START from the car park near Bella Farm on minor road off B1248 south of Wharram le Street.

Rejoin the road and turn right, over a brow through open fields to drop to a kink at the end of the wood on the right: here go right along a track past the wood end.

As it swings right with the trees, keep straight on the hedgeside ahead. A bridleway junction is quickly reached: pass through the hedge and follow a hedge on your right down the fieldsides.

Towards the bottom of the second field use a gap in the adjacent hedge to head away along a field top hedgeside along Raisthorpe Wold, above a dry valley. In the following field it becomes a firmer track dropping steadily down.

Just before the end, pass through a waymarked gap on the right, and a less obvious bridleway takes a few paces right then rises left along the field edge, outside woodland.

At the corner it meets a grassy way, rising right up the hedgeside. The going eases to reach a gap in the hedge.

Pass through and head left alongside a field top hedge to enter woodland. A path drops down to emerge onto a firm track.

Turn right up this to emerge into a field. A green way heads away with a hedge on your right towards North Plantation.

At the corner pass through a gap and resume outside the wood to emerge via a corner gap onto a grassy track overlooking Deep Dale’s dry valley.

Turn right on this to a gate/stile, from where a thin path heads away along the top edge of the deepening dale. Passing another section of North Plantation you arrive at a corner.

Remain with Deep Dale as it swings left to savour a splendid stroll. Dropping gently, towards the end a guidepost sends the way left to slant into the valley floor.

A clearer path drops to a kissing-gate, and a path goes left around a pond, over a bridge and back around to Wharram Percy Church.

Wharram Percy is a famous deserted medieval village, only surviving building being the church. Occupied for six centuries, the village declined after 1500 when families were evicted to create sheep pastures.

Continue to cottages ahead, and from a kissing-gate follow a green track to a knoll. From here you might opt to inspect the deserted village layout up to your left.

The onward route follows the track down to a corner gate where you leave the site. Below, turn left on a former railway line, passing old quarry infrastructure before emerging onto Station Road.

Turn right up it past Wharram Quarry nature reserve and along to the edge of Wharram le Street. At the first house turn right through a gap onto a hard track, ascending a hedgeside onto a road. Turn right through open fields, passing Bella Farm to finish.