Holderness: around the Lambwath valley

A breezy, but mild day with sunny spells. I take bus 24 to Skirlaugh. After leaving the bus, I cross the road and take Church lane.  The walk today takes me around the middle section of the Lambwath valley, at the site of the medieval Lambwath Mere. We have met the Lambwath Stream in this Holderness series before, in the Skirlaugh to Wawne and the Skirlaugh to Hornsea walks. The Jackdaws and Rooks calls put the background sound around the pretty St Augustine's Church. I walk around the church. There are signs for a woodland walk and also educating the public about the efforts to grow a meadow amongst the old headstones. The Lambwath Stream runs just by the church, although it is barely running. Its banks are lined with mature trees and bushes. After leaving the church, I follow the lane and then take a public right of way on the edge of the village. Soon, I rejoin the stream, although it is hidden in its deep banks. There are some large ashes lining its course. 

Skirlaugh's St Augustine's church.

Woodpigeon at Skirlaugh Church.

A Grey Squirrel looks down from its tree. They don't appear to be common in Holderness.

A pair of Rooks was checking the nest.

The Lamwath Stream by the Church.

Red Admiral.

The public footpath goes up the side of the gentle valley along a copse and then on the southern flank of the Rise estate. The path follows Wood End Farm track and then I continue on the road towards Withernwick. There is steady traffic every few minutes. At Whitedale, I cross the Trans Pennine Way.

There was no bull to be seen.

A large Ash stump with Dryad's saddle.

The footpath follows the Lambwath for a while.

The restored Whitedale Station building.

Several Rooks were feeding in the garden of the station house.

The Yew lined walk theough Whithernwick Churchyard.

St Alban's Church at Withernwick.

After a quick stroll around the village and the church, I take a right of way from Straits Farm that takes me towards the Lambwath meadows. A tractor is tilling a field, followed by a cloud of rooks and gulls. I spot a Wheatear on the field, they are migrating now. I cross a hedge and get a sweeping view across the valley giving broad views of the meadows. Perfect spot for lunch!

The approximate extent of the Lambwath Mere. Note that it was longer, and of a similar width to Hornsea Mere, the last surviving mere of Holderness.

The old Lambwath Mere

The source of the Lambwath Stream is east of the village of Aldbrough, a few meters from the beach, on the soft boulder clay cliffs 20 m in height. The incline of the Holderness landscape means that the stream flows west, skirting the village. The stream forms a narrow and sinuous valley 10 m deep over the sea level, which soon widens in a long basin, what used to be Lambwath Mere (see image above). As other meres in Holderness, this mere formed after the ice melted, as a proglacial lake. A layer of peat lies under its sediments as in other meres. In historical times it provided fish and reeds for neighbouring villages.  It is likely that drainage patterns downstream contributed to the draining of the mere in medieval times, although changes in sea level might have also contributed. The mere became silted and simply, disappeared. However, and despite the many parallel drains now in existance, the fields still are seasonally flooded, and several of them are managed traditionally as flower rich hay meadows, with some formerly arable fields in the basin being restored as neutral, species rich wet meadows. Part of the old mere basin, is now a SSSI, just south east of Withernwick. This area seems to call for stream restoration measures to elevate the course of the stream and connect it with its floodplain and slow the flow, blocking drainage ditches. We might be a long way to reintroducing Beavers in East Yorkshire, but these ecosystems engineers would be ideal to bring new life to these ancient meadows.

A Wheatear on a just tilled field.

A footpath sandwiched between ditches and hedgerows crosses the valley. It has flagstones at some point.

The Lamwath stream with the meadows on its floodplain.

Small White.

I climb to the rim of the valley again and walk on the road along Marton and New Ellerby, then I take the Hornsea rail trail and make it to Skirlaugh with some time for a coffee at the Lazy Bean before my bus back home. 

More information

Sheppard, J. A. (1957). The medieval meres of Holderness. Transactions and Papers (Institute of British Geographers), (23), 75-86.

Holderness: Long Riston, Rise and Arnold

 

It's sunny and cold, with a light breeze. I take the 8:09 bus 24 to Long Riston, and get there around 9 o'clock. I have planned to explore the village for a while before the actual walk. Robins and Starlings are singing from aerials and trees. A House Martin is still around. I head towards the church and explore the grounds. By the path to the church there is a field with a pond, and a family group of eight Moorhens feed on the edges. Jackdaws sit in pairs, tightly together, and two Rabbits sit sleepily in the sunshine by their burrow. I notice a grassy field by the church, with a well trodden perimeter path and I take it. I take my bat detector out of my backpack, as it just looks ideal for bush-crickets, but it is 8 oC! Surprisingly, they are calling. I manage to find a calling Roesel's but there are more, scattered around the field. The barking calls of skeins of Pink-footed Geese announce that Autumn is here.

Starling.

Goldfinch.

Moorhen.

Rabbits.

Jackdaws.

Long Riston St Margaret's church.

Two cows graze on another field by the church. This one looked a bit menacing, standing by the path so I left them alone.

Pink-footed Geese.

Rook. They were going back and forth, probably hiding acorns.

Roesel's singing at 8 oC!

Yellowhammer.

The field by the church, with its well trodden path.

A Rook picks acorns from an oak in one of the village gardens.

I return to the village and take the public right of way towards Rise. Once it skirts around the last houses in the village, it is along a large field, which rises slowly towards Farnton Hill. The broad verge has a racing horse training track, and there is a jockey training his horse. Very impressive to have the horse galloping at full tilt parallel to the path, its forceful breathing audible as it goes past, otherwise quite silently as the track is covered on a layer of rags.

A Spike shieldbug, a large shieldbug that is predatory. On a stretch of rough grass and brambles on the village edge.

A Yellowhammer on a field hedgerow.

View north towards Long Riston.

Training racehorse and jockey.

Buzzard.

Common Darter.

Speckled Wood.

There are several blooming mature Ivy in the sunshine by Farnton Hill plantation and further ahead. I see no Ivy Bees, but there is a treasure trove of insects feeding on them.

Common Tachinid.

Red Admiral.

Comma.

Hornet.

Rise is, indeed, on a rise, giving views towards the Wolds in the distance. A full 20 m of altitude, compared to the 10 or so of Long Riston. I walk around the small village. I sit on the steps of All Saints church (top shot), watching three or four male hornets buzzing around a large lime tree. Occasionally one sits to bask on a leaf. After my lunch, I follow the busy road until meeting a public right of way towards Arnold, my last settlement of the day. Arnold has a pub, but no church. The sunshine has brought out some late butterflies and dragonflies. I'm pleasantly surprised by a Brown Argus on a field margin. I cross the busy road, and after walking along Arnord I find there is an underpass to Long Riston, which is more than welcome. It's been a great walk today, varied and with wonderful weather.

Hornet.

Small Copper.

Kestrel.

Brown Argus.

Migrant Hawker.

Underpass