Tuesday, 3 December 2024

Holderness: Hedon, Saltend and Marfleet

In today's walk, I took bus 75 to Hedon, and walked back towards Hull along the Withernsea railway train, which is now used as a cycle and pedestrian lane. At Hedon, I first visit the grounds of the impressive church, cathedral like. A Chaffinch feeds under a beech, and there are Jackdaws and House Sparrows around. I search for public rights of way to make my way to the railway trail, and I'm very pleased to find that they go along water. The map tells me that the town is surrounded by water: Reedmere Sewer, on the north and Burswick drain and Hedon Haven on the south side. I spot two Little Egret on the Reedmere, which, unlike its name, it's a transparent pleasant dyke. One of them flies to a tree overhanging the water (top shot). I take the trail near Twyers Hill and then it's a linear footpath, unpaved until the Hull boundary.

St Augustine's Church, Hedon
Singing Coal Tit.
Little Egret fishing at Reedmere Sewer.
Song Thrush.
The railway trail, lined by Hawthorn hedges.
Many shy Redwings flew in groups at my approach.
I only had a flock of Fieldfare.

A clump of trees looking north.
A Buzzard perched on a fence on a field before Staithes Road.
Kestrel.
The bubbling call of Curlews made me scan the field, the same where the Buzzard was. There were five Curlews overall, the Saltend power station towers behind them.
The Curlew field with the Saltend power station towers in the distance
I got lucky with this Redwing.
One of many Chaffinches today.
Goldcrest near Saltend.
Reed Bunting by the Old Fleet. 

A Meadow Pipit flew over this field inside the Hull boundary. It is a green space with paths, scrub and wetter areas. A female Kestrel was perched on the pylon visible. 
The trail is hard surface within the Hull boundary, but it retains its mainly hawthorn hedges and green corridor feel.

I take a short detour from the trail to visit what remains of the ancient village of Marfleet, now part of the city of Hull. Amongst large warehouses and industrial units and yards with mobile homes, stands a small church in a green churchyard with mature trees, which was the parish church of the village of Marfleet. At the time, Marfleet was a small agricultural settlement, with a few scattered farmhouses surrounding the church and right next to the grazing marsh of the Humber and large flat fields away from Hull. A common next to the high water 'Paddock common' and a brackwater is shown in the 1852 OS map. Today, a school and a few cottages and farmhouses, some refurbished dwellings, are all that remains from the old village. Marfleet is now separated from the Humber by the A1033 and King George Dock on reclaimed land.

St Giles church of Marfleet, rebuilt in 1883-4 in the same place as an older church.
A look into the wooded area known as The Lozenge.
I make my way to Holderness road at the end of the cycle track and catch my bus home. I will use Hedon as the start or end of other walks in the series, so I'll have the chance to explore other areas of the town.

No comments: