George Wilkinson defines a country walk around Castle Howard

Old oaks in the car park reminded that they can take 300 years to die. A Jaguar SS 100 in racing green cooled in their shade, we took a leisurely, late lunch in a sunlit courtyard restaurant.

Later we decamped to the car park opposite the Great Lake. A birdwatcher delighted by a cormorant lent me his old Soviet army binoculars, and despite their small size they allowed a vision of the domed house across the lake of astonishing clarity, light and breadth of vision. If I had such optics, walks would take ages.

We ambled on, by the estate village of Coneysthorpe, and had, but only for a few hundred yards, the sight of castle and caravans together. From loosely planted slopes we entered Ray Woods and honking geese gave way to a rustle underfoot. The oaks, of which there are many varieties here, were holding their green but, given luck with the weather, promise a show. Sweet chestnuts were glossy of leaf and nuts. Ash had turned branch by branch, hazel randomly leaf by leaf making green dotted with yellow. Birch were quite a kaleidoscope, but the strongest colour was the wine red of the bramble and the mustard of the fireweed.

Then we climbed past Mount Sion Wood and forgot this. By a genius of landscaping, the viewpoint is not the hilltop but the New River Bridge below and the low sun worked its magic and lit the lantern on top of the Castle Howard dome, cheered up the temple, shadowed the columns of the mausoleum and silhouetted the pyramid. This is wonderful and free and continues for a mile along track and estate road.

Interestingly, for a photographer, the foreground was either populated by large cylindrical straw bales or solid black and hornless Aberdeen Angus cattle that are on the menu as beefburgers; better, perhaps, to have the pear-crusted hake.

The last stretch of this walk is along the road named the Stray, the avenue that often drivers speed along, perhaps encouraged by the hundred foot obelisk, the ‘faithful pillar’ as described on a plaque.

But this mile is insulated from the traffic as the parallel footpath runs between two rows of very closely planted limes.

Their trunks are straight and tall, their branches arch up to touch and formed a green vault vivid with the last sunlight.

Back at the lake it was quieter, the birds, swans and all, seemed settled, then 16 geese left and headed north, followed a minute later by 27.

Fact file

Distance: Four miles.

General location: Howardian Hills.

Start: Great Lake.

Right of way: Public.

Dogs: Legal, but cows, calves and bull.

Date walked: October, 2009.

Road route: From York via A64.

Car parking: Free car park by Great Lake.

Lavatories: Castle Howard.

Refreshments: Castle Howard.

Tourist and public transport information: Malton TIC 01653 600048.

Map: Ordnance Survey 300 Howardian Hills and Malton.

Terrain: Parkland.

Difficulty: Easy.

• Please observe the Country Code and park sensibly. While every effort is made to provide accurate information, walkers set out at their own risk.

Directions

When in doubt look at the map. Check your position at each point.

Keep straight on unless otherwise directed.

1 Left from car park, 50 yards, right at crossroads (Coneysthorpe ¼) verge, pavement.

2 Pass village, white wooden gate on right (fingerpost Welburn), path 25 yards, right to track.

3 At corner of wood to your right, near wooden rail, cut field corner using 250 yards of grass track, cross track to path (three-way fingerpost, Welburn), into trees, 100 yards, right to track, 50 yards, snickelgate/large white gate into field to track by wall, 50 yards.

4 At wall corner, head across field for 200 yards to top corner of fenced area. Right (three-way fingerpost, Welburn) and up grass slope between temple and wood, no path, over top and downhill.

5 Snickelgate/fieldgate (waymark) to bridge and track. At junction, right to metalled bridleway (4- way fingerpost, Bulmer).

6 Just before road, path on right through trees. Verge at roundabout with obelisk, rejoin path through trees, verge at bridge, rejoin path through trees. At field, verge, pass lake.