Richard Foster packs a picnic and sets off for one of the most tranquil spots in Yorkshire which was once a thriving community.

Why go there?

Wharram Percy, the most famous and intensively studied of Britain's 3,000 or so deserted medieval villages, occupies a remote site in a beautiful Wolds valley. Its recreated fishpond, near where corn mills used to grind out a living, is now an ideal spot for a relaxed, unhurried picnic. Above the much-studied ruins of the parish church, the outlines of many lost houses are traceable on a grassy plateau.

First settled in prehistoric times, Wharram Percy flourished as a village between the 12th and 14th centuries, before final abandonment, circa 1500. It was once thought that medieval villages were "deserted" due to the months of the Black Death in 1349.

Research at Wharram Percy has shown that, on the contrary, there are more than 3,000 such "deserted" villages in England and that they were depopulated by economic forces in the 15th century. These forces included a change from mixed agriculture to the less labour intensive sheep farming.

The Wharram archaeological project, which began in 1950, has shown that many of these sites were inhabited for centuries before the Middle Ages. Also, the evidence gathered at Wharram Percy has added immensely to our knowledge of English medieval peasant life. Graphic interpretation panels tell the village's story, and recreate the original appearance of the buildings.

How do you get there?

Six miles south-east of Malton, on minor road from B1248, half-a-mile south of Wharram-le-Street.

Access:

Park in car park, then three-quarter-mile walk via uneven track, steep in places. Site also accessible on foot via Wolds Way ramblers' path. Sturdy and waterproof footwear required. Parts of site slope steeply, and farm livestock is likely to be present on site and access path.

Parking:

The site has its own car park, clearly signposted

Opening times:

All year round.

Admission:

Free

Further information:

A guide book is available from English Heritage sites at Kirkham Priory or Pickering Castle and may not be purchased at the site.