Howard.