Walkers Take on the Wold Rangers Way from Driffield
Walkers have been heading out from Driffield this week to explore one of the Yorkshire Wolds’ most distinctive long-distance walking routes.
The Wold Rangers Way, an approximately 44-mile circular route beginning and ending in Driffield, was tackled over four days as part of this year’s Walking East Yorkshire Festival.
The organised walk took place on 14, 15, 17 and 18 September, with participants meeting in Driffield before travelling to the starting point for each stage.
The four-day challenge divided the route into manageable sections of roughly 9½ to 12½ miles, allowing walkers to experience the Yorkshire Wolds landscape while also learning more about the people who gave the trail its name.
Following in the footsteps of the Wold Rangers
The route was created to remember the Wold Rangers — itinerant workers who once travelled across the Yorkshire Wolds looking for seasonal agricultural work.
Their lives were closely connected to the lanes, farms and villages surrounding Driffield, and several became well-known local characters.
Today, the Wold Rangers Way combines their stories with a walk through rolling chalk countryside, valleys, farmland and Wolds villages.
The complete circular trail begins traditionally in Driffield Market Place before heading out towards locations including Huggate, Thixendale, Sledmere, Fimber and Garton-on-the-Wolds before eventually returning to the town.
A route right on Driffield’s doorstep
One of the things that makes the Wold Rangers Way particularly special for Driffield is just how close the countryside is to the town centre.
Walkers can begin among Driffield’s shops and cafés and, before long, find themselves following quiet tracks and paths through the Yorkshire Wolds.
For visitors, that also makes Driffield an ideal base for exploring the route, with places to eat, shop and stay before or after a day’s walking.
You don’t need to walk all 44 miles
Missing the organised four-day event doesn’t mean missing out on the Wold Rangers Way.
The trail can be walked independently throughout the year, and walkers can complete individual sections rather than tackling the whole route.
There are also several shorter circular routes, known as Trods, which are linked to individual Wold Rangers and offer a more manageable introduction to the history and landscape.
Discover the full Wold Rangers Way
We’ve put together a complete Driffield Is Great guide to the Wold Rangers Way, including:
- where the route starts
- how long it takes
- villages and landmarks along the way
- the history of the Wold Rangers
- shorter walks
- maps and navigation
- practical advice for planning your walk.
Read our complete Wold Rangers Way walking guide in the Things to Do section.
The Yorkshire Wolds offers some fantastic countryside to explore, and with the Wold Rangers Way beginning and ending in Driffield, this is one walking route that truly starts on our doorstep.
