Country walk at Hutton Buscel

It gets its name from the Buscel family who arrived at the time of William the Conqueror.

The Normans faced rebellions throughout England, especially in the north, which caused William to give large holdings of land to his noblemen. In return, he expected them to control the unruly northerners.

The Norman in charge of the lands along this part of the Vale of Pickering was called Buscel and he soon had the rebels sorted. Not such a bad thing; someone had to put us in order and build castles and churches for us.

The Norman church at Hutton Buscel was given to the abbot and monks of Whitby early in the 12th century. Some restoration work has since been carried out in sympathy with the original building and today we see a beautiful church in a fantastic setting.

Every church has, or has had, a local character in its history; Hutton Buscel is no exception as it has connections with the famous Squire Osbaldston.

Inside the church is a monument to Richard Osbaldston, Bishop of Carlisle and London who was the son of the Osbaldston family from Hunmanby.

George Osbaldston was of a later generation of the family and was known affectionately as the ‘Old Squire’. He was acclaimed to be a super sportsman, being one of the best shots, riders, cricketers and oarsman who ever lived.

But it was his passion for foxhunting where his greatest acclaim lay. He was master of nine different hunts in his lifetime and was also a highly successful foxhound breeder, his hounds bringing higher prices than any other breeder in England.

They were so highly valued that the then Lord Middleton gave 2,000 guineas for 10 couples of hounds. Quite a lot of money in the 19th century.

He was said to be a brilliant jockey on the flat, endurance and in steeplechase racing where he won many prizes. The biggest was for 1,000 guineas.

The trouble with the Old Squire was that he couldn’t refuse a bet, of which he won many. But betting was to be his eventual downfall, whether it was foolishness or that he had been swindled we will never know, but he lost about £200,000 on horses and after paying other gambling debts he became almost penniless.

At the age of 65 he recovered his fortunes and married a rich widow, who we presume, held on to her money. The Old Squire departed this world in 1866.

On this walk from Hutton Buscel, we pass alongside the Charm Park point-to-point racecourse. I wonder if the Old Squire raced his horse or ran his hounds around these fields? If I was the Old Squire I would certainly have had a bet on it.

Your route

Start from the church gate, keeping it on your left to walk through the village around the double bend in the road.

Follow the road to a severe left bend and descend to the main A170. This is a fast and busy road, please take care crossing.

Take the road opposite which is narrow and sometimes muddy. Continue along this road to eventually follow it round to the left. Soon you arrive at a T-junction. Go left here onto a better road.

When the road bears right, you will see the Charm Park point-to-point racecourse on your left. If you hear the Old Squire shout ‘tallyho’, get out of the way.

Not far and you arrive at some houses and the entrance to Wykeham Lakes. Follow the road around to the left, then just after you pass two large trees on opposite sides of the road, look for a sometimes muddy lane on your right.

Enter the lane and walk to the end where you approach a large metal gate. Go right before the gate through a wooden gate at the public footpath sign, then go immediately left into the field towards a wide farm track.

Continue along into another field with a stile, then at the next field go left to walk around the field path. Shortly, follow the path around the kink to the right, then a little further along leave the field by going straight ahead onto a narrow path leading to a kissing gate.

Continue to another kissing gate, then walk along past a house to the road. Go left here to walk through the village of West Ayton to soon reach the A170. Walkers Tea Rooms is a couple of hundred metres to the right along the A170.

Cross this busy road again, this time using the central reservation and aim for the road opposite called Cockrah Road. Say hello to the friendly horses on the right, then start to climb past an old quarry entrance. Go past a seat and then immediately left at the crossroads onto a dead end road.

Enjoy the views across the valley to the Yorkshire Wolds as you climb the hill, then descend past some industrial buildings. Just past the buildings at the bottom of a short hill, go left through the gate at the public bridleway sign.

In a few metres, bear left at the blue waymarks to climb on a wide muddy track to a gate at the top of the hill. Cross the field, then pass through another gate to soon reach the road at a farm. Go left here onto the road, then at the T-junction, go right to walk through Hutton Buscel village back to your transport near the church.

The facts
Distance: 4½ miles/7km
Time: 1½ hours
Grading: easy
Start/grid ref: Hutton Buscel church gate, ref 973841
Best map: OS Outdoor Leisure 27
Parking: on the road in Hutton Buscel village
Refreshments: Walkers Tea Rooms at East Ayton, off route
Stiles: one, not in current use
Public toilets: none

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