'The northern part of the parish, once overpowered with woods, which are now almost quite cleared off, is full of pleasing risings and watered with many fine springs and clear rivulets...'
W.H. Topographical description of Cottingham near Hull, 1797. The Gentleman's Magazine and Historical Chronicle, Volume 67, Part 2
This is a great circular walk at the northwestern side of Cottingham, on the foothills of the Yorkshire Wolds, ideal to learn about Woodland plants, a traditional walk at the Hull Natural History Society. It starts at Lazaats Hotel, at Wood Hill Way, then follows the northern boundary of Skidby Lakes Golf Course, towards Burn Park farm. It then turns North, then West towards the area that used to be Jilly Woods. The sinuous path follows a ditch, probably following the course of an ancient beck, and then joins Jillywoods Lane, a sunken, tree-lined lane that is now covered in carpets of Bluebells, Ramsons and various other indicator plants of ancient woodland, including the delicate Wood Melick, which I saw today for the first time. Despite the name and the woodland plants, there is no wood. Jilly Wood was cleared and the land ploughed over a hundred years ago (it is still in present in the 1852 OS map, although the eastern half of it appears to be wood pasture by then). Trees were left on the field boundaries and the woodland plants still cling to the hedges and along the sunken path. A large part of Birkhill Wood, to the north, still survives and is visible in the top shot. The fastest of our group got a quick sighting of a Grass Snake and a Little Owl, but I was at the back and missed both. Despite this, I really enjoyed the walk and learning about the plants of the ghost woods of Cottingham.
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